34. BAEL

34

BAEL

UNDERNEATH

A dragon. A fucking dragon.

I'd never seen one before, and I practically vibrated with excitement as I shadow walked up to the mountains. A dragon.

And best of all, I might get to fight it.

When Draven had said the name on his list of dissenters was a dragon, I almost didn't believe him. For one thing, no one was quite sure if they existed anymore. They lived so far into the mountains that many fae believed them extinct. For another, why was this particular dragon against my leadership? When had he said that, and to whom?

I couldn't wait to find out.

I shadow walked on to the path near the tallest mountain. Draven, who was not completely useless as it turned out, had pointed to the mountain and then shown me a painting of the path. It was a quick way to avoid having to walk up the entire peak, and for that I was grateful.

I'd intended to go alone, but of course, I couldn't.

"I don't know why you can't at least fly," I grumbled to the raven on my shoulder. "Come if you want, but do you have to sit there all the time?"

Quill tittered. ‘My, aren't you weaker than you look.'

"And aren't you heavier than you look?"

I rolled my eyes. I thought I might be going a bit mad talking to the bird all the time. But, I supposed, there wasn't really anyone else to talk to here.

I certainly wouldn't say the bird was growing on me. More like, he simply wouldn't leave. I wondered if Scion had put him up to this, sending him to watch me and report back. If so, I had no idea why. He seemed busy at the moment, and I hadn't seen Quill visit him to make any reports.

I walked down the mountain path and reached the mouth of the cave. It was surprisingly apparent from the road, and looked unguarded. I frowned. It didn't seem to be a secret where the dragon lived, but I supposed visitors weren't often welcome.

We'll, with any luck he'd be expecting me. I'd sent Quill with a message that I planned to visit yesterday. I'd heard nothing back, but I didn't expect to. Either the dragon would be waiting to attack me the moment I walked in, or perhaps he had some demands we could negotiate. Either way was fine with me.

I stepped inside the cave, my footsteps echoing off the damp walls, and looked around.

It was an enormous cavern, very like the one beneath Cross's den. I couldn't help but remember the burn of arrows through my flesh as I walked on, the musty scent of earth and ancient stone filling my nostrils.

Arrows were unlikely, I reasoned with myself. A dragon wouldn't need traps. If anything, I should be more nervous about being swallowed whole while my back was turned.

Quill still riding on my shoulder, I made my way deeper into the darkness. After a few moments, the passageway opened up into another vast cavern, illuminated by shafts of sunlight peeking through cracks in the ceiling.

My eyes scanned the rocky expanse, searching for any sign of the dragon. Yet, all I found were empty alcoves and abandoned bones of what looked like past meals.

A shiver ran down my spine, half anxiety half excitement.

"Any ideas which way to go?" I asked Quill.

As he often did, the bird did seem to have an opinion. He leapt into the air and flew off, venturing deeper into the cave. Sighing, I jogged after him, squinting to see where he'd gone.

He just had to be a black bird flying into darkness, didn't he? Why couldn't Scion have had a parrot? I supposed it might ruin his tortured image.

I grinned, stifling a laugh.

I continued jogging, my feet crunching on bones and gravel. As I rounded a bend, I stopped short, staring wide eyed up at the room before me. "Shit."

I was standing in an enormous treasure room, ten times the size of Cross's vault, but just as packed with treasure. There were gold coins, lost crowns, jeweled necklaces and loose stones everywhere.

As I approached the mound of treasure, my eyes scanned over the glinting objects. I reached down and plucked a tarnished coin from the ground and held it up to the light. This wasn't currency I recognized. It must have been old. Older than Elsewhere itself, maybe.

I needed to get out of here. The dragon clearly wasn't in this room, but if it caught me here my visit would likely become far more difficult.

I turned around, looking for Quill, when something flashed out of the corner of my eye. I turned, expecting movement, but instead found myself staring at a large wooden chest tucked away in the corner. There wasn't anything remarkable about it. It was plain compared with the rest of the room. In fact, the only interesting thing I could see was that etched onto the lid was a familiar crest. The Everlast family emblem blazed on the top.

I marched over to it, curiosity piqued, and threw open the lid. "Fuck."

I stared down at a glittering sapphire, twinkling up at me from an otherwise empty chest. It looked far too familiar.

I ran my fingers through my hair. Perhaps I should have expected something like this. After all, Ambrose had sent me to Underneath, and the bird was a bit too helpful

I grabbed the sapphire and examined it. It was the exact size and shape of the jewel of Inbetwixt, like they were meant to mirror each other. I hadn't pursued the book as carefully as Ambrose, but I was sure the overcast jewel was a sapphire.

Taking a deep breath, I stuck the gem in my pocket.

Immediately, and as I'd half expected, a deafening boom erupted behind me . It was followed by another and another, like the pounding of giant footsteps.

The ground trembled beneath my feet as a monstrous roar echoed through the air, causing my hair to stand on end. And then, with one final resounding thud, the dragon emerged from its hiding place, its massive form casting a shadow over everything around it. Its scales glistened even without much light to reflect off them.

"Thief!" It rumbled.

I closed my eyes. "Shit."