“Such a child.” He sneers at me as I let my sword drop and clutch the egg instead. “You couldn’t help falling for that one, could you? Now I will take both eggs and both of these young dragons you’ve helpfully calmed for me.”
He waves at his three men. “Lead those two off. Take this egg.” He motions to the one still under his arm. “When you are safely outside, shout and I’ll release the princess. Everyone else—”
Geraint falls back with a howl as Alianor dives to catch the egg before it falls. I’m on my feet, my own dagger in hand. Blood runs from his leg where I stabbed him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“Did you really think I’d drop my only weapon?” I say. “That I’d give up so easily?”
I lunge at Geraint and slash his side. His eyes widen in such shock that you’d think I’d driven my blade into his heart.
We’re in the side cavern now—the juveniles’ bedroom—and I can see Dain near the cave mouth. He’s still fast asleep with Dez on his chest. Geraint lifts his dagger, but Jacko leaps onto his leg and sinks his teeth into the spot I’d stabbed.
My blade slams up, broadside, against Geraint’s wrist and his dagger clangs to the floor. When he scrambles for it, I kick him. He stumbles, and I bend and roll the egg aside, freeing both of my hands.
I’m about to deliver another slash when one of the young dragons barrels past me. It hits Geraint with its broad head and sends him into the wall. Then the dragon grabs him by the leg and drags him, screaming, along the floor. The young dragon snuffles at Geraint’s injuries.
“It’s the blood,” Alianor says. “He smells blood.”
The dragon chomps down, right on the leg I cut. Geraint screams, and the mother dragon roars, and the baby is about to back off in surprise when I leap in and pretend to haul the young beast off the poacher. By then, its sibling is there, black tongue darting out as it samples the air and picks up the taste of blood.
Geraint scrambles to his feet.
“They’re going to eat you,” Alianor says. “And we won’t stop them.”
The second juvenile faces off with Geraint, tongue flicking. The first has already lost interest, but I pretend that I’m holding the beast back. It thinks that’s a fine game, and it snaps and hisses in play.
“Go!” I say to Geraint. “Get out of here now!”
Geraint darts past the first juvenile and he tears into the side passage. At the last second, he reaches down to grab the egg I’d put on the floor, but Alianor’s there, grabbing his tunic and shoving him along. Then Malric is between Geraint and the egg. The poacher snaps a command to his men…but the tunnel is empty.
“Yeah, they’re gone,” Alianor says. “They took off when it looked like you were about to be dragon chow.”
“Go,” I say. “This is your last chance—”
Geraint still tries to feint around Malric to get the egg, but the warg knocks him to the floor. A brief struggle ensues before Malric has Geraint securely pinned.
“Are the others really gone?” I ask Alianor.
She nods. “For now.” She hoists up both eggs, one under each arm. Then she walks toward me. “Trade you these for babysitting duty? I think Mom wants them—now.”
The dragon roars, and Alianor stumbles back, nearly losing her footing. Jacko trumpets his alert cry as I dive in to steady Alianor. Then we both look up to see the head of a dragon, less than five feet away. She’s shoved her body forward as far as it will go and snaked her head into the side cavern. Behind her shoulder, I see Dain, still sleeping.
He’s still sleeping, and the dragon is between us…and we’re holding her eggs and standing with her two youngsters, as if we’re about to run off with all four.
The mother roars again, and as her jaws widen, her breath takes on that smell I know well.
“Don’t inhale!” I say to Alianor. “Get back.”
“The eggs—”
“Just get back.”
We both back away as far as we can, well out of her reach. She roars her fury and shakes her head. The one juvenile nudges my shoulder, completely unconcerned and wanting to resume play. The other bends its head to sniff Jacko.
“We’ll roll the eggs toward her,” I say. “Give me one.”
She does. We bend and roll the eggs. They don’t reach the mother dragon, who strains to get them.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “We don’t dare come any closer. But we aren’t holding them anymore. If you’ll back up—”
She roars, the sound deafening.
“I think that’s a no,” Alianor murmurs.
“Count of three, hold your breath, run forward and give your egg another push.”
As soon as we come closer, the dragon breathes again. We each shove an egg, as quickly as we can. Then, as we back away, I stumble over Jacko, who’s standing in place, blinking. He must have been coming to help me and inhaled some of the sedative. When I stumble, I accidentally breathe in. I clamp my mouth shut, grab Jacko and back away.
The poison hits me like getting slammed in the head, a sudden dizziness that rocks me off balance. I manage to brace against a wall, clutching Jacko, who’s now fully asleep, as the two young dragons sniff us. Across the cavern, the dragon has one egg in her mouth. She places it behind her and does the same for the second. Then she eyes her two youngsters and roars.
“Playtime’s over, guys,” Alianor says. “Mom wants you home.”
When they ignore her, I set the sleeping jackalope down and give one juvenile a shove. Momma Dragon roars, and I back away, hands raised.
“I’m not hurting them,” I say. “Not taking them. They’re just…”
“Making friends with the royal monster hunter,” Alianor says.
