Page 22 of Rapunzel's Gambit (All That Glitters)

“Fifty gold pieces is a good start,” Pollox agreed. “What will you do with your half?”

“Keep it until I know how to disperse it best, I suppose. It’s not like I can waltz into town and buy supplies when I’m supposed to be locked in a tower.”

Pollox landed, and I slid off more gracefully than the first time I had tried. “We will need to set up some kind of alarm or something to let us know if someone is coming to rescue me,” I told Pollox, entering the cave and sitting at the table, which instantly loaded itself with food. “We don’t want to risk someone being there and you don’t come to capture them.”

“That’s a simple enough charm,” Pollox told me. “I’ll set it up tomorrow morning.”

“Shall we toast to our success?” I asked Pollox, pouring a glass of wine and holding it aloft. “To the most unexpected yet unstoppable duo ever to grace this realm?—”

“A shrewd princess with wits sharp as any blade,” Pollox cut in.

“And a dragon with a fiery sense of enterprise,” I finished, downing my glass and throwing the bottle into Pollox’s mouth. The crunching of glass made me grit my teeth.

“Would you like to see my hoard?” Pollox asked without warning.

“Yes, I would.” Burning curiosity pulled me to my feet. What other human had ever had the honor of seeing a dragon’s hoard?

“It’s separated into different rooms,” he said, lumbering down the wide passageway. “And they will only open for me.” Large wooden doors barred each chamber, and it was only when Pollox pressed his snout against the wood that they creaked open.

If I had ever thought that the treasury back home was special, I was wrong on all accounts. This cavern was lined with shelving, and gemstones of every color winked down at me from where they lay on their velvet-lined cushions. They were organized by size, ranging from tiny diamonds barely larger than a grain of sand to enormous geodes larger than I was, studded with violet amethysts.

“This is my gemstones room,” Pollox said unnecessarily. “Dragons can smell gemstones within mountains, you know.”

“I didn’t know that,” I breathed. Fifty gold pieces was nothing to Pollox. It was a mere drop amid the ocean of his treasure.

“Andthisroom,” he went on, leading me to the next chamber, “is for the man-made objects.” It was filled with exquisite jewelry, ancient weapons, and ceremonial artifacts. The entire room was illuminated by a crystal chandelier overhead, where everlasting candles were lit and cast a dancing, sparkling light over the entire hoard.

We came to a third door. “Here’s where I keep the gold,” Pollox said, pressing his snout against the wood panel. Treasure chest after treasure chest, all neatly organized, were lined up in rows, each one heaped with coins. Gently, Pollox emptied the new bag of coins into a chest on the far right that was only partially full. This dragon didn’t need me or my schemes at all. There was enough here to keep my entire kingdom running for generations.

“Where did all this come from?” I asked in wonder, gazing around at everything.

“Hoards pass down from dragon to dragon. This used to be my mother’s, and her father’s before her, and so on.”

Centuries worth of dragon wealth, all before my eyes. It was overwhelming. Father only had a fraction of this and I knew how much good he would be able to do if he used it to help people rather than hoard it for himself. There were more riches here than any kingdom could ever spend in ten lifetimes. Resolve hardened in the pit of my stomach. One way or another, I would help my people get the aid they so desperately needed. Seeing Pollox’s hoard reinforced to me that I had teamed up with the perfect partner in crime.

“That’s the tour,” Pollox said, prodding me along the corridor with his tail.

“What about that door?” I pointed to the last door at the far end of the passageway.

“That one has my most treasured possessions,” Pollox answered shortly.

“May I see it?”

“No.”

My interest grew. What could be more fabulous than the treasure he already showed me? Did it contain powerful magic? Enchanted objects like the wardrobe and table? Or was it some dark secret he didn’t want me to know about?

“Would you like to take the wardrobe back to your room, or shall I take you?” Pollox asked.

“I’d prefer that you take me,” I told him. “I don’t like the way the wardrobe feels, and no one will see me in the dark.”

“Very well,” Pollox said, lowering his neck so I could climb on. “Tomorrow, our swindles can begin in earnest.”

As I climbed into bed that night, I struggled to fall asleep. Our first swindle had succeeded, but what if the knight had been killed? I would be just like my father—responsible for the deaths of brave men who thought they were being chivalrous and saving an endangered woman. They were putting their lives at risk for me; would it be worth it? How would I find a way to redistribute the wealth that Pollox and I accrued?

Unanswered questions swirled around the back of my head as I did all I could to suppress my qualms. All the lying and deceit was necessary, I told myself. There was no other way to help those in need. My last comforting thought as I finally drifted off to sleep was that as long as Pollox didn’t kill anyone, there was no harm to what we were doing.

CHAPTER10

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