| "The flotilla," a murmur bubbled up. Carradene shook his head mockingly,
"Oh yes, Caleb's Folly. And how far did his ships get him? Or those
that went with him?" Troubled stares and acknowledging nods spread throughout
the room. "How many ships are left? How many that aren't filled with holes
and rotting wood?" Carradene took a deep breath, calming his anger. "And
in what direction would you sail; north, south, east or west? How far away
is land, and who's land is it? I am a wolf, not a fish. I cannot swim the
mighty sea or breathe in the salty currents. And I do not wish to die with
seaweed in my lungs."
"So you wish to die by fire instead?" a man in the shape of a bear asked, stepping forward. "I would rather chance the sea than face the Dragon." "Moran," Carradene stared him in the eye. "If that is your will, then so be it. You know where the boats are hidden. Go to them, collect all the supplies you can carry. But may I ask where you will go?" "To the west," Moran answered with confidence. "Minestus always flew from the west when he came to look at his pets." Carradene nodded. "And you will not come, Carradene? You would die here, your body burning in dragon fire? Will you stay here, a slave to the end?" Carradene lowered his head, silence waiting on his reply. When he raised his eyes, a gleam shone out from them. "We are all slaves to Fate. I am master of no one, nothing, and I have never sought such distinction. But yes, I will stay. I say to you all, I do not believe the words of some strange golem sent by those I do not know, for reasons I cannot guess. But if humanity is in danger of its very existence, if it is on the verge of extinction, then I cannot run away. I must act, as best I can. And the only place I have to start from is here. There are questions that need to be answered, and I will not leave here until I find them." The crowded hall was quiet for a moment, and then the awkward shuffling and whispering began. It was time now to make a decision. And each man and woman had to make their own. Two choices were before them. Leave with Moran on a fleet of boats that were hardly seaworthy, or stay with Carradene and face the wrath of a Dragon that, when it finally came back, would find its sister-wyrm rotting beneath a mountain of broken stone. And what no one said, but no one forgot, was that tonight was the last
full moon of the month. One more uncontrollable change into their animal
selves. One more reminder of why they were on the island in the first place.
Whether they left or whether they stayed, only tomorrow would tell. But
leaving the cursed island, this Island of the Dragon Moreau, in no way
lifted the curse they carried on their souls.
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