“No, I'm here for the pleasure of it.”
“Oh, I guess there is always a first for everything,” he said. “Have we met?”
“No!” I snapped at him. Idiot.
“Must have mistaken you for someone else then, besides once you enter, you can never leave.” He started to fold himself in two at his lame joke, and I just stared at him.
Poor guy must have inhaled too much fog or something.
The trip to the other side felt long. My head started to ache with his non-stop babbling, and I jumped every time something bumped the boat. Maybe this was the fourth task, trying not to throw myself overboard just to get a bit of peace and quiet.
“Don't worry, miss, it's the lost souls that weren't worthy enough to complete the last task. They won't hurt you,” he said in a singsong tone.
My heart rose, and my eyes felt as if they were going to pop out of their sockets.
Dead people. I pulled my gaze away from the water and stared at the idiot.
“What's the fourth task?” I hoped for some sort of a distraction away from the dead-people thing.
“You'll get the assignment on the other side,” he said, and just kept rowing, starting to whistle as he paddled along.
It felt like hours before we hit something. I managed to see some land through the mist.
“Get out!” he said.
I huffed and almost fell out of the boat.
He pushed the boat back with one of the paddles and started to row back to the other side.
“Wait, what if I need you to get me back?”
He laughed.
Idiot. I turned around and couldn't see anything in front of me because of more fog. I tried to wave it away, but was only wasting my time. A low growl alerted my senses, and I grabbed one of my axes for protection.
I didn't like this feeling of not knowing what might attack me. Not being able to see meant that I had to rely on my senses. That was going to be interesting since I didn’t even trust my senses myself.
Lucian was right. I was not cut out to fight a dragon, especially one that spits acid.
“Good day, Elena Watkins,” a deep voice rumbled in front of me.
A strong force pulled me forward. I could feel my feet skimming forward, and I was suddenly ankle-deep in yucky mud. “A true maiden.” A strong wind blew into my face, almost causing me to fall down on my butt. When I opened my eyes, the fog was gone. In front of me stood a huge dragon, the kind of which I'd never seen before.
My head started to thump, and I squinted to make sure that they weren't playing tricks on me. Vertical stripes covered his entire body, as if he had stolen a rainbow and made himself a suit.
“Hey.” I swallowed hard.
“Here to take a look at my millpond.” His low honeyed voice made me feel safe, but I didn't dare to trust it. “So you can't speak Latin. That's what the Keeper told me. He had to lend you the gift.”
“Thank you for that.” I remembered Blake's words as he asked me if I understood him.
“Appreciation. It's a rare quality. You'll be one of my most prized possessions,” he said, as if I had already failed the final task. “Come in.”
I followed him to a massive gate that resembled the one at Dragonia, and tried to kick off the mud that still clung to my shoes. The gate opened and I stepped inside.
The hill was steep. It drained the energy I had left.
When we reached the top, I saw some sort of a castle. It had the most beautiful garden with a giant labyrinth in front. Cupid and dragon statues surrounded by fruit-baring trees and a beautiful big pond reminded me of the Garden of Eden. The stars shone brightly in the sky. Laughter came from the garden, and I saw young women chasing each other.
So creepy. One wanted to be more beautiful than the other, and they all wore garments that made me think of ancient Greece.
“You know I can take away your pain for a small price,” the dragon said soothingly.
“What's the price?”
“No, you have to trust me, Elena. First I'll heal, and then I'll ask something in return.”
Lucian's voice screamed “Hell no” inside me.
“No, I'll bear it. Thanks for the offer.”
“Are you sure? They might have to cut it off the longer you wait.”
It was tempting, and I really wanted to give in, but I came here for one thing, and that was to look in the millpond. Temptation might be the final task, not to give in. “No.”
“So be it. Here's your final task.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“For your final task, I need to know the answer before sunrise.”
I scratched my head. “Before sunrise?”
He nodded his big purple and yellow head.
“It is greater than God and more evil than the devil. The poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it. You will die. What is it?”