Intruder! came Bergethor’s familiar roar. This time, it wasn’t directed at Taylina and Raff. You dare enter my cave?
“Hide,” Raff whispered, pointing to the cluster of rock formations.
On hands and knees, Taylina scrambled for the columns. Bergethor sprang to his feet to meet the newcomer in the air, and a screech filled the chamber, the ear-splitting noise making her wince. Then the dragons collided, bumping chests, their wings flapping at each other, talons and fangs slashing.
Taylina made it to a column beside Raff and ducked behind it. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but it hadn’t been for the dragons to jump immediately into a fight.
Bhrava Saruth? she asked silently, hoping he was paying attention to her thoughts.
It has become apparent to the Cofah dragon that I am not a female, he promptly informed her.
Screeches, thuds, and yowls made it difficult to understand the words, even though they sounded in Taylina’s mind. She peeked out from behind the column. Bergethor and the new dragon were fighting like giant cats, clawing and biting, tails slamming into rock formations hard enough to knock them down. One of the decorative ribbons snapped and fluttered to the ground.
And the Cofah dragon was not pleased about that? Taylina asked, studying the layout of the chamber to see if they could find a route to Bhrava Saruth that wouldn’t put them in the middle of the fight. He was hunkering down, the golden ropes still binding him, as the other dragons thrashed about. More than once, a tail slammed into him.
Extremely not pleased, Bhrava Saruth replied. The good news is that he’s taking his ire out on Bergethor—I may have said a few words that led him to believe this was all Bergethor’s idea.
How did you manage that?
I told him Bergethor hated the invading Cofah dragons and was leading them here to trap them. I pointed out the trap that currently has me. This fellow here—watch out—
Taylina ducked as Raff pulled her back a second before one of the dragons, hurled by some magical attack, flew across the chamber and into the column they had been hiding behind. Stone cracked, and the formation buckled, shards of rock flying everywhere.
As I was saying, Bhrava Saruth continued as rocks pelted Taylina, this fellow here has never met me before and vice versa, so he didn’t know if I was a Cofah dragon or not—we all speak the same language, you know, one based on imagery rather than words. And seeing the trap device on the floor here lent credence to my story. He grew enraged as soon as he spotted it, fully believing that Bergethor intended to trap him too. Bergethor does emit shiftiness. I should never have been foolish enough to come here.
If Taylina had not been busy crawling along the outside edge of the chamber, staying behind stalagmites and pillars, she might have pointed out that Bhrava Saruth sounded quite smug for a dragon in the middle of a deadly battle. What would happen if one of those mental attacks struck him while he was still bound?
Dragons are quite sturdy, he proclaimed.
A dragon slammed into another column, and it, too, toppled. Clouds of rock dust filled the chamber. Taylina glanced back to make sure Raff was following her. He was the one with knowledge of tools and magic. She needed him to free Bhrava Saruth.
His lips formed words that she could not hear over the fight—judging by the expression on his face, it was a curse, either for her or for the dragons. Maybe for both. Still, he was sticking with her, crawling behind her on hands and knees, avoiding the nubs and stalactites protruding from the low ceiling near the edge of the chamber.
Yes, you’re almost here, Bhrava Saruth crooned in her mind—and perhaps in Raff’s too. Keep coming. Keep coming.
An ear-splitting screech sounded in the distance, and Taylina hesitated. That hadn’t been one of the battling dragons—indeed, they seemed not to have heard it, for they kept clawing at each other, rolling around, fangs sinking into each other’s scales.
“There’s another one,” Taylina said.
One of the other Cofah dragons is coming to help his comrade, Bhrava Saruth informed her blandly.
Raff groaned. “How’re they all going to fit? How are we going to get out?”
“So, there’s about to be four dragons in here?” she asked.
Possibly, Bhrava Saruth said. Is this not the diversion you hoped for?
Another booming crack sounded, and a nearby stalagmite pitched to the ground.
It’s a touch more chaotic than I imagined, Taylina thought. Humans are not sturdy. Not when boulders toppled on them.
