again. This was the most respect Ham had shown his father the entire journey.
Noah returned a head nod. “Certainly.”
“Since mountaintops are visible in the distance, you suggested last week that there might be land close by in one of the directions we can’t see. Why not send out a bird to test that theory. If it comes back, there is likely no place to land.”
“I have thought of that.” Noah pressed a finger to his cheek. “We have very few birds to spare, but I was thinking we could release one of the doves we brought for sacrifice.”
Ham shook his head. “No need. We can send my raven out. She’s expendable, and she can let us know if there is dry land nearby.”
Noah laughed. “I heard that raven grumbling about grapes the other day. I thought I was finally losing my mind.”
Ham pointed at the black bird as it perched in the rafters. “I’ve been talking to her for months, and she’s learned quite a few words, so I trained her to fetch things, like crickets for the snakes or raisins for the monkeys. She could find something on land and bring it to us.”
Makaidos gazed into Ham’s eyes, searching for a hint of a lie. He had seen him talking to the raven, so that part was true enough, but the raven spoke back to him. Would Ham mention that, too?
Noah stroked his chin. “But there will be no crickets or raisins to find. Everything will be dead and washed away.”
“True, but before the grapes dried out, I taught her the difference between the purple ones and the green ones. I’ll just ask her to bring us something green. Maybe new seedlings have sprouted by now.”
“An interesting theory,” Noah said. “I think it’s worth a try. We’re all anxious to get our feet back on solid ground.” He shuffled into the anteroom, a noticeable stagger in his step. He opened the shutters, allowing a stiff breeze to sweep through the cabin.
Ham whistled toward the rafters, and the raven fluttered down to his shoulder. “Go to my father,” Ham said. He then whispered something in the bird’s ear.
Makaidos snorted to himself. That whispering was more than words of comfort. Something devious was going on.
With two flaps of its ebony wings, the raven jumped to Noah’s shoulder, its feathers ruffling in the wind. Ham hustled down the ladder toward the second level. “I’ll be right back,” he called.
“What’s going on?” Japheth stepped into the corridor, rubbing his eyes. “Why are you opening the window so early?”
Noah nodded at the raven on his shoulder. “An experiment, of sorts.”
“Ham’s raven? What could it ”
“Here it is!” Ham said, climbing back to the top level. He held a green anole in his hand and showed it to the raven. “Green,” he said, stroking the lizard’s skin. “Bring me something green.”
Noah turned his shoulder toward the window, and the raven leaped for the exit, its wings beating against the breeze. Noah left the window open and limped toward his quarters, his back bent. “I will pray with Emzara for the raven. Perhaps this long journey will end soon.”
Makaidos lurched toward the window and extended his neck through the opening as far as he could. The ark listed to one side, clearly stuck on something beneath the white-capped waves that constantly punished the hull. To his left and only several feet below his level, the main deck’s blistered planks led away from Adam’s door.
From his vantage point, the deck seemed to be an observation platform where someone standing at the parapet could look out over the dark blue sea. A few distant mountaintops peeked through the endless expanse of water, too far away for any possibility of reaching them against both wind and waves. The only hope lay on the other side of the ark, but that view was out of reach, even for a long-necked dragon.
Makaidos opened his eyes wide and drank in the sun’s rays. Pure luxury! His neck scales cried out for joy, but even this splendor was nothing more than a tease. He and Thigocia needed much more energy, a recharge that only a full sunbath could bring, and the rays at this angle, not quite enough to sneak into the window, provided only a glancing exposure.
He pulled his head back inside. Since the bird was nowhere in sight, there was no use keeping watch. Even if Ham’s idea could work, the presence of a dragon in the window would surely frighten