Page 61 of Queen's Griffon

“Barely. And now we know it was most likely the dragon that burned him so bad. Just like it roasted this soldier,” Griff stated. While hard to discern with the decay, the remaining garmentsshowed scorch marks and the boots pitting as if someone dropped hot coals—or acid—on them.

“Speaking of roasting, we should take cover,” Mohan advised.

Rather than ask why, Griff stood and headed for the nearest building, Simhi and Monty by his side. At the doorway, he turned to eye Mohan who stood staring at the sky, or rather the large shape blotting it.

“Aren’t you coming?” Griff asked, keeping his voice low lest he attract the aerial predator.

“In a moment.”

“What are you doing?”

Mohan kept eyeing the sky. “Seeing how that dragon hunts.”

“By standing in the open?”

“Aye. Not moving, though. Some predators require movement to track their prey. Like the bears in Okkilam. If you ever meet one, stay still or lie prone on the ground.”

“You do realize some creatures hunt by sound,” Griff snapped. “So get your carcass inside.”

“The dragon’s path hasn’t shifted. It appears to be doing a circuit of the continent.”

Griff could see the dragon winging off, a speck that shrank in size.

“Well, that was interesting. It appears talking alone didn’t draw it,” Mohan stated as he turned to head for them.

“Or it wasn’t close enough to hear,” was Griff’s sour rejoinder.

Simhi had a question. “What makes you think the dragon hunts via movement?”

“Vinmo. The burn marks are most severe on his back as if he were running from the threat, which means the dragon must have been chasing him.”

“You took a risk,” chided Griff.

“We need to know what the dragon is capable of if we’re to protect ourselves from it.” Mohan began walking towards them when the pavement under his feet suddenly exploded upward, tossing the man. As Mohan reached the apex of his sudden flight and began to descend, a huge beetle emerged from the ground. Absolutely massive! It grabbed the falling Mohan in pinchers and, as quickly as it popped into view, disappeared in the hole it had made.

Chapter 19

Avera

While the rampdown into the city proved easy to navigate, that situation didn’t last once they reached ground level. Roads buckled and heaved, structures had crumbled, and in some large places, wide fissures split the ground. Add to that the existing buildings that towered and made it impossible to see around and they found themselves frustrated. They’d follow a road thinking it led to the mountain, only to realize it curved away from it. Then she’d choose another route, only to detour because of some issue.

Before long, Lenno was muttering, “You have no idea where the fuck you’re going.”

“No, I don’t,” she huffed. “I told you I’ve never been here before. Pretty much no one has since Verlora fell.”

“Not entirely true,” muttered Lenno. “I have a cousin who’s been a few times.”

“What?” Ron whirled to eye their leader. “Since when? And why are you just mentioning this?”

“Because Julio was sworn to secrecy. He wasn’t even supposed to tell me, but he spilled the news when he was sick with some kind of fever. While delirious, he told me how he’d been secretly visiting with a crew handpicked by the emperor.”

“Picked to do what?” Avera asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? To steal treasure!” Frisk yelled. “I can’t believe you hid this from us. It would have helped my nerves to know people have been coming and going without a problem.”

“I wouldn’t say without issue. Have you forgotten the snake?” Ron muttered.

“A snake I can handle, but the rumors about this place had us facing a monster that can eat a man with one bite,” Frisk huffed with annoyance.

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