With few other options, she resumed her crawl. Soon, Bhrava Saruth’s hindquarters came into view between two pillars.
I was actually hoping that Bergethor would leave, Taylina added. And we could do this in blissful silence. Or at least without the constant threat of being squashed by a ten-thousand-pound dragon.
We don’t weigh nearly that much, Bhrava Saruth spoke into her mind, as if this were the time for an anatomy lesson.
Maybe he was so relieved that he wasn’t being tortured right now that it was making him chatty.
I’m always chatty! Dragons are like eagles and other birds. We have hollow bones, so we can fly more easily.
Taylina squeezed between the two pillars and checked on the battling dragons, but she was forced to duck back as they rolled past right in front of her.
“Stay here for a second,” Raff said, his voice barely audible above the catfight. “I’m close enough now that I can study the device.”
Taylina couldn’t even see the device. Not only was it half hidden under Bhrava Saruth, but the other dragons had decided this would be a good place to intensify their fight.
“With my mind,” Raff clarified.
Scant feet away, the dragons wrestled. A tail whipped and almost knocked down the pillar in front of Taylina. Jaws clacked together, and hot dragon spittle flew, a droplet landing on her cheek. Shrieks of pain mingled with roars of anger, and she covered her ears.
One of the dragons—they were all golden, so it was hard to tell them apart—crashed into Bhrava Saruth. The golden ropes flared, as if angry that they had been disturbed, and something akin to lightning crackled in the air around Bhrava Saruth. Both he and the dragon who had hit him screeched.
Another cry came from outside, much closer now, and Taylina imagined a dragon landing at the mouth of the cave. The one who hadn’t been affected by the magical ropes—was that Bergethor?—whipped his head up and froze, his head tilting. He spun around, as if looking for something, then sprang into the air. His wings flapped enough to create a hurricane of wind in the chamber as he sped for the tunnel and disappeared. The one he had been fighting paused, appearing dazed, but then growled and flew after him.
“I don’t know what just happened,” Raff said, when he and Taylina were alone in the chamber with Bhrava Saruth, “but it’s an improvement.”
“Agreed,” Taylina said, as shrieks came from somewhere outside. She grabbed his arm. “Come on. Now’s our chance.”
“Goody.”
Bergethor realized he was outnumbered. Bhrava Saruth’s head turned toward them on his long neck, his green eyes watching them approach.
Even though he seemed far less dangerous than the others and sounded willing to help them—or at least do them a favor—there was power in those eyes, power that made Taylina nervous. What if he was tricking them? What if he would say or do anything to get out of this trap? What if, once they freed him, he took off without glancing back? Or what if he even turned on them?
Raff must have been worried, too, but he took a deep breath and eased close to Bhrava Saruth’s golden-scaled haunch. “Can you move a little so I can access it more easily?”
Bhrava Saruth promptly rolled onto his side, exposing his belly as well as the black disc that was stuck to the ground somehow.
Feel free to rub my belly while you’re there, Bhrava Saruth said.
“Uh, what?” Raff glanced at Taylina.
She could only shrug back at him. Not knowing how
she could help with the tool, she had moved to a spot where she could watch the tunnel in case any of the other dragons returned.
It’s been an arduous day, and I do so enjoy having my belly rubbed, Bhrava Saruth informed them.
“I believe that request is for you, Tay,” Raff said, kneeling next to the device, opening their bag of tools, and pointedly ignoring the scaled belly in front of him.
“Oh?” Taylina wanted to object to that notion, but it wasn’t as if she was doing anything more important. Presumably, Bhrava Saruth would let them know if any of the dragons were on their way back.
Naturally.
And if she rubbed his belly, maybe he would think more fondly of them. Maybe he would be more likely to honor the promise he had made and grant the favor her people so desperately needed.
I always honor my word, he announced, pinning her with those large green eyes. Even though his tone was not menacing—if anything, she would call that mournful or solemn—it was hard not to feel uncomfortable at the alienness in those large, reptilian eyes. I am an excellent dragon, he added.
