When the flames stopped, Ryan joined the others atop the stairs, catching his first sight of a dragon. The sight filled him with awe that would’ve had him gawking were it not for the terror of it having just tried to kill them for what was undoubtedly only the first time. Tendrils of smoke drifted up from her nostrils, two baleful, malicious golden eyes turned from the others to him, with what looked like recognition and renewed fury. Her torso was tall as a two-story house, golden scales flashing with reflected firelight. The giant wings lay folded, her tail uncoiling from a pillar behind her, four giant, clawed feet and fang-filled mouth formidable weapons. The floor rumbled with her every move and it was a wonder the whole place didn’t come down around them. Behind her, where thrones had likely once stood, he at last saw the Dragon Gate.
It nearly filled the hall at that end, standing on a waist high platform with three steps. A giant oval, it was wider than it was tall to accommodate the outstretched wings of dragons in flight as it pulled them in. It lay almost flat, tilted up toward the gaping hole in the roof, its lowest point at the steps. And it was on. Like a still lake in the black of night, it reflected torchlight and the tapestries above it, wisps of smoke curling along its misty surface. Waiting near it stood Raith, lips moving in what Ryan assumed was a spell with them as its target. How could they fight off both a dragon and a wizard?
He tore his eyes away to Matt, who still stood with arms outstretched, breathing hard. The knight wondered if the barrier would remain up and how long Matt could do that. The dragon had similar ideas, it seemed, for with one foot she casually flung a bench at them. All but the wizard took cover but it bounced harmlessly off the barrier. Matt flinched as if the blow weakened him. His arm sagged and his breathing deepened. They needed cover and the knight looked around.
The wide hall stretched to either side in a long rectangle, for they hadn’t entered from the nearby main doors at one end, though they were close. Along this wall and the one opposite stood other stairwells, a long row of balconies overhead. Tattered, faded tapestries hung in ruins everywhere while scattered torches and lanterns dimly lit the dark room. An enormous gaping hole in the ceiling revealed the starry sky overhead, with piles of rubble from the half-ruined roof lying shoved to one side.
Ryan ushered the others behind a nearby fountain with a low wall around it as Matt indicated his spell had ended. The dragon would come after all of them, but only he could withstand her fire if Matt felt too tired to do that again. Seeing the dragon moving toward them, he stepped out before he could think it through any further, lance in one hand and sword in the other. He had to at least lure it away from his friends, not only to keep them alive, but to distract it so they could reach the gate. He still didn’t want to kill it and doubted he even could.
“Ryan!” Anna called out.
Eric said, “No, he’s fireproof, remember?”
“So what?” she asked incredulously. “It’s not claw or tooth-proof!”
“We’re not going to let that happen,” Matt put in, still catching his breath, “but I agree on not following him out there.”
“You’ve got to reach the gate,” Eric reminded him.
Matt eyed the distance to the gate. “How am I supposed to get over there?”
“I don’t know,” Eric admitted. “Ryan’s probably trying to distract it. Stay ready for an opportunity and I’ll do everything I can to help.”
Ryan approached and the dragon reared up near the ceiling and slammed both front claws into the floor, the boom thundering deep into the castle, loose mortar cascading down around the room and a balcony tumbling to the floor with a crash.
“Dragon Slayer!” Perndara roared. “This is one dragon who will slay you instead!”
One giant foot swept toward him from the right and he swung the sword at it, though it was bigger than his whole body and he braced for the impact. Instead, red blood sprayed all over him as the sword cleanly severed all three toes and the dragon shrieked, the toes tumbling across the floor instead of Ryan. The dragon’s roar of pain shook the walls and she shifted weight to avoid standing on the maimed foot. Then she turned on Ryan and unleashed a torrent of flames. At the last second, he slammed shut the helmet visor. Fire blasted him, the force making him step back. The others stared, looking for a sign that Ryan still lived among the flames, but all they could see was his planted feet still upright.
Eric pulled his arm away from Anna, who clung to him, and rose. He took two steps and hurled a knife at one of the dragon’s enormous eyes. The blade twirled through the air and struck home, the fire stream abruptly ending in another shriek of pain. Perndara raised the injured foot to nudge out the blade but couldn’t, finally shaking her head furiously until it went flying. Something yellow oozed from the eye as she turned to see Eric throwing another. This she deflected with a turn of her head, but the blade still sliced into her golden scales. She spoke a few words and the eye healed itself, her foot no longer bleeding but not growing back. Ryan began to advance on her and the dragon retreated.
“Matt,” said Eric, “if she starts to cast a spell, you have to help distract her. Ryan won’t stand a chance if she does magic on him.”
“She’s moving too far away.”
The rogue looked at the archers now arriving on the balcony, most waiting
