Kull grumbled and let his sword fall to the ground. “Happy?” he asked.
The two men with the crossbows narrowed the distance between us and grabbed our wrists, then tied them behind our backs.
Memories of being held prisoner by the bloodthorn surfaced, and I had to force myself to stay calm as the scratchy ropes tightened around my already-scarred wrists.
It won’t be like that again. I won’t let it be like that again.
“Maveryck?” one of the men asked as he faced the thief. “Is that you?”
“Come back from the dead?” the other man asked.
“I never came back from the dead. I merely healed from my injuries. That’s all.”
“Says who? That fall would’ve killed a normal man.”
“Perhaps. But it didn’t kill me. Now, do me a favor and keep those ropes off my wrists. There’s no need. And untie my friends as well. They’ll not harm you.”
“Nay, Maveryck, we’ll leave you untied, but we can’t do the same for your friends. We’re under orders that strangers aren’t allowed inside the compound unless they’re blindfolded and tied up. You know that.”
“Plus,” the other guy said, nodding toward Kull, “that one’s hands are big enough to break our skulls.”
“He’d do more than that,” Heidel muttered.
“There, you see? That’s the reason we take precautions.” The two men stuffed burlap sacks over our heads, although I noticed they’d tied a gag in Heidel’s mouth. I tried not to dry heave as the stench of sour sweat came from the abrasive fibers scratching my cheeks.
Rough hands pushed me forward. I blindly walked into the desert with the sand shifting under my feet, doing my best to breathe through the bag.
Half an hour must have passed before we finally traded sand for a solid floor. The air cooled, and our footfalls rang out as if we’d entered a cavern. After being shoved to the ground, someone finally removed the sack from my head, and I breathed in the fresh air.
As I scanned the room, my eyes adjusted to the light coming from millions of candles burning throughout the cavernous area. Large piles of white wax dripped in puddles onto the ground. The candles were set in naturally occurring arched pillars that spanned from one floor to the next, all the way to the top of a chamber that looked several hundred feet high. My mouth gaped as I stared overhead.
High above us came the sound of dragon wings, and I spied several small sun dragons circling near the cave’s ceiling. The dragons’ shrieks echoed through the cavern. One of the dragons dipped lower than the rest, his wings brushing the floor, causing clouds of dust to rise from the walls and making the candles’ flames sputter.
I watched the small dragon as he flew close to me. His frame was so thin I could see ribs beneath his sagging and scaled hide. Scars marred both his face and portions of his snout. He flapped his wings twice and then shot upward into the air to glide in circles with the other dragons.
I wasn’t sure what breed of dragon it was. Sun dragons weren’t usually so small, and these dragons had longer, narrower snouts and a larger wingspan, reminding me more of the extinct pterosaur.
Maveryck and another man I didn’t recognize approached. The two men squatted near me, and the thief cut away the cords binding my hands. After he pulled the ropes away, I rubbed my wrists, feeling the uneven bumps and ridges of the scars on my skin.
“Jahr’ad, I’d like you to meet Olive,” Maveryck said. “She’s a traveler from Delestria.”
“From Delestria?” Jahr’ad asked.
“Yes,” I lied, hoping Jahr’ad bought it.
Jahr’ad gave me a careful smile. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I have many friends in Delestria.”
He had a rough appearance, from his sand-covered, patched clothing and his worn, dragon-hide boots to his tanned, weathered skin. He wore his bleached hair in long cornrows that looked as if they hadn’t been washed in years. What I found most disturbing about Jahr’ad were his eyes. They seemed too calculating, as if when he looked at me, he could see my weaknesses.
Jahr’ad shook my hand, holding it a moment longer than necessary. When he released his grip, he eyed me. “What is it you do in Delestria?”
“She is a merchant,” Maveryck answered for me. “She trades in unusual items, which is what brings her here. We’ve much to discuss,” Maveryck said.
“I see,” Jahr’ad said, keeping his gaze on me. “What is she willing to trade for these unusual items?”
“We will discuss that later,” Maveryck answered. “For now, we are hungry and tired, and trading anything in a generous manner is impossible to do with an empty stomach. Where are your manners, Jahr’ad? You know I have a reputation to keep, and I can’t do it when I’m covered in dirt.”
Jahr’ad stood. “Very well,” he said with a sigh, “come inside and you’ll be cleaned and fed, but after that, we negotiate. Does that suit you, thief?”
Maveryck rose to his full height. I felt magic emanating from his fisted hands. “You still insist on calling me that, do you?”
“I’ll call you whatever names I like while you’re here. My home. My rules. You get the picture?” He nodded toward me. “Same goes for you. I don’t tolerate cheats or liars. When you’re here, you play by my rules. Now, as you are my guests and I am your gracious host,” he gave us a mocking smile, “please, if you’ll follow me.”
My legs cramped as I stood, but I managed to limp forward, following Maveryck and Jahr’ad through a doorway that led into a tunnel. Rust-colored rock composed the floors, walls, and ceilings. The tunnels had been roughly carved to form hallways and small rooms. We entered a room larger than the rest, with a ceiling that seemed to span all the way to the top of the mountain and a fountain that took up the room’s center. Water bubbled from a stone in the pool’s center, then
