Casting his spear aside, Gavin broke into a run, charging straight at the yellow dragon. Kendra did not want to watch the creature destroy her friend, but her head could not turn away.
And then Gavin transformed. The change was not gradual. He swelled suddenly, swiftly tripling in size again and again, sprouting wings and a tail, horns and claws, until he ballooned into an immense black dragon, abruptly dwarfing his yellow opponent. The silver collar stretched, remaining in place around his scaly neck.
A blinding holocaust of liquid fire erupted from the black dragon's mouth, blasting the yellow dragon off the ledge and bathing the whole vicinity in scorching heat. Spreading his wings, the black dragon leapt and turned to meet the green dragon overhead. The green dragon exhaled fire at Gavin, but the breath he shot back looked more like molten gold than actual flame. The green dragon veered away. The black dragon returned and landed on the ledge, rocks crumbling beneath his bulk.
Kendra still could not move. Could that really be Gavin? He was gigantic! An armor of dark, oily scales plated his sides and back, and his belly looked crusted with black jewels. Cruel spikes protruded from his massive tail and along his spine. His claws curved like huge scythes, and his ferocious eyes burned like magma. Her friend was no dragon brother. He was an actual dragon!
Kendra saw the yellow dragon rising on the far side of the gorge. One side of the creature had been blackened, and the wing on that side looked tattered, but the dragon was still flying. The yellow dragon banked toward them. The green dragon appeared to be wheeling back around as well. The black dragon regarded the returning adversaries, then arched his great head down and swallowed Dougan in a single quick bite.
Through frozen lips, Kendra screamed in disbelief.
[drawing: A dragon is breathing fire, sitting on top of a high cliff.]
Mara tossed the knapsack to Kendra. It hit her shoulder and fell to the ground.
The black dragon swiped a foreleg at Mara, who failed to dodge the quick blow and went tumbling across the ledge and off the edge. The other foreleg swung at Kendra, a razor claw slicing across her chest and knocking her backwards. Wings spreading, the black dragon sprang to engage the oncoming adversaries.
With dragon roars thundering in her ears, Kendra dazedly examined the tear in her shirt. Beneath the torn material, the breastplate Seth had given her felt unscratched. Her mind reeled, trying to comprehend what had happened. Her breaths came quick and shallow. Not only was Gavin a dragon, he had turned and attacked his friends! He had eaten Dougan and killed Mara!
As her fingers rubbed the adamant breastplate, Kendra realized she could move. When Gavin had taken flight, the dragon terror had faded. As the dragons reeled and battled above, Kendra sat up. The knapsack lay beside her. And the Sidestep Cleft was now unguarded.
Shaking with adrenaline, Kendra snatched the knapsack, looped a strap over her shoulder, and ran for the cleft, avoiding the depressions where simmering pools of liquid gold had puddled. As the crack in the mountain loomed large before her, she peered up and back to where the two dragons contended with Gavin. The sun had just gone down. Fountains of flame brightened the dusky sky. Gavin's opponents stayed away from each other. No matter which way Gavin turned, one of his opponents would swoop in behind and try to toast him. Kendra lingered at the entrance to Sidestep Cleft, enthralled by the deadly dance. The difficulty of scoring a direct hit with dragon fire while attacker and target both careened through the air soon became apparent.
As the aerial combat wore on, the participating dragons became increasingly distant. But Kendra knew they could come plunging back at any moment. Turning her back on the dragon battle, she scurried into the cleft. The passage promptly grew much too narrow for any of the dragons, but, wanting to make sure she was out of range from dragon breath, Kendra continued onward, reminding herself not to proceed too far or the fiery exhalations might be able to reach her from the far side.
Kendra traced her finger along one wall until she felt she had traveled far enough. Setting down the knapsack, she lifted the flap and descended the ladder.
"I heard a lot of commotion," Warren said.
"Gavin is a dragon," Kendra managed in a broken voice. Skipping the last few rungs, she dropped, landing in a crouch.
"What?"
