Page 20 of Mountain of Dragons and Sacrifice

When I didn’t hear anything from the other side other than the gurgle of the creek, I cracked the door open and peeked out. What I could see of the tunnel outside remained empty.

I opened the door wider and stepped into the passageway, closing the door softly behind me.

Keeping a wary eye out, I tiptoed down the tunnel that followed alongside the creek that flowed through this particular part of the mountain. My heart pounded, my breaths loud in my ears. At least my obnoxiously rumbling stomach was masked by the splashing echoes of the creek.

I reached the waterfall cavern without seeing anyone. Hiding in the dark entrance of the tunnel, I dug into the pocket of my dress and withdrew the candle and holder I’d taken from my room. The items had fit with surprising ease in the pocket without feeling bulky and bumping into my leg as I’d expected.

I lit the candle from the nearest torch, then gazed around at the many tunnel openings branching out from this main cavern. Which one should I explore first?

Not the one that led to the dragon’s lair, that was for certain. The answers I sought might lie up there, but I wasn’t about to risk angering the dragon by setting foot up there, despite what Evander had said.

If there was a deep, dark dungeon where the dragon was keeping the other maidens, it wouldn’t be down one of the well-lit corridors. I turned into the first black opening I found. As long as there were no branching passageways, I wouldn’t get lost.

As I tiptoed down the tunnel, pools of light and shadow spread around me from the candle I held in my hand. The stone stretched into the darkness ahead of me, broken only by the occasional bracket holding an unlit torch.

A sound came from behind me. Were those footsteps?

I froze, holding my breath, my hand trembling and sending the candle’s flames dancing across the stone walls.

Yes, those were definitely footsteps reverberating loudly off the stone as someone strode confidently down the tunnel toward me.

Holding a lit candle as I was, there was no way whoever was behind me hadn’t already seen me. Nor was there anywhere to hide in this empty tunnel.

Was it the dragon? It was the middle of the day, but I had wandered far from the seemingly inhabited areas of this mountain.

I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my back against the wall. My voice came out far weaker and shakier than I intended. “Who’s there?”

“It’s me. Evander.” His voice was low, as if he didn’t want to startle me.

I released a breath, opening my eyes and peering in that direction.

He strolled down the corridor, his hands in his pockets in a manner that would have seemed casual, except that it meant he wasn’t holding either a torch or a candle to light his way. He wore his typical blue tunic and leather jerkin, which just highlighted the breadth of his chest and the strength of his shoulders.

His footsteps scuffed loudly in the tunnel, and he wasn’t making any effort to walk quieter, as if he hadn’t wanted to startle me.

“I’m not trying to escape.” I didn’t want him reporting to the dragon that he’d found me trying to leave. Though, I wasn’t about to tell him my real reason for wandering.

“I should hope not. You aren’t dressed warmly enough for the outdoors.” Evander halted next to me, his broad shoulders filling the space in the narrow tunnel. He tilted his head toward the darkness ahead of us. “Even if you were, you wouldn’t get far going down this tunnel.”

I eyed him. Was that a warning? Was he here to drag me back to the rock polishing room? I edged back the way I’d come, though Evander was all but blocking my exit. “I probably should head back.”

“They’ll be fine without you.” Evander gestured toward the tunnel ahead of us, a hint of a smile dimpling his cheek. “I imagine rock polishing can get boring after a while. The dragon’s paperwork certainly is. We might as well stretch our legs together.”

Was he really that oblivious to my real reasons for searching the tunnels? Or was he merely pretending to be naïve?

Probably the latter. Surely he was here to guard me and make sure I didn’t go anywhere I wasn’t allowed to go.

I wouldn’t get far trying to search for the other girls with the dragon’s steward tagging along. But maybe I could figure out where to look the next time I sneaked away by gauging Evander’s reactions.

“All right.” I gripped the candlestick tighter and pushed away from the wall.

Evander’s gaze dropped to my hands, and his eyes narrowed, then darkened. He fished in his pocket for a moment before he pulled out a tin, twisting off the lid. The close air of the tunnel filled with that same heady, floral scent as the balm Phoebe had used on my wrists that first night.

Evander dipped his first two fingers into the orange paste before looking up at me. “It’s balm. For your hands.”

I glanced from him to the tin to the candle before I held out my free hand.

His fingers brushed mine as he juggled both the tin and my hand in one of his. Then he spread the balm over my knuckles, working it in with fingers that were both gentle and strong, less callused than my bapi’s and yet not the soft hands I would have expected of a steward.

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