Page 24 of Mountain of Dragons and Sacrifice

Perhaps I was fooling myself. Maybe Clarissa and the others were all dead, killed by the dragon for failing to be worthy of his mysterious purpose. Her body had likely been dumped out there in those snowy mountains I saw from my window, left to be consumed by wolves.

I drew back my foot, preparing to kick the stone.

Evander whirled, reaching for me. “No, don’t—”

I kicked the wall.

A shiver passed through the floor, even as gravel clattered down the walls. Four stone gremlins squished from the walls around us, plopping onto the floor and waving their pincers at us.

I scrambled back. “What—”

A wave of stone gremlins poured from the wall, accompanied by the clack of pincers and the clatter of falling stones. The stone gremlins rushed my feet. Something pinched my ankle, the pain sharp even through my boot. “Ow!”

I hopped back, kicking at the stone gremlins. But there were too many of them, and several more pinched my ankles and toes.

“Apologies for this.” Evander swept me into his arms, holding me high above the tide of stone gremlins.

He kicked the stone gremlins out of the way as he strode toward the tunnel’s exit. The stone gremlins must have been pinching his ankles and toes, but he gave no sign of it besides occasionally pausing to shake one of the creatures off.

I peered around his arm, holding out the candle so he could see where he was going. “I thought you said stone gremlins are harmless.”

“They are. Mostly.” Evander kicked another one out of his way. “They wander all through the stone of the mountain, and one or two is nothing to worry about. But if you stumble across one of their nests, they can get riled.”

The tide of stone gremlins tumbled at his feet, clacking viciously and leaving gray smears across the stone floor.

As we exited the tunnel into the waterfall cavern, the bulk of the stone gremlins halted at the mouth of the tunnel in a churning, agitated mass. The rest spilled out, oozing along the walls in an enraged swarm.

The sound of chanting rose above the globby, clacking noises of the stone gremlins a moment before ranks of gnomes marched out of the tunnel with the creek, their hats pulled down to their noses. Boss Gob strode at their head, pointing with a pickax even as he shouted in the gnome language.

The gnomes broke off into groups, heading off the stone gremlins and whacking them with their tools.

Behind the gnomes, several of the rock-polishing fae raced out of the tunnel, glanced around, then dashed to cut off the stone gremlins, kicking them.

I huddled in Evander’s arms, the sensation oddly familiar and safe. He carried me swiftly into the tunnel across the way, not setting me down until we reached the kitchen and gathering area.

As he set me on one of the benches, Phoebe bustled from the kitchen. “What happened? Is Nessa all right?”

“We stirred up the nest of stone gremlins in the abandoned tunnel.” Evander swept a look over me. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Just a couple of pinches.” I rubbed at my throbbing ankle, then froze. “Their pincers aren’t venomous or anything, are they?”

“No, but ice will make the welts feel better.” Phoebe hurried toward the door.

“If you could stay with Nessa, I’ll send someone for ice. I need to—” Evander paused, glancing down at me. “I need to fetch the dragon to clear them out.”

“Ah, of course.” Phoebe met Evander’s gaze for a moment before she turned back to me. “We’ll get you ice in no time, don’t worry.”

She wasn’t going to comment on the fact that the dragon was about to come out in the middle of the day? I shrank onto the bench, rubbing my ankles even as my breath caught.

Evander shot me one last look before he hurried back the way we’d come. Toward the stone gremlins and the dragon.

Phoebe sank onto the bench next to me. “Don’t worry. You’re safe here.”

I had let myself believe that, just for a moment, while in Evander’s arms.

But now, that fleeting feeling of wellbeing vanished. The dragon was coming out of his lair, and no one would be safe.

Should I make a run for my room? Or was I better off staying here? Perhaps I should squeeze my eyes shut until I knew it was safe to look.

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