She glanced down and saw the waterskin. Next to it was a pile of clean clothes, a hairbrush and another bowl filled with water, with a bar of soap next to it.
‘I think she’s trying to give me a hint,’ Sable said. She sniffed what she had on. ‘And she’s not wrong. Let me get cleaned up, and then I’ll face Blackrose.’
Sanguino turned, and went to the entrance of the cavern, blocking it with his bulk. Sable undressed, and washed. Her limbs were aching and stiff, and she scrubbed the sand and sweat from her skin, then gave her hair a clean in the bowl. She pulled on the clothes that Maddie had left her, and found a pack of cigarettes in a pocket, along with some matches. She lit one, and smoked it while she brushed her wet hair. It could do with a trim, she thought, wondering if she could trust Maddie to do a decent job with a pair of scissors.
She stubbed the cigarette out and stood, listening to the voices coming from the rest of the tomb. There were other dragons there, not just Blackrose.
‘I’m ready,’ she said to Sanguino.
The dark red dragon moved to the side and Sable walked to the entrance of the cavern. To her left, Deepblue and Broadwing were sitting in the long tunnel that led to the open air, while directly in front of her, Blackrose’s head was sticking out of her own cavern.
‘The traitor approaches,’ said the black dragon, her red eyes burning as she stared at Sable. ‘You should be dead.’
Sable put a hand on her hip. ‘If I hadn’t rescued you, you would be dead. I’m still waiting on a thank you for that.’
Maddie groaned from where she and Millen were sitting by the hearth.
‘You see?’ said Blackrose. ‘Sable is not contrite. She is shameless. She lied to me and she doesn’t care. We could have been in Dragon Eyre…’
‘Yes, yes; I know,’ said Sable. ‘You could have been in Dragon Eyre ages ago, blah, blah. You know what, if you had, then you’d probably be dead. I did the right thing, and you can’t admit it.’ She shrugged. ‘That’s fine. I can live with your ingratitude for all that I’ve done for you.’
Flames flickered over Blackrose’s jaws. ‘Are you trying to provoke me?’
‘I’m trying to make you see sense. Look at what we’ve achieved by being patient, instead of rushing off to Dragon Eyre at the first opportunity. We have supplies, but much more importantly, we have allies.’ She pointed towards Deepblue and Broadwing, who were watching in silence. ‘We have these two fine dragons, and we have Sanguino, who is able to fly again. And, if we wait a little longer, other dragons might join us.’
Blackrose’s eyes burned as she stared at Sable. ‘Wait even longer? Just who do you think you are? I am going home, to Dragon Eyre. My home, not yours. You have nothing to do with this expedition; you are not in charge, and it was not your decision to take.’
Sanguino nudged Sable’s arm. ‘Didn’t you promise to say something to Blackrose?’
‘Of course,’ said Sable. ‘Blackrose, I apologise for lying to you.’
‘Another lie?’ said Blackrose. ‘Do you even know how to be sincere, witch?’
‘I lied to you, because I believed you would take my Quadrant and immediately go to Dragon Eyre. Do you deny it?’
‘A Holdfast took my Quadrant; taking yours would seem fair.’
‘I said, do you deny it? Answer me.’
‘I do not deny it,’ said Blackrose; ‘that is what I would have done.’
‘You would have gone to Dragon Eyre unprepared? Right. And now you will be going with at least three other dragons, plenty of supplies, and a ton of gold.’
‘What gold?’
‘The gold I accumulated before I came to the Catacombs. What did you think I was doing during that period? Sleeping?’
Blackrose turned towards the hearth. ‘Maddie, have you heard about this?’
‘No,’ said Maddie. ‘Sable’s never mentioned any gold to me.’
‘Of course not,’ said Sable. ‘I was waiting to tell you all. My little secret. To be honest, you’ve kind of ruined the surprise, but never mind. Blackrose, will you admit to me that the circumstances of you going now are immeasurably better than if you’d gone earlier?’
‘They are not “immeasurably” better, witch.’
Sable smirked. ‘But they are better, yeah?’
‘Where is the gold?’
‘Answer my question and I might tell you.’
‘Fine. I admit it. The preparations you and the others have made will stand us in good stead, but that does not excuse what you did. You don’t trust me. You are a shameless liar, working for your own advantage.’
‘I risked my life to save you. I have risked my life several times for you and your cause. I hardly see how dying would be to my own advantage.’
‘But why?’
‘Because I want to go to Dragon Eyre with you, but I didn’t want to go unprepared. I knew you’d take my Quadrant, so I had to keep it a secret from you. It’s really as simple as that.’
Blackrose remained silent for a moment, then scraped her claws across the floor of the cavern. ‘You will not be coming to Dragon Eyre with me. You have proved that you are unworthy and a liar.’
‘Then you’ll also have to do without Sanguino and the gold. Your choice.’
Maddie jumped to her feet. ‘Hold on a minute; let’s all calm down. There’s no need to make rash threats. Blackrose, please think about this. I know Sable lied to you, but you’ve already punished her by leaving her in the desert, and she has apologised. We can’t go to Dragon Eyre without Sanguino; he’s your son.’
‘I can speak for myself,’ said the dark red dragon. ‘Mother, what Sable did was wrong, and I do not excuse it; but, if you leave her here, then I will stay by her side. She is my rider; would you be separated from Maddie? You have admitted that her plan has brought us
