Ignoring her sarcasm, Briec went to head off the trouble he knew was lurking around somewhere in this place.
* * *
After five minutes, the storm turned deadly. She couldn’t remember seeing a storm this bad in all her years in this northern land. But when lightning bounced off two stones outside the cave only to ricochet inside and nearly take her head, she decided waiting around for the dragon’s return might not be in her best interest.
Unsure what else to do, but knowing she couldn’t just stand there, Talaith headed deeper into the cave. It didn’t take much time to find a long corridor lit with torches. Sighing in relief at the soothing golden light, she strolled down the rocky path, almost able to ignore the massive bouts of thunder exploding outside the stone walls surrounding her.
She passed huge naturally formed chambers. Some were empty except for a big boulder or two, but as she moved along, she found the others filled with furniture, clothes, statues. Some chambers so large they held entire carriages. And one had gold coin and treasure from the dirt floor to her hip.
She paused at that one. She hadn’t seen gold since she’d last been to her father’s home, when she would sneak off to meet him. Smiling at the brief memory of, as her mother called him, “the one who gave me the seed which allowed for your presence,” she again strolled down the hall. After a few more steps, she stopped. Froze, really.
How long had he been following her? Watching her? True, she could stand here forever, terrified. But hadn’t she done enough of that for the last two days?
So, steeling herself against what awaited her, she slowly turned.
“Well, hello, pretty lady.”
It spoke. An enormous gold dragon with a gold mane of hair that swept across the cave floor spoke to her.
Why not? This sort of thing must be common among those of us going insane.
Most people never met one dragon. Somehow Talaith had managed to meet two. Could her life be anymore unmanageable? Probably not.
He leaned down a bit and sniffed her. “Ah, big brother’s about, I see. Are you his gift to me?”
Talaith growled. She tired of arrogant, smirking dragons assuming she existed only to be their plaything. Actually, she’d grown tired of everything male. The entire male species merely horrid beings meant to do nothing more than destroy all that existed around them.
Enunciating each word clearly so there’d be no confusion, “No, you arrogant, half-witted bastard. I am not here for you.”
Startled, the dragon sat back on his haunches. “I…uh…”
“What? Am I supposed to be quaking in fear of you?” Purposely keeping her voice low and controlled, she stepped closer to him. “Should I be sobbing and begging for mercy? Well, I’d rather burn in the farthest reaches of hell before I give you or that arrogant, half-witted brother of yours the satisfaction.”
She thought for sure she’d die. Thought for sure she’d finally pushed her luck to the breaking point. Especially when he went down face first on the ground and repeatedly slammed his claw against the rocky floor, shaking the cave.
Surprisingly, though, death did not seem his purpose. Laughter, however…
Even more evident when he rolled that giant dragon body onto its back and laughed harder. Hysterically, almost. Powerful dragon limbs flailing and everything.
Eventually, her silver dragon charged in. She’d started to learn his different expressions and moods. Right now he appeared concerned.
He stared at the gold lying on the ground literally rolling around in laughter then at her. “What did you do?”
Incredulous, she snapped, “Me?”
The gold looked up at the dragon. “She is going to make your life a living hell, brother!” Then he exploded into another round of violent laughter, again rolling back and forth across the floor.
Growling, the silver grabbed the gold around the throat and picked him up, placing him on his feet. The gold hit him to get the silver claw off his throat. So the silver hit him back. They stared at each other for several seconds, then the battle was on.
Not bothering to look back, Talaith ran, praying she could avoid getting buried alive with two idiotic dragons.
* * *
Éibhear the Blue opened his eyes when she sat on his tail, which lay happily buried under Gwenvael’s gold. He’d come to his older brother’s den to wait out the coming storm and had settled his bulk under one of the many piles of gold Gwenvael had scattered around.
He’d always been good at disappearing. Especially for a dragon.
Still, he never expected to find anything as interesting as this among Gwenvael’s treasures.
A woman. Human. Very pretty. And reeking of his big brother’s scent. Briec with a human? The queen wouldn’t like this one bit. She’d barely learned to accept Fearghus’ mate.
Slowly, so as not to startle her, he drew himself over to her until his snout rested by her leg. She didn’t notice him right away, cringing every time the cave walls shook—Briec and Gwenvael must be having one of their “discussions”—or stones fell from the ceiling, just missing her head. He knew, however, the instant she became aware of his presence.
Her entire body tensed, her eyes closed, and she moaned in despair. “Exactly how much am I expected to take?” she asked no one in particular. Éibhear said nothing, figuring she’d look at him in her own good time. And, she did.
“Hello.”
She sighed. “Blue. You’re blue.”
“I’m Éibhear the Blue.” After eighty-seven years, he never tired of saying that.