After quickly cleaning up the remains of our lunch, we followed an impatient Beyan. The dragon’s cave, it turned out, wasn’t exactly “here”—it was still a good mile or so from where we had taken our rest. Beyan had discovered the cave, but had not seen any sign of Joichan. He had then hurried back to get us.
As we neared the cave, I wondered what, if anything, was the plan. I hadn’t thought much beyond finding and talking to Joichan. But I couldn’t do that in front of the others, and I somehow doubted my companions would be fine just leaving me alone with an ancient dragon. One that had a fearsome reputation.
One that Beyan would not leave alive.
Beyan halted our group, motioning us to silence. In the distance, we could see Joichan’s cave, alongside a steadily flowing river in a clearing surrounded by the trees where we were now hiding. Although Beyan had seen no one when he had scouted earlier, this time there was now a man kneeling by the water. He seemed to be checking some traps in the river. Sunlight glinted off his golden hair.
Remembering Beyan’s story about the strange man that his father Kye had encountered at the cave, my breath caught. Knowing that the dragon was a shapeshifter, and seeing this man at Joichan’s cave … could I be looking at my father?
Beyan glared at me, putting a finger to his lips to indicate I needed to be quiet. I nodded, shifting my weight. Dry leaves crunched underfoot as I did so, and the man at the river froze and looked around. Rhyss and Farrah added their glares to Beyan’s. Sheepishly, I shrugged my shoulders at them in silent apology.
As one, we looked back to the riverbank. The man had disappeared.
Beyan pursed his lips in frustration. For a while longer, we stayed there motionless, waiting for the man to come back or the dragon to appear. But nothing happened.
Beyan motioned for us to follow him and moved out of the trees, back toward the direction we had come from originally.
Once we were out of the trees on the other side, I put a hand on Beyan’s arm, stopping him in place. Even though I was sure we were out of earshot of the mysterious man, I kept my voice low. “I’m sorry, Beyan. I didn’t mean to give us away.”
“It’s all right,” Beyan said, although we both knew he didn’t mean it. “The dragon wasn’t there anyway. Strange, because I had been so sure.”
Hoping Beyan wouldn’t come to the eventual correct conclusion about the strange person at the dragon’s cave, I tried to distract him. “Well, you’ve done your job. You brought me to where Joichan lives. I guess … you could all go home now?”
Beyan, Farrah, and Rhyss all gave me matching incredulous looks. “Are you crazy?” Beyan said. “We couldn’t just leave you here, by yourself. An unarmed girl? We’re not heartless mercenaries.”
I bristled. “I’m not an ‘unarmed girl,’ as you well know from our bandit visitors the other night. I can defend myself.”
“Even so,” Beyan argued. “We wouldn’t head back north without you.”
“Fine, then. Why don’t you go back to Dennan’s inn and wait for me there?”
“No. The dragon is dangerous. You need us here to help you, just in case.”
“I don’t think your intention is to help.”
Beyan, to his credit, didn’t argue with that statement. Instead, he said, “What are your intentions? You never told me that, not when you first asked for my father’s help, and not any time during our travels.”
“I don’t think that really matters. Do you ask all of your commissions why they’re looking for the dragons they hope to find?”
“No, but since we came all this way without payment, I think we’re owed at least that.”
Our argument was cut short by Farrah’s unsteady voice. “Uh … you two …”
A large shadow briefly blocked the sun overhead. The wind picked up, blowing leaves and dust around us. A heavy thud shook the earth as a magnificent gilded dragon landed just behind us.
Massive amber eyes regarded us. The dragon’s mouth opened.
