The Dragon Coin by Aiden James Read Free Book Online

somewhere on the coast, and if we go now, we’ll still have plenty of daylight to see it.”
    Roderick’s sense of urgency won the battle over my desire to stay longer and have a better look around in ‘Old Town’. Unlike our casual pace from Pedgorica to Budva, and from the hotel to the older section of the city, he drove the Camry we rented with near abandon, and almost ran down a pair of bicyclists on the main road back to the beach. Following his inner voice, he took us further south and let up on the gas as he became calmer. Then, without warning, he pulled the car over and parked in front of one of the many scenic beaches the area is known for. At the moment, it appeared to be crowded with tourists and local sun-worshipers alike.
    “So, are you looking for some cryptic clue beneath a sunbather’s umbrella that will lead us further on this wild goose chase?” I asked, smiling wryly.
    “Shhh! Let me listen for a moment.” He stared out the windshield as if expecting such a clue to suddenly appear among the beach tenants, or the rising tide sending deeper swells toward the shore. Only a handful of surfers braved the bigger waves, and other than a few sailboats in the distance, the sea sat empty. The shoreline, on the other hand, was teeming with swimmers in the shallow depths while couples walked close to the water. “Come on, let’s go have a look.”
    He exited the car, and without waiting for me, hurried toward what looked like an abandoned pier from long ago. The structure was missing most of its planks, and only the rusted steel supports remained. An ancient dingy was tied to the end of the pier, roughly two hundred feet from the shore.
    Roderick jogged through the sand, dodging several volleyball players as he moved past their net. I ran after him, concerned by his careless behavior, as so unlike him. He stopped when he reached the steps leading up to the pier.
    “What in the hell is this about?”
    He ignored my question, removing his glasses and squinting his eyes as he gazed toward the deeper depths far beyond the pier. I followed his eyes but saw nothing, and in fact noted nothing unusual—not even a hint of the creepiness we had experienced in ‘Old Town’. However, a slight mist drifted toward us from the sea, just beyond the pier, and spread out along the shoreline in either direction.
    Hardly detectable at first, only a few people around us seemed to take notice until the mist thickened.
    “It’s here,” he said, finally. “Or, the road to it is here.”
    “What do you mean?” I honestly had no idea what he babbled about. “What’s here?”
    “Dracul’s palace.”
    “In the middle of the sea?”
    “No, it sits on an island.” He turned to study me, and seemed surprised we were surrounded by other people. People, I should say, whose stares were drawn to Roderick’s face. He quickly put his glasses back on. “I’m beginning to think this is much worse than either of us could’ve anticipated. The island is out there right now…and yet, it’s not.”
    “What?! Like we’re dealing with multi-dimensional shit again? Please say I’m wrong.”
    I followed his gaze as it returned to the deeper waters beyond the pier. Roderick shook his head incredulously, while I awaited more details on what his perception picked up.
    “Maybe it’s nothing,” he said, finally. “Maybe this is part of the maze…the illusion in the game that might reach other levels beyond the physical, and beyond normal acuity….”
    His voice trailed off as he looked to the right of us, where the mist had thickened to a fog above the waves that crashed against the shore. A couple with a dog became briefly invisible, and seemed oblivious to the mist, until a dozen adolescents kicking a soccer ball hurried past the startled pair.
    The youths, all boys and apparently local, chased the ball as it careened toward where we stood. Instinctively, I reached out to catch it when one of the boys kicked the ball toward