The Firelands

62 - Fire and Ice

3rd day of the forth Month, Worth's Moon

4:00 am

The Giant's Kitchen

"Do you think he got himself killed?" Kalen asked an hour after Incendio vanished down the drain.

"I hope not, after all the trouble it took just to get this far," Theth replied, his eyes closed – the blood having now all gone to his head and giving him a headache.

"Well at this rate we're going to get eaten before he gets back."

"How's your leg?"

"Still broken."

"Excellent."

"Your wings can't push through?"

"No, this stuff is too strong, and I'm sure it's hardening."

"Agreed. Zedkiel! Wake up!" Kalen snapped, swinging and body-thumping into the elf, jarring him out of his doze. "Come on, your heart's slowing too much, you need to keep its rate up."

Zedkiel muttered something and looked away, watching as Toby pulled the pastry for a pie out of the cooler, sprinkling flour on the work top and setting the pastry out ready to be rolled.

He then walked over to one of the smaller ovens and hit a button. Nothing happened. He frowned at it, then hit the button again and still nothing happened. He sighed, then reached into the back, opening a lid and reaching inside.

The action was met by a sudden flurry of snarling and hissing making the boys all look in shock just as Toby pulled a small cage out of the back of the oven and revealed a dragon locked inside.

It was a blazing red and black raptor breed, it's frill of spikes around the neck stood on end, the spiked tail swaying violently, flames flaring up from the spikes.

"I told you. I'm not going to argue with you every time I want a fire lit," Toby snapped, looking at the dragon. "Either you co-operate or I'm going to bake you into a pie instead and no amount of fire is going to save you there. Now behave." He gave the cage a jarring smack then shoved the dragon back into the oven and hit the button again. This time, the flames turned on.

Kalen and Theth looked at each other, Zedkiel continued to look at where the dragon had been put, an idea forming.

Movement down on the kitchen floor made them all look down and a sigh of relief left all three of them.

Incendio was there, wriggling his way under the door, looking like an utter mess but alive and in one piece – Though Kalen could smell the stench that came off him from all the way up on the racks.

Incendio looked around, then spotted them and raced to the nearest counter, clambering and bouncing up until he launched himself through the air and grabbed Theth, hanging off him, making them swing wildly while Theth gagged at the smell.

"What the hell were you doing?" he snarled quietly, watching Toby to make sure the giant didn't turn to them.

"I came up through a toilet," Incendio said simply and Theth grimaced at the idea of what was attached to him.

"Incendio," Zedkiel hissed, grabbing his attention – and seeming unconcern by the smell – Kalen was sure that was an indicator to just how out of it he was.

Incendio looked up, then bounced across Kalen, making him hiss and landed on Zedkiel, pulling himself up so Zedkiel could whisper something in his ear, so low even Kalen couldn't hear it.