“Not so loud,” she whispered. “I heard there’s a huge opening at the top of the cavern. If you keep screaming, they might—”
“I’m not screaming,” he growled.
“How the hell did you get here?” Dimitri demanded, glaring at Annika.
“Aleksi brought us,” Annika replied, then lifted a hand when his eyes flared gold. “Don’t get mad at him. We insisted on coming. And he insisted we wait out here.”
“We wanted to warn you that His Majesty is here.” Gwen patted Brody’s head as he sat beside her in dog form. “The king went into a panic when he found out that you were headed here. He shifted—”
“Petras is inside?” Silas motioned to the cave. “Where is Aleksi?”
“The king and Fafnir are in the main cavern,” Annika explained. “Aleksi’s inside a little way, spying on them. And you won’t believe it! He thinks the dragon really is Fafnir. He saw it speaking out loud just like the Ancient Ones could do.”
Silas considered this new piece of information. While it was true that the dragon shifters could only communicate mentally with one another, the Ancient Ones had actually been able to speak. “So it’s not a dragon shifter.” He glanced at Brody. “Could it still be the Chameleon? Would he be able to talk in dragon form?”
The dog hesitated, then gave them a sheepish look. “Maybe.”
Silas stiffened with surprise. He’d expected the dog to nod or shake his head.
With a gasp, Gwen fell to her knees. “Brody? You can talk?”
“Holy Light,” Annika whispered. “That looked so strange.”
“Brody.” Gwen touched the shaggy ruff of fur around his neck. “I’ve known you for years. Why have you never said anything?”
“Not easy,” he rasped. “Impossible when I’m a bird.”
Silas scoffed. “A talking dog.”
Brody gave him an annoyed look, then motioned with his snout toward the cave entrance. “We should go.”
“Do you smell the Chameleon?” Silas asked and Brody nodded.
“My sisters will be shocked,” Gwen whispered. “Especially Maeve.”
“Don’t tell her,” Brody growled. “Let’s go.” He trotted into the cave.
As Dimitri started to follow the dog, Silas stopped him. “I want you to shift and stand guard at the opening on top. If the Chameleon tries to escape that way, roast him. Since he’s not really a dragon, we should be able to burn him.”
“Got it.” Dimitri unbuckled his sword belt and handed it to Annika. “Use it if you need to, but stay out of trouble.” He rushed into the woods, tearing off clothes as he climbed the hill to the top of the cave.
Annika paused for only a moment, then followed him, and Dimitri’s curse filtered down the hillside.
“Stay here,” Silas warned Gwen as he handed her a dagger from his boot. “I’ll send Aleksi to help you guard this entrance. If you see anything run outside, like a rat, it could be the Chameleon trying to escape. You’ll have to kill it.”
She nodded, her face pale. “I understand. Be careful.”
“You, too.” He touched her face, then hurried down the tunnel, his dragon eyes adjusting quickly to the dark.
He found Aleksi, dressed only in breeches and a sword belt, hovering close to the main cavern. “Go,” he whispered. “I want you to guard the entrance. And keep Gwen safe.”
Aleksi reluctantly backed toward the entrance.
Silas inched forward till he was at the edge of the cavernous room. Brody was hunched down, peering around a rock.
“I told you to trust no one but me,” a raspy voice carried toward them.
Silas peeked around the rock wall to see inside. Steam and the stench of rotten eggs rose from the bubbling cauldron of the Sacred Well in the middle of the main room. The boiling-hot stream bisected the room as it made its way down the tunnel and out the main entrance. On the far side of the stream, he spotted a dragon and his brother. Petras had shifted to human form, and he was kneeling in front of the dragon.
“Forgive me, I beg you!” Petras cried as he prostrated his naked body on the ground. “I’ll do whatever you say if you’ll just save my wife!”
“You have failed me,” the dragon grumbled. “You should have attacked Tourin by now. You should have brought me their queen!”
Silas unsheathed his sword as he stepped into the room. “Why would a dragon want a human female?”
The dragon whipped around to glare at him.
Petras jumped to his feet. “Silas! Get out of here. You’ll ruin everything. Fafnir’s going to help me!”
“He’s not Fafnir.” Silas edged toward the Sacred Well. Once he made it around the boiling cauldron to the other side, he could protect his brother and attack the dragon. “He’s only pretending to—”
“He’s Fafnir!” Petras cried.
“I told you we couldn’t trust your brother,” the dragon hissed.
“He is Fafnir!” Petras yelled at Silas. “He has to be.” Tears glimmered in his eyes. “It’s the only way I can save Freya.”
The dragon lowered its neck, angling its head toward Petras. “I will save her if you kill him.”
Petras flinched.
“Kill him,” the dragon hissed. “Breathe your fire on him.”
“You do it!” Silas lifted his arms to side. “If you’re truly Fafnir, prove it. Roast me!”
“Silas, no!” Petras started to run toward him, but the dragon knocked the king down with a swipe of its wing, then pinned him.
“He’s mine,” the dragon hissed.
“Release him!” Silas circled the Sacred Well and aimed a stream of fire at the dragon, forcing him back.
Petras scrambled away.
“You see, Petras?” Silas helped his brother to his feet. “He’s not a dragon. He retreats from fire and he can’t breathe it.”
“Not a dragon?” Petras stared at the false Fafnir with a confused look.
Brody emerged from behind the rock, growling as he approached the stream.
The dragon reared up, baring its teeth. “You again. I’ll kill you this time.”
Brody shifted into a large wildcat and leaped across the stream. As he charged toward the Chameleon, the dragon also shifted into a wildcat.
The two beasts leaped at each other, meeting in midair with swiping claws and gnashing teeth. They hit the ground,