"A huge black dragon. He ate Dougan. He killed Mara." As she spoke, Kendra felt like she was listening to the words instead of saying them. How could those words be true? "He tried to kill me. He swiped me across the chest before he flew off to fight some other dragons. The breastplate I have under my clothes saved me." By the light of Warren's electric lantern, Kendra started rummaging through their gear.
"I don't believe this," Warren murmured.
"Believe it," Kendra said, testing a flashlight. It worked. "We're inside Sidestep Cleft, alone. Seth and Tanu may have gotten away with the griffins. We left Trask behind. He was gaseous." She grabbed a primitive staff with rattles at the top.
"The rain stick from Lost Mesa?" Warren asked.
"We need bad weather," Kendra said. "Who knows how long Gavin will be off fighting other dragons? Who knows how many other dragons could show up? I'm going to shake this thing until we have the biggest storm Wyrmroost has ever seen." Kendra crossed the room to the ladder of rungs bolted to the wall. "I'll be back."
"Why not shake it down here?" Warren asked.
"I'm not sure if shaking the stick down here will count up there," Kendra said. "I'm worried enough that Thronis might be able to offset the weather I summon."
"Good luck," Warren said. "At the first sign of trouble, you hide the knapsack and get down here."
"You got it," Kendra said, already at the top rung. Squirming out of the knapsack, she switched on the flashlight and started vigorously shaking the staff. Outside, the day had been relatively mild, with some light wind and a few nonthreatening clouds in the sky. She had no idea how long it would take to conjure up a big storm, especially if Thronis resisted. It might not work before Gavin or other enemies came for her. It might not work at all. But she was sick of hiding, sick of feeling afraid. This was much better than cowering in the knapsack.
Chapter 27 Navarog
All Seth could do was dangle. He couldn't even hang on. The griffin had him by the shoulders. If the claws dropped him, he would fall. If the tenacious scarlet dragon killed the griffin, Seth and the griffin would fall together. If the dragon torched them with his fiery breath, Seth would get to sample the rare experience of simultaneously burning and falling.
Looking down and back, Seth had watched the red dragon chase Tanu, setting the forest ablaze. When the griffin had emerged from the trees without the Samoan, the dragon had turned to follow the griffin carrying Seth.
Legs swinging freely, Seth had shouted to the griffin that he had the figurines for Thronis in his pouch. He hoped the knowledge might give the griffin an extra reason not to drop him. He had no way to tell whether the griffin understood.
After having caught a ride with a griffin to the top of Stormcrag and then back down again the next day, Seth thought he knew something about flying. But now Seth was learning that to convince a griffin to really fly, you had to chase it with a dragon.
At first the griffin had resolutely climbed, wings beating hard to ascend ever higher into the cold, thin air. While they rose, drawing nearer to the steep shoulders of Stormcrag, the dragon had steadily gained. As the red dragon neared, the griffin veered close to the mountain, sometimes climbing, sometimes diving, sometimes doubling back, always using the stony crags of the mountainside to create obstacles. As the griffin banked and swooped and soared, Seth swung back and forth in its grasp, occasionally having to lift his legs or twist his body to avoid spires of stone.
Although they sometimes plunged to avoid dragon fire, they ascended more than they fell, gradually spiraling up toward the summit. At one point, with the dragon in close pursuit, the griffin careened around a corner and ducked into an ice cave. When the dragon sailed by, they flew out, climbing in the opposite direction.
Finally, as they came within range of the highest peak of Stormcrag, the griffin soared far away from the mountain, wings beating frantically to gain altitude. Out in the empty sky, the dragon closed in. The griffin faked a dive, and the dragon took the bait, plunging to intercept them. While the dragon recovered and came back around, the griffin climbed higher. Looking back toward the mountain, Seth could see that they now sailed well above the mansion.
When the dragon came close again, the griffin tucked its wings and went into a wild dive that left Seth's stomach in his throat. Presumably fearing another feint, the dragon hesitated to follow at first. By the time the dragon realized the dive was authentic, the griffin had spread its wings and Seth was rapidly gliding toward the mansion, half blinded by the wind of their speed.
