A Hero of Realms(44)

I turned my focus back on the center of the cave. Previously I’d been so occupied with staring at the dragon, I hadn’t noticed a pile of armor near his bed—armor that would only fit him in his human form, being clearly made for a man. Gem-studded helmets, silver chest plates, golden sheathed swords and wide, diamond-encrusted shields were just some of the objects I recognized. Then, also near his bed, there was a wide pit filled with gleaming jewels. Perhaps these were possessions he’d taken with him when he’d left The Hearthlands. The only possessions… Other than the cluster of armor and the jewels, the chamber was quite empty.

My heart catapulted into my throat as the dragon’s spear-like tail moved. It extended past the furs and outward to graze the stone floor.

I feared for a moment that we had made too much noise and had woken Breccan. But then the tail settled, the dragon’s breathing returning to its previous slow rhythm.

Bahir gripped my shoulder. Leaning closer, he breathed, “Arron and I will search the border once more for a shed scale, just in case we missed something.”

They left Julie and me alone. My mind worked furiously as I tried to think what our next move should be.

“What now?” Julie mouthed, the beacons’ firelight dancing in her hazel irises.

My throat tightened as I glanced back at the dragon. I was beginning to believe that we would have no choice but to attempt to pluck a scale directly from his body, when I caught sight of something on the bed of furs, just beneath his right hind leg.

I thought my eyes might be tricking me as I took a step closer. No. There it was. A small pile of dry scales, discolored compared to the rest of his skin. I couldn’t see them before because his tail had been covering them. It was as if he was hoarding them for some reason. From where I stood, each of the scales looked bigger than my hand, but we only needed one of them. And now that Breccan had shifted…

I moved forward, gesturing for Julie to stay where she was. I descended the steps toward the dragon’s bed, all the while keeping a close eye on the beast’s lethal tail, which, at least for now, seemed to be remaining dormant. I paused when I reached the beginning of the fur spread. I’d miscalculated the distance from the pile of scales to the ground. The many layers of the thick fur propped the dragon up so high that, as tall as I was, I wouldn’t be able to reach the scales without actually stepping onto his bed. I didn’t dare to do that in case he sensed the movement.

I should leave this task to Bahir. He could float noiselessly and pick up one of the scales. I turned my back on the dragon so I could scan the borders of the cave. Bahir and Arron were just finishing their second circuit around the chamber. I caught the jinni’s eye and beckoned him over.

“Watch out!” Julie hissed to my left.

I spun around, expecting the dragon’s tail to have shifted again. Instead, as I twisted it was to face a snake. A monstrous cobra, its scales green as ivy. Its head reared and long fangs bared, it towered above me. The creature must have been twenty feet long.

Everything that happened next was a blur. I lunged for the snake, attempting to slice off its head before it caused a commotion and woke the dragon, but it was too late. Julie’s warning had already done that.

The dragon let out a deep grumble. Throwing caution to the wind, I leapt for the pile of scales and grabbed one, tucking it into my belt before turning round to fight off the snake. As it sprang toward me, I latched onto its head with my claws. Now I became so preoccupied trying to stop the cobra from biting off my face as it engulfed me in its coils that I wasn’t able to raise my head to see what the dragon did next or why Bahir hadn’t immediately come to assist me. But as the temperature in the room spiked, I soon realized.

Bright flames engulfed the atmosphere. Breccan bellowed. Desperately, I fought with the snake as it continued to wrap itself even more tightly around me. I didn’t know exactly where the dragon was—only feet away by the sound of it—and now flames impaired my vision. All I knew was that I had to get out of his path. This snake’s skin was tougher to claw through than I’d expected and I couldn’t afford to stay where I was.

I forced the snake and me to roll across the floor toward the pit of gems. The ground disappeared as I tipped us over the edge. We fell sideways onto the lumpy bed. More flames erupted overhead as the snake’s jaws extended wide. Grunting, I managed to position my claws beneath the snake’s soft throat and dug into it. The reptile’s hold on me loosened and it began writhing as blood spilled from its throat, spraying my face and clothes.

I heaved its thick body off me, leaving it to die as I sat up. All I saw surrounding the outside of the pit was a solid wall of flames. I had no idea what had happened to the others. But wherever they were, the whole room appeared to be ablaze. I coughed and choked. The lack of oxygen was beginning to suffocate me in this low pit.