Raff, his chin clasped in his hand as he stared at the disc, did not comment.
“Yes, of course you are,” Taylina said, skirting his shorter front legs—or were those arms?—so she could step close enough to touch his belly. The hair on her arms stood up as she neared those energy ropes, so she was careful to steer clear of them. “I am, however, getting the feeling that you’re a little different from other dragons.”
Taylina slid a hand along his sleek scales. They were cold and hard rather than warm or soft, so it was nothing like petting a dog or a cat.
When I’m free, I can shape-shift into a dog or cat, Bhrava Saruth promised.
Knowing little about how shape-shifting worked, Taylina imagined Raff riding into their town on a cat the size of a dragon.
I usually adjust my size accordingly, came the dry response.
She found it disconcerting that he was reading her every thought as she had them, but she had heard of dragons’ mental powers and had known what she was in for when she had chosen to come out here. She stroked his scales while Raff worked and tried not to think about what was going on back home. Worrying about her family and her people made her want to impatiently snap at Raff to hurry up. She bit her tongue, reminding herself that he was dealing with dragon magic—it would be a miracle if he could destroy the trap at all.
Taylina thought about asking Bhrava Saruth if he knew anything that might help, but he made a soft rumble deep in his throat, something almost akin to a purr, and rolled onto his back, his head lolling onto the floor.
Raff flinched and drew back until he saw that Bhrava Saruth had rolled away from him and not toward him. The dragon’s new position took him out of Taylina’s reach, but one of his green eyes opened, and he looked from her to his belly and back to her in a pointed manner.
She snorted and stepped close enough to pet him again. “I’m surprised you can feel this through your scales. They’re hard.”
I feel much. He gave a baleful look to the energy bindings that moved as he moved and were restraining his wings, keeping him from flying away.
“I have an idea,” Raff said, holding up one of the carved fire stones from the bag. With energy locked in its core, the tool could start fires or provide heat to cook a meal in the absence of wood.
“You’re going to bake off the magical ropes?” Taylina asked.
“No.” Raff set the carved stone on the disc, then withdrew three more from the bottom of the bag. “I’m going to try to overload it.”
Before Taylina could ask what that meant, a screech came from outside, but not far outside.
Bhrava Saruth let out something akin to a sigh and rolled back to his stomach, sending her and Raff scurrying back, but he was careful not to crush them or cover up the disc, which now held four of those heat tools.
Bergethor is coming back, Bhrava Saruth said. Hurry.
Alarm flashed across Raff’s face, but he took a quick breath and stared at the disc and the tools. His brow creased in concentration.
“What happened to the other dragons?” Taylina did not know how they would deal with Bergethor, but if he had somehow defeated those two Cofah dragons, either killing them or injuring them so that they had to leave the island, she would rejoice.
Alas, that is not the case, Bhrava Saruth said. They—
Trickster! came a mental cry, power surging into the chamber along with the word.
Taylina stumbled back, as if struck, her head ringing like a bell in a tower in a thunderstorm.
You thought you could steal my home? Trick other dragons into killing me? It was Bergethor, and if he had been irritated before, when accusing Taylina and Raff of being thieves, he was livid now.
It seems that while Bergethor was being chased to the mainland and back, he thought to speak to the Cofah dragons. Bhrava Saruth rose to his feet, shifting as much as he could toward the tunnel, but the energy ropes still restrained him. The truth may have come out. Unfortunately, the Cofah dragons may have believed it. He harrumphed in their minds.
“Is there anything we can do to delay him?” Taylina glanced at Raff, but he wasn’t moving—it was as if he didn’t even hear the conversation.
Unfortunately, my wings are clipped until that device is broken. Bhrava Saruth looked at them. Now would be a timely moment to disable it.
“I have no doubt of that,” Taylina said.
She wanted to shake Raff and make him work faster, but that would only slow him down. He needed to be able to concentrate.
Trickster! Bergethor cried once more, flying into the chamber and screeching so loudly that Taylina stumbled back into a pillar. You will die, Bhrava Saruth.
