Page 56 of Bleeding for the Prince
At the bottom of the shaft was another hatch and, from the last of Copperpipe’s instructions, this should be the way to access underneath the store. A distinct waft told him they were in the vicinity of the sewers.
Hyax gagged as they clambered through the opening. Compared to where Gwil usually found Copperpipe, this place was a perfume counter and Hyax was being a prima donna. Stepping into a tunnel, they were now in darkness, and Hyax conjured a light while Gwil retrieved the head torch he used whenever he was messing about underneath the city and pulled it into place and turned on the light.
“We don’t have any further directions, so this must have been as far as he got,” Gwil said.
“I think it’s this way,” Hyax said, walking away before Gwil could argue. Between them, Gwil had the better sense of direction, but he suspected that Hyax was being guided by something else.
“Can you feel anything?”
“Not exactly. But I’m more than merely guessing.”
A sense of unease settled upon him as they continued, the shadows playing tricks on them. Hyax took his hand, and he was grateful for the reassurance. Gwil would have held his breath if he’d had any, so instead, he contented himself by squeezing Hyax’s hand as they made their way through the tunnel.He’d crawled around sewers and travelled along underground passageways, but this was different. Maybe it was Hyax’s influence, or the shield magic, but he felt a sense of dread he’d never encountered before, as if an invisible force was trying to push him back, to head to the surface for safety.
“This place is giving me vibes to turn back,” he said.
“Yes, something is trying to keep us away, but I don’t think it’s malevolent, more off-putting.”
The temperature was dropping and the floor was sloping downwards, and it reminded him of a crypt and, since he wasn’t one of the vampires of that persuasion, it was fucking weird. The passageway narrowed to a point where they needed to shuffle along with their back against the stone.
“Copperpipe wouldn’t have had this issue, pity he couldn’t have got this far,” he said as the rock face dug into his arse.
Just as he was about to suggest they try to find another way, the aperture widened and they were in a cavern. He had no idea there were caves under the city, but then he hadn’t thought there might be a dragon either. The ground beneath him rumbled. Hyax stopped, and he almost walked into him. The rumbles subsided. A few seconds later, they began again.
“Did you feel that?” he asked Hyax.
“Yes. I think I’d better cast the second half of the shield spell. And quickly.”
Hyax muttered words Gwil couldn’t make out, but seconds later, it was as if a sheer piece of fabric had floated down over him.
“What’s the plan?”
“We follow the rumbles.”
He wished he hadn’t asked, but they’d come this far, and he knew Hyax wouldn’t turn back. They crossed the cavern, loose shale crunching underfoot, but no sign of life. Gwil spotted another opening.
“I’ve a hunch that what we’re looking for is in there,” Hyax said. “Make no sudden movements, we need to confirm our hypothesis and, if possible, see what sort of state it’s in.”
“Know any good dragon lullabies?”
“No. And I don’t want to be in the position I need to learn any either.”
They peered into the small cave. Even with his decent night vision, the flashes of light from his headlamp weren’t much use, but on first examination, he didn’t think there was anything in there. The floor rumbled and a rush of air ruffled his hair. He turned to his left and realised the side of the wall was moving.
“I think we’ve found it.”
Hyax slowly increased the intensity of his light, revealing a beautiful pattern of grey scales on a leg bigger than a double decker bus. Gwil pivoted as he followed the curve of the back, his brain having trouble comprehending the size of the creature. It was curled into a ball. Nose to tail, reminding him of Midnight, if his cat were a massive fuck off dragon.
Another snore almost knocked Gwil off his feet. “It’s a dragon. It’s asleep. Job done.”
“Notice that the snoring isn’t constant. If it were in a deep sleep, surely it would have a regular pattern.”
“I guess you do when you’re passed out on ambrosia, but how do we know that dragons are the same?”
“Twat.” Hyax took out his phone. “I don’t want to risk using magic, but we need a record. I’m going to take some photos and videos.”
Hyax’s hands were shaking. “Are you all right?” Gwil asked.
“It’s so fucking cold down here. Not to mention the giant dragon.”
