Page 77 of Queen's Griffon

Avera eyed her father, then Lenno moving quickly down the slope, kicking loose stones as he went. Surprising there’d be so many, given Basil would have been through this passage hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

As Lenno reached the end of the tunnel and extinguished his torch, not needing its light anymore, Basil snagged her sleeve and held her back.

She glanced at him.

He had a faint smile on his lips.

She glanced at Lenno. An awful man. A true jerk who probably deserved anything that came his way. Still, she couldn’t forget how Frisk had screamed.

She wrenched free and made it partway down the slope before she heard Lenno yell, “You’ve been holding out on me, old man. Look at all the treasure.”

The statement creased Avera’s brow, and she quickened her step, halting just outside the cavern the corridor led to. The room beyond was absolutely massive and a glance upward made her realize there was no roof, but open sky. This was the heart of the volcano. A pool of lava bubbled in the center of the mountain’s bowl. A stone ledge ran around it, wide enough it could have fit two carriages abreast if it weren’t cluttered with stuff. So much stuff. Knapsacks, some spilling jewelry and gadgets. A golden statue. What appeared to be a metal wind vane. An eclectic collection that included four round rocks sitting close to the edge of the lava lake. The pull within hammered, and she might have answered its call if Basil hadn’t joined her and put a hand on her arm to restrain her.

“I wouldn’t go in there.”

She eyed him questioningly.

He murmured, “Did you know dragons like to hoard?”

“Why? What would they need human junk for?”

“Because they are collectors. And once something belongs to them, they don’t like to let it go.”

As Basil finished speaking, a glimpse of movement showed Lenno bending down to grab a bag spilling golden-hued dishes. He crowed, “I’m rich. Fuck the emperor and his rocks. I am done being anyone’s lackey.”

Lenno, busy celebrating, didn’t notice the lava bubbling or the ridged head that rose from the magma.

The really, really big head.

Of a dragon!

Avera wanted to turn away. She didn’t want to watch. Not when she knew what would happen. Hadn’t the Merisu witches predicted it, according to Lenno?

The oblivious man never noticed the giant orbs staring at him and Avera feared making a sound lest she draw the beast’sattention. The dragon remained focused on the man stealing from its stash.

A man who suddenly realized something might be amiss and whirled.

“No,” was the last thing Lenno said before the dragon opened its mouth and chomped down. As if that weren’t horrifying enough, it then chewed before it swallowed the man.

Lenno disappeared in a single gulp and the dragon then turned its gaze to Avera.

Hello, again.

The voice inside her head widened her eyes. Had it spoken to her?

Its gaze moved to Basil and narrowed. The nostrils exhaled smoke.

Basil hissed, “Time for us to go.” He yanked her away from the doorway and she ran with him, her legs protesting the upward slope, her heart racing with fear even though the dragon didn’t appear to be chasing them.

They made it back to the fork before they slowed and she huffed, “You lied and led Lenno into a trap!”

“You’re welcome. Nasty fellow. The world is well rid of him.”

He had a point, but still… “You also lied about the Dracova stones being in that bat cave. I saw four round rocks in that dragon’s hoard.”

“I told you it liked to hoard. Of course it acquired them. Although, I do wonder how, seeing as how it can’t get inside the bat cave.”

Avera rubbed her forehead. “If the stones are being guarded by the dragon, I’ll never be able to bring them back to Daerva.”

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