“Now,” Raff cried, leaping away from Bhrava Saruth and the device. “It’s going to explode. Get back, Tay.”
“What about him?” She flung a hand toward Bhrava Saruth even as Bergethor slammed into him, wings pummeling him and jaws snapping.
Bhrava Saruth did his best to fight back, his neck and head darting about like a snake as he struggled to parry his foe’s attacks, but he was close to helpless without the ability to maneuver.
“How long?” Taylina asked, eyeing the disc as she lunged behind a pillar.
“Soon. This isn’t far enough.” Raff grabbed her, looking like he might hoist her over his shoulder again, but there wasn’t enough room for that. The ceiling was too low back behind the rock formations. He simply dragged her faster than she could comfortably run, throwing worried glances back toward the dragons as he went.
They were halfway to the tunnel when the device blew up.
A flash of white light drilled into Taylina’s eyes, and a roar filled the chamber like a tidal wave smashing to shore. The ground shook, and rocks cracked all around them. She tripped, falling against a stalagmite. Raff did not see her stumble and kept running. She tried to race after him, but columns and stalagmites tumbled into her path, and rock crashed down from the ceiling.
Terror filled her as she realized she might be trapped—or killed. She pressed her shoulder against the wall and covered her head with her hands, not knowing what else she could do.
Dragon shrieks filled the chamber, and she glimpsed two dark forms streaking toward the tunnel, one after the other as the light faded. They were leaving, both of them.
A feeling of betrayal washed over Taylina. It was almost as powerful as her fear. Dust filled the chamber as more rocks tumbled down, and she coughed, choking on the thick air.
“Tay?” Raff cried from somewhere nearby. The tunnel?
“Here,” she rasped, though she feared he wouldn’t hear her over the falling rocks.
A shadow appeared, and a strong hand grasped her shoulder. Raff lifted her in his arms and ran, rocks bouncing off his shoulders. He made it to the tunnel, which was closer than Taylina had realized, and raced into it. Thank whatever gods were watching over them, it remained stable. Dust flooded it, and rocks continued to
fall behind them, but they made it to the cave entrance.
The sea air swept past them, driving back the dust, but that did not keep Taylina from coughing or her eyes from tearing as she looked around. It was still dark out, a few stars twinkling between the clouds. Nothing out here had changed. She searched the sky for dragons—for Bhrava Saruth specifically—but she and Raff were alone.
She groaned. Had all that been for nothing? Worse than nothing. They had destroyed Bergethor’s home and made an enemy of him. Would he remember them and come after them once he finished dealing with Bhrava Saruth?
“We failed,” she whispered, not bothering to swipe away the tears in her eyes.
Raff, his face smeared with dust, did not argue.
5
Taylina’s hip ached more than ever, and the various bruises developing on her body were also making themselves known. Her heart had been racing the whole time they had been in the dragon’s cave, and she had barely noticed her pains then, but now… She groaned at the idea of climbing down the cliff and walking back across the island. Where she may or may not find her family waiting for her. Had everyone gotten out? Were they hiding in the hills above the harbor, or had they been captured? Her little sister, Jessa, could be imprisoned and not even understand what was going on. She needed someone with her, someone to take care of her.
“Huh,” Raff said. “I hope that’s the belly-rub one.”
Taylina had been studying the cliff, but she lifted her head, scanning the sky. She soon spotted a dragon’s unmistakable form, wings outstretched as it banked and soared toward them.
The god Bhrava Saruth has returned! the announcement rang in her mind.
“Belly Rub, it is,” Raff said.
Taylina grinned and waved as the dragon streaked toward them. She was so relieved to see him and not Bergethor that she didn’t even care that he thought himself a deity.
Her wave turned into a frantic gesture of alarm as Bhrava Saruth’s wings folded in and he arrowed straight toward them. Taylina scooted away from the entrance of the cave, pressing her back to the stone wall and hoping that he wouldn’t bowl them over as he entered. Hollow bones or not, that was a big dragon.