Dragon

Chapter 3

Following the old woman through the cavernous entrance, Maay couldn't resist looking up. In the gloom, the rock overhead – higher than any ceiling she'd seen before – seemed to press down on her. The stone under her feet had the smooth look that could only be achieved by centuries of habitation.

Wide ramps, tiny stairways clinging to their sides, led to the various tunnels dotting the cavern's edge. Heavy columns held up the roof, all smooth and shining in the flickering light. Yet the rock above, with its patchy shadows and suggestion of hidden stalactites, still hung on to the cavern's wild past.

Never had she thought she'd be standing in this place of legends. They'd written the Pact here. All those tales of the brave knights going to battle atop gigantic beasts, risking their lives to keep the kingdom safe. Every single one had started from here. Mountain Hall. The very first lair.

Unsure of the way, she contented herself with allowing Mara to lead her along a raised pathway running round the edge of what she would've called a courtyard had this been a castle. The vacant expanse, lit by its many lanterns, kept drawing her gaze. No cave had a right to be so big.

Her boot caught on a crack in the stone. She scrabbled at the wall, blindly searching for something to grasp. Fingertips dug into a gouge marring the surface. Righting herself, she glanced up at what her fingers had found and fought hard to swallow the lump in her throat. By the Great Ones.

All along the walls, scratches criss-crossed the stone. The one she stood next to started just above her head. From there, it ran all the way to the floor, cutting deep into the rock before scoring a fainter line across the worn pathway at her feet. Though some of the other marks looked old, this one had yet to wear at the edges.

The clicking of claws on stone echoed across the empty courtyard-like cavern. The sound seemed familiar, like the tread of a hunt hound's only bigger. Much bigger. She glanced over her shoulder to find the dull silver dragon still followed close behind.

The ceiling, hovering far above him, did little to dwarf his size. She doubted anything short of a mountain could. And I'd thought the other one had been huge. When they'd landed, Jaimin had towered over the blue-grey dragon. Mountain stock are the biggest. The other had possibly been of another breed. It'd been easier to climb aboard his back anyway. She doubted having such luck with Jaimin. If she stood on her toes and really stretched she might just reach his back. Getting aboard would be another matter. His head alone was as big as her whole body. And those teeth ....

Maay shook her head, unable to bear thinking of those great jaws without her stomach churning. Did she want to get that close to a dragon ever again? He promised to take me back. Providing they'd been wrong. She could suffer riding a dragon for such a trip.

"Don't mind him." Mara waved a dismissive hand at the dragon, the trailing sleeves of her pale robe flicking up a small puff of dust. "They're protective of their females."

Behind them came a gusty snort. The hair on her neck stood up as the warm air blew passed them. It carried the unmistakeable aroma of charred flesh. The image of his great jaws came back.

Swallowing the bile rising in her throat, she fought the urge to empty her stomach. "Are you a dragon?" she asked of the woman. Her skin wasn't a strange, vibrant colour like Jaimin and his companion, but dragon hides came in many shades.

"Not at all, dear child."

Maay followed her past the gaping maw of a corridor. Enormous, just like the entrance. She peered down it. More lanterns lit the way, illuminating wide streaks of soot on the walls. Dragonfire? Like the scratches, it didn't seem right for such marks to be adorning the Hall's interior. "Have you been attacked?"