Page 25 of Mountain of Dragons and Sacrifice

A roar echoed down the passageway a moment before the whole mountain trembled.

I hugged my knees to my chest, pressing my face into my skirt and trying to ignore the way the painful throbbing of the pinches was growing worse.

Was this why Phoebe, Evander, and the others served the dragon? He protected them from the stone gremlins when a nest was stirred up.

That still seemed like a paltry reason for their loyalty. That would be like keeping around a wolf to scare away hornets.

“I have some ice!” Daphne’s voice rang cheerily through the room, as if she was utterly not-terrified with the dragon roaming about the mountain.

I peeked over my knees as she plopped onto the bench next to me, her hands clad in mittens and clutching a hunk of icicles, as if she’d broken off a chunk of the ice I had seen drooling down the cliffs from my window.

On my other side, Phoebe rested a hand on my shoulder. “It’s all right. Let’s get your boots and stockings off.”

It felt especially dangerous taking off my shoes, hampering my ability to run away, with the dragon loose.

But the spots where the stone gremlins had gotten me were only hurting worse and worse.

I tugged off my boots, then the stockings, revealing several red and swelling welts dotting my ankles and feet.

Daphne slammed the icicle on the edge of the table, sending shards of ice scattering onto the floor. She handed the two largest pieces to Phoebe, who wrapped them in towels before she handed them to me.

I pressed the ice to the welts, sighing as the cold soothed the throbbing.

Evander strolled into the room, looking no worse for the wear for having been around the dragon. I wasn’t sure what I had expected. Burned patches in his tunic, perhaps? A torn sleeve or two? Instead, he had an extra saunter to his step before he lounged on the bench across from me. “The stone gremlins have been chased back into their nest.”

“Good.” Daphne shuddered, shaking a few leaves from her hair to drift down onto my lap. “I don’t like stone gremlins. They’re like giant, globby spiders, and I’d rather someone else dispatch them.”

So would I, though if I had a choice between the dragon and the stone gremlins, I’d pick stone gremlins every time.

I held out one of the melting, soggy-towel-wrapped ice chunks to Evander. “Would you like one? The stone gremlins probably got you even worse than they got me.”

Evander blinked at me, then shook his head, waving my hand away. “I’m fine. My boots are thicker leather than yours so they protected me.”

That was probably true. Either that, or he was being especially chivalrous at the moment.

I pressed the ice on one of my welts once again, shifting my grip since my fingers were going numb from holding the ice.

I could only hope the dragon would be in a merciful mood tonight after I shirked my duties and stirred up a nest of stone gremlins, disturbing him from whatever he did during the day to clean up my mess.

I waited for the dragon, curling on my bed and hugging my knees to my chest. I’d dared to wander his fortress, had neglected my rock polishing—the one job he’d assigned me to do—and poked a nest of stone gremlins. What would my punishment be? Evander had assured me that I was safe. That the dragon wouldn’t be angry about today.

But I couldn’t believe him. This was the dragon we were talking about. The one who demanded maiden sacrifices or he’d burn down Thysia.

Would Evander simply not tell him? Would he keep a secret from the dragonlord if it meant keeping me safe?

The knock sounded on my door, and the dragon’s voice came from the other side. “May I come in?”

I forced the word out between my chattering teeth. “Yes.”

The door swung open, revealing the dragon’s dark form silhouetted against the faint light from the distant torches. “I heard you had quite the adventure today.”

Evander must have told him. I shouldn’t feel such a twisting inside my chest, as if in betrayal. I’d known Evander was loyal to the dragon. Of course he’d tell the dragon everything.

But it still hurt, just a little bit. A part of me had hoped he wouldn’t tell the dragon what I’d done today.

There was no sense in trying to deny anything. All I could do was throw myself upon the dragon’s suspect mercy and hope my infraction had not been too severe.

“I’m sorry I wandered off. And that I disturbed those stone gremlins. I won’t do it again. I’ll do nothing but polish rocks from now on.” I hugged my knees to my chest so tightly I was cutting off circulation to my feet.

---