The dragon surged after them, gaining until it became clear that the massive predator would overtake them before they reached the mansion. Seth hoped his griffin was not out of evasive maneuvers. Just as the dragon was almost within range to blow fire, Seth heard a deep thrum.
An arrow the size of a telephone pole lodged in the dragon's chest. Wings limp, the dragon rolled onto its back and plummeted from the sky like a boulder.
Gazing ahead at the mansion, Seth saw Thronis manning an enormous crossbow out on the patio. The sky giant arose and went to his front door just in time to admit Seth and the griffin. Gliding to the table in the front room, the griffin dropped Seth, then landed, trotting to a stop. Heaving sides lathered with foam, the griffin bowed its aquiline head.
"Good job," Seth told the griffin, unsure whether it could understand. He walked over and stroked the damp, red-gold fur.
"I regret your discomfiting encounter," Thronis apologized, taking a seat by the table. "By the time I recognized the ambush, it was too late to warn you. I'm happy you won your way free, young Seth."
"Nice shot with the crossbow."
"Let us hope the example will motivate other dragons to think twice before venturing near my abode."
"I have your figurines," Seth reported, opening the pouch.
The sky giant grinned. "Then I am especially glad you survived! Set them near the edge of the table."
Seth unwrapped the five figurines and arranged them in a line. The giant leaned in close, examining them with one eye shut. "Hmmm," he murmured. "Well done, indeed, you have brought the figures I requested."
"Why did you want them so badly?" Seth asked.
"I wanted three of them. If I say the proper words and put the red dragon into a fire, it will grow into a true dragon that will heed my every command. Buried in snow with the correct words spoken, the marble giant will expand into a hardy snow giant, a servant with tremendous potential. And the jade chimera can likewise be transformed into an actual chimera obedient to my desires."
"I guess they will come in handy defending your mansion," Seth said.
"They should prove immeasurably useful."
"What about the tower and the fish?"
The giant cracked his knuckles. "You are welcome to keep the other figures, Seth Sorenson. Placed upon solid ground, after the designated incantation, the model tower will enlarge into an actual tower. The stronghold is designed to be inhabited by men, not giants, so it is of no use to me. Put in the sea with a few words, the fish will swell into a leviathan. I live far from the sea, with no intentions to visit."
"Could you tell me the magic words?" Seth asked.
"I will have my dwarf write them down for you upon his return. They are not complicated. The spells necessary for the transformations are ingrained in the items. The words merely set the spells into motion, like igniting a magical fuse."
"Could you look in your globe and check on my friends?" Seth asked.
"Absolutely," Thronis said, rising. "I shall return promptly."
Seth sat down, fingering the tower and the fish. Having his own tower would be pretty cool. He hoped Kendra and the others were all right. Since the red dragon had chased him and been shot from the sky, the others only had to contend with the green one. Surely most of them, if not all, would escape.
Thronis returned looking sober. "While I was away from my globe manning the ballista, Navarog joined the fight. I'm not sure when he arrived at the sanctuary. I'm afraid your friends are scattered, and it looks like some have perished. My griffins have fled. They lost track of your comrades. Three griffins have already fallen, and two others are wounded. Navarog is currently contending with a pair of dragons. And there seems to be a powerful enchantment summoning foul weather, using old magic that is foreign to me."
"Calling rain?" Seth asked.
"Essentially."
"That must be Kendra using the rain stick. She must need bad weather to help her escape the dragons."
"The dragons trust me to keep the weather relatively fair," Thronis said.
"They also trust you not to send thieves to steal from them," Seth countered. "And you trust them not to attack your griffins. This seems like a day for bending some of the rules. Why don't you help summon a big storm?"
The sky giant stroked his chin. "My griffins are nimble. They can handle harsh weather much better than the dragons. Perhaps an ugly storm is just what we need to remind the wyrms of my worth."
"If Kendra is calling one, I'd really appreciate it. Also, since you have the little statues, can we lose the chains now?"
The giant spoke a strange word and snapped his enormous fingers. The silver chain snapped and fell from Seth's neck. "We had a bargain. You have earned my appreciation. Your sister and I will call up a storm such as Wyrmroost has not seen in many a season. If you will excuse me."