Page 27 of Mountain of Dragons and Sacrifice

What was I supposed to say to that? Deep down, weren’t those the same doubts I’d always had? That the cost of sacrificing to the dragon wasn’t worth it. That Clarissa’s death—or whatever had happened to her—hadn’t been worth it.

But it shook me to hear those doubts voiced by the dragon himself.

This had to be another test. He was trying to make me doubt.

“But I…my parents…” I squeezed my eyes shut, rubbing my temples. “This isn’t right. It isn’t what I’ve been told.”

“Who should you believe? Your village elders who claim to know my word or my word directly from me?”

That made far too much sense. And it didn’t sit right that it made sense.

“Will you light the candle?”

“No.” The word came out far weaker, more doubt-filled than it ever had the previous nights.

But it still must have been enough. The dragon nodded and left, closing the door softly behind him.

I picked at my breakfast of pink toast and green eggs the next morning, the dragon’s words still ringing in my head.

Daphne plopped onto the seat next to me. “Did you look outside this morning?”

I glanced at the broad windows. Through the glass, I could see the same white and gray mountains as always. “Not really. Why?”

“It snowed last night!” Daphne pulled a cloak, hat, mittens, and scarf out of a pocket.

I wasn’t sure what to comment on first. I decided on pointing at her pocket. “How did you do that? There’s no way that pocket is big enough for all of that.”

“It’s a magic pocket, of course! Oh, right, you don’t have those in the Human Realm. You just have ordinary pockets. So strange.” Daphne piled the items on the table. “The magic pockets can fit just about anything. Just don’t put anything living into one of the magic pockets. It won’t be living when you take it out again.”

“Thanks. Noted.” I resisted the urge to shudder.

That would explain where the dragon had gotten that massive blanket on the night he’d taken me—rescued me?—from the stone. He must have pulled it from one of these magic pockets.

Not to mention Evander’s pocket gyros. A perfectly reasonable use for magical pockets, come to think of it. I’d walk around with my pockets stuffed with emergency snacks too, if I had magic pockets. Which, apparently, I did. Next time Phoebe set out desserts, I was going to snatch a few extras.

“Try it for yourself. It’s standard to store warm clothes in the magic pockets.” Daphne pointed to the pocket in the side of my blue wool dress. “If not, your wardrobe in your room will probably have something. It sizes everything for you, and you can ask it for whatever you need. You’ll want the warm clothing. It snowed last night, and it’s sunny. A good day for a romp outside.”

The way she said it, sharing a smile with me, almost implied that I would be allowed outside. But that couldn’t be right, could it? Phoebe and Evander had taken great pains to tell me not to leave the day I’d arrived. Sure, they’d pretended it was because it would be safer for me if I didn’t. But what else could they mean but that I couldn’t leave without angering the dragon?

Holding my breath, I plunged my hand into the pocket anyway. My hand went down, down, down until I was up to my elbow in this pocket. My fingers brushed all kinds of random things. At least none of it felt slimy or scaly. Otherwise, I would have yanked my hand out of there so fast I would have probably ripped the seams of the pocket.

“Think about what you want to pull out of the pocket.” Evander sat across the table from me, a hint of a smile easing the line of his square jaw.

Cloak. Hat. Mittens. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to keep those things at the front of my mind.

Just like that, my hand was filled with something soft. I pulled my arm and hand free of the pocket, finding that I was holding a bundle of something soft and blue. I had to keep pulling until the full thing came free of the pocket.

A blue cloak only a shade or two darker than my dress lay across my lap, along with a matching hat and mittens.

Huh. That actually worked.

What did it mean that my pocket had items that were only useful for the outdoors? Was it a fluke? Or was I allowed to go outside?

“Bundle up. You won’t want to miss the stroll outside.” Evander stuffed his own bite of toast into his mouth, chewing quickly as if he was just as eager as everyone else.

Maybe I was only allowed outside if I was escorted by Evander. That would make sense, since that same rule held true for exploring inside the mountain. He could keep an eye on me and report whatever I did to the dragon.

I hadn’t been outside in the past three weeks. Not since the night the dragon had taken me from my world. It would be good to breathe fresh air again and see the sky besides the glimpse I got through the opening around the waterfall.

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