Page 111 of MidKnight
But that thought reminded me. Magic.
“I need you to heal someone,” I breathed to Ryan.
He started to march across the cavern with me in his arms.
But Ryan froze and I realized he was staring at the dragon. I’d completely forgotten about the beast when I’d seen my knights.
I turned to look at where the dragon was chained. My jaw dropped when I realized his chain was no longer connected to a ring bolted to the cave wall. But that wasn’t the most shocking thing I saw.
At the far end of the cavern, a gigantic sphinx filled nearly half the cave. The giant lion had Donaloo’s face and beard, and a blue eye patch. It pinned the dragon down and batted at it, like a kitten might bat at a lizard. The dragon wheezed in protest and shot a tiny bolt of blue flame at the sphinx. But the fire didn’t burn Donaloo, he batted at it like a ball of yarn and it unraveled into a trail of smoke.
“What the sard?” I whispered. “Donaloo’s a sphinx?”
Cerena appeared, coming around a set of columns in the cavern. “Dunno. He can turn into one, at any rate.”
“How long has he been at this?”
“He told the dragon he won’t let him go until he answers a riddle. I’ve already yelled at him a couple times, trying to remind him dragons don’t talk.”
I pressed my lips together and shook my head. Since Donaloo had the dragon covered, I needed to focus.
“Come on,” I urged Ryan.
The sphinx blocked us, carrying the dragon in his mouth and dropping him, pinning the blue monster down with a giant paw. The sphinx’s tail twitched back and forth, blocking the passage that led to the second cavern. That led to Blue.
“Uh-uh-uh. A riddle first before the worst. What door has no knocker, for all are welcome to enter and none to leave, because those who do are considered thieves?”
My knights stared at the Sphinx, wide-eyed.
Ryan went to grab at his sword, but I stopped him. “It’s Donaloo.”
I climbed down from Ryan’s arms, glaring at Donaloo. Blue was hurt. He needed us. There was no time for stupid wizard tricks.
Donaloo simply glared back and repeated his question, “What door has no knocker, for all are welcome to enter—”
Can you read his thoughts?I asked Quinn.
Never could even when he was a human. Too much of a magical shield. Definitely not now that he’s an animal.
Shite.
I turned to Connor. “Do you know this? Some court game?”
He shook his head.
I covered my eyes and rubbed my forehead. I had no time for stupid pointless riddles when Blue was at death’s—
I pulled my hand off my head and glared at Donaloo. “Death,” I snapped.
Donaloo’s tail stopped flicking. “Correct,” he nodded.
But the implication of what he’d asked sank in.
No. He can’t die now, I thought. No!
I bolted past the sphinx, down the passage and into the second cavern.
I fell to my knees on the rocky floor next to Blue—I refused to call him Abbas—my friend was Blue. I grabbed his hand.
