Lionel stopped a good foot and a half from the Great Dragon and reached out his arm to try and touch one of its scales. Slowly, his hand crept toward the dragon’s glistening flesh as the whine of the crowd of wizards grew louder, but it was too late. Lionel continued to slowly close the gap. He was almost there – just one more inch and he would be in contact with the scales. Now, slower than ever he moved to close the rest of the gap, and . . .
“Who dares disturb my slumber!” the Great Dragon shouted the moment Lionel made contact.
In the same instant, the beast turned its head towards the fool wizard and snapped at him with massive, sharp teeth the size of short swords. The dragon’s snout came to rest mere inches from Lionel’s face. The poor mage was so shocked he fell to the ground in a faint, coated in dragon spit. The other wizards couldn’t help but laugh at the scene.
The Great Dragon looked at the comatose wizard with hunger in his eyes. Teryn wondered when the beast had eaten last, or if it was always that way. It opened its massive maw and reached out as if to take a bite, but Teryn stepped in between the two to intervene at the last minute.
“Easy, Great Dragon. He works for me. His name is Lionel. King Christopher gave him to me. Please do him no harm. I tried to keep him from coming up here, but he insisted on it.”
The other wizards gave him a dirty look and he smirked.
“So, then he is your slave, is he, Little One?” the dragon growled in its booming voice. His words shook the very ground beneath their feet. “I cannot condone that, but if you are to do such things, at least keep him under better control.”
Teryn saw several of the younger wizards cover their ears, but was used to it by now.
He shook his head vigorously. “No, he’s not a slave, Great Dragon. More of an . . . employee. Not that he’s getting a fixed salary, but certainly a share of the bounty.”
The Great Dragon nodded in acknowledgement before speaking again. “Still, you should have warned them about me, Little One,” he said at length.
“I tried to, but they are still young. Young ones never listen to the older folk.” Teryn tsked. “Certainly you would know that by now.”
The Great Dragon let out a high-pitched laugh that shook the mountaintop. “Point taken, Little One. So, friend, what is it you require this time?”
Teryn bowed in front of the massive creature. “I have come over great distances seeking your Sword of Spirit. I know that after the bonding of the scroll, you are no longer in need of it, so I am willing to do anything that you require to obtain it.”
Some of the other wizards gasped, likely wondering just what this ‘anything’ might entail, since they would be responsible for helping.
The Great Dragon lowered its head and a deep rumble escaped his mouth. He was silent a while, then he opened his giant mouth. “Well, as you are full aware, Little One, your earlier task granted you one free favor, which you already took. However, because of the nature of the request, I have taken a liking to you and therefore will allow you to have the sword for a smaller fee than that I would ask of any other individual. Therefore, all I ask, Little One, is that you infiltrate the Surcram base near here, steal their megacylinder, and bring it back to me.”
“Certainly I will do that for you,” Teryn said, nodding and beaming at the beast, even though some of his wizards were making hushed noises and Jim looked so ashen he was close to fainting. “I would do anything that you asked for such a prize.”
“Excellent, Little One!”
He scrunched his nose. “But Great Dragon, might I first ask what a Surcram is?”
“Haven’t you read history books?” the dragon replied with a scowl. “They are the gigantic, wraith-like scorpion demons I am sure you have heard about at least in myths and children’s stories. This task should be no problem for a group of wizards such as you have with you. After all, Little One, magic is their only weakness.”
Teryn nodded again. He remembered briefly seeing something that matched that description in Gallian’s book, but he had to admit he hadn’t paid that much attention to it. He could picture a Surcram clearly off the dragon’s description, though, and they didn’t sound pleasant to deal with.
His expression soured. Something told him this would not be a fun quest.
“I wish you the best on your quest, Little One. Now be off, and return swiftly!” the Great Dragon shouted, hurting everyone’s ears again.
Teryn bowed and turned to leave. He motioned for Talon to pick up the unconscious Lionel, who was still lying comatose on the ground covered in dragon slobber. Wizard in hand, the group left the mountaintop as quietly as they’d come.
When they reached the base of the peak, Teryn checked in on Lionel again. The wizard still had not awoken from his coma. Distressed and not sure where else to turn, he finally went over to Lyrad and asked him for help.
The stoic priest looked as calm as always when Teryn approached him. He could see Lyrad’s muscular curvature even through the unflattering robes he wore and his blank expression was surprisingly intimidating. He second-guessed his approach for a moment but quickly decided there were no other options available.
“Is there anything you can do to help out our friend here?” he asked, biting his lip.
A wry smile crossed the priest’s lips. “I thought you’d never ask,” he replied with a grin, his tone somehow still managing to convey warmth and caring, leaving Teryn even more confused.
Lyrad rushed over to Lionel’s prone form and sprang into action. He looked at the wizard’s
