Page 24 of The Fae King's Labyrinth

I had heard of dragon shifters—men who could shift into dragons like my people could shift into cats. Unlike us, they weren’t mortal in either form. Long-lived like elves, powerful like gargoyles, and wily like fae, dragon shifters were formidable and frightening.

“Only fools mess with dragon shifters,” the pooka declared.

“What do we do?” I asked.

The rumble of the labyrinth shifting and walls moving signaled the end of our break. This time they didn’t narrow, they began widening as though preparing for a large creature.

“Shift,” Azulin instructed. “We survey the damage. If he is aware enough, we can reason with him.”

“Or her,” the pooka added.

“As far as I know there are no female dragons left. However, if it is female, you can try to use some of your persuasion skills.”

The pooka glared at the king. I shifted into my cat form with surprising ease. Each transformation continued to be smoother. I crawled to practically sit on Azulin’s boot. My back leg ached, but it no longer throbbed like it had before. I hoped that was a sign the bandage’s spell was working.

Azulin calmly picked me up and settled me against his ribs. “Let me guess. Dragons aren’t your type either.”

The pooka rolled his eyes. “Not in their draconic form.”

“A shame.”

The pooka snorted, and I laughed. It came out as a trilling chirp sound. Azulin glanced down at me without slowing his pace.

“What was that?” the pooka asked as he pranced around us in his horse form.

“A laugh, I suspect.” Azulin jutted his chin at the path. “Intersection ahead.” He drew his sword and dropped it down so it hid behind his leg.

“You know that thing is glowing, right?” The pooka transformed into a man again as the passage narrowed again.

“I do. I just don’t want it to be the first thing the dragon sees.”

“Good luck with that.” Drawing the short sword Azulin had given him, the pooka whipped it around and edged in front of us. “I assume we’re going to use the same tactics as with the ogre.”

I hissed.

“I agree with Calypso,” Azulin responded. “Considering I have no confidence in my ability to face a potentially crazed dragon shifter, you playing bait would be foolish and possibly fatal. As annoying as you are, I don’t want you dead.”

The pooka offered Azulin a mocking half bow without slowing his pace. “A fact I appreciate. However, we might not have much time to come up with an alternative plan. Any options for escape?” He arched an eyebrow at the fae king as thesurrounding passage began morphing and moving, forcing them to jog. The change jostled me against Azulin’s side, but his gait remained surprisingly smooth.

“There is hope I may be able to portal us out, but I dare not risk your lives unless there are no alternatives.” Azulin’s whole body tensed, and I could hear his heart rate increasing despite his cool expression. “If I signal, make your way to me immediately. There will only be time to make one attempt. No return trips.”

“Who wouldn’t want to return to such a welcoming place?” The pooka smirked and rolled his eyes. “Banshees, ogres, sea monsters, lava, poison, and now dragons.” He shrugged. “All in a day’s work.”

As though in response to the pooka’s sarcasm, the ground rumbled and shook. I sank my claws into Azulin’s tunic front as his footfalls became irregular and unsteady. The walls rippled and the floor beneath us heaved, throwing both men off their feet. Azulin’s arm tightened around me as he hunched his shoulders to protect me as we landed on the seesawing ground.

A roar blasted our ears amidst the rumbling and grinding of stone against stone.

“Is it me or is that getting closer?” the pooka yelled.

“The curse is getting impatient.”

“Is this normal?” the pooka asked as the bucking ground threw him against a wall. He hit it with a painful grunt.

Before Azulin could answer, the floor dropped out from under us.

∞∞∞

Azulin

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