Her Deal with a Dragon

Chapter 2

Step by step, the overgrown path up the mountain passed under my feet. Trepidation built as I drew nearer and nearer until I reached to overlook where the shrine stood elegantly amid the unkempt landscaping.

It has clearly been beautiful once, with a nice garden and outbuildings. The lantern stands flanking the flagstone path were empty, except for the occasional cobwebs and a bird's nest. Seeing them reminded me that I had no way to light my path under the mountain and I went in search of some kind of light.

The main shrine was still in good condition except for the weathering and overgrown vines and bushes, and I poked my head inside the side window to find drifts of dead leaves, dirt and other debris inside.

Moving on, I found the toolshed and to my delight, an old ceremonial lantern. There were a bunch of gardening tools and various other items and I found the lamp oil on a shelf. Once the lantern was refilled, I located the tinderbox with its striker and lit the wick. It burned reluctantly at first, then settled into a steady glow.

I headed for the path that led beneath the arbor and entered the cave. Immediately inside were two long shelves, carved out of the rock. And on the nearest end rested a cloth-wrapped package.

Curious, I opened it to find a loaf of bread, some cheese, dried fruit, smoked chicken, an apple and a jar of tea leaves. I stuffed them in the basket on my back, then headed deeper in.

The path ahead curved and twisted, leading downward until I came upon an alcove that was carved out of the passage. A beautiful altar stood there with an effigy of a dragon and a man in a distinctly intimate pose, with the man caressing the dragon's lowered head as it rested its forehead over his heart.

On the man's head rested an elaborate crown, and the symbol on the back of his flowing cloak was an unmistakable family crest, though it was slightly less elaborate and imposing than the one the Alraidon Dynasty was currently using.

This had to be Markos Reuvant, the patriarch of House Alraidon who received the blood of the dragon and ascended to the imperial throne.

He was a legend and a hero, especially among the people of Keydrow, since he was the one who designated the peninsula a holy place and gave us autonomy.

I turned away from the sight, inexplicably ashamed for what I was about to do.

It felt like the deepest blasphemy and I didn't like the feeling.

Deeper I continued until I was abruptly standing in a massive chamber. Large, faintly glowing crystals were embedded into the ceilings and walls, casting an eerie, ambient light across the space, illuminating the massive altar in the center. A pale silk cloth covered the table, shining like condensed moonlight, seeming almost to glow.

Richly ornamented dishes were stacked on the far end of the altar; ceremonial bowls, a very ritualistic dagger, different sized plates and spoons.

Various elaborately decorated jars stood in a row down the center of the altar, each labeled with unfamiliar letters in ancient Draconic, I had no doubt. A heavy-looking censer stood adjacent to the dishes and jars, covered with a light coating of dust.

A leather bundle lay on the end nearest me, practically bursting with its contents and I detected the glint of metal inside.

Whatever this altar was intended for, I couldn't imagine it being anything savory.

Stories about virgin sacrifices to demons came to mind and I actually laughed at myself.

Dragons were not into that sort of thing, as far as I knew.

I bypassed the altar and circled the room, exploring.

Four passages led off the main room. I picked the nearest one and followed it down to a dead end filled with rubbish like small animal bones and what I could only assume were the wasted leftovers of previous offerings.

The next passage narrowed until it was just wide enough for a single person to walk down it comfortably. No doubt lodgings for whatever priest or priestess who was in charge of the inner sanctum.

My gut clenched as guilt pressed in on me; again I shoved it down and reached for the door handle before me.

Instantly, the torch light reflected off more gold and jewels than I had ever imagined in one place.

It was indeed a bed chamber, but calling it gaudy and overdone would have been a severe understatement.

A massive, four-poster bed made of mahogany and accented with gold and jewels dominated the space with dragons carved into every available space. Even the feet of the bed were carved into dragon claws.

Thick curtains of wine colored cloth brocaded with what looked like gold thread hung from intricately carved beams, held open by gold ropes at each bedpost. Flawless, thick furs were piled on the bed and I had no doubt that the mattress was filled with down feathers. The other pieces of furniture were also made of mahogany and trimmed in gold and jewels.

The floor was covered in rugs of the softest, silvery fur I had ever seen, and I was tempted to remove my boots out of fear of dirtying them. In the end, I gingerly edged around the furs to continue exploring.

The attached bathroom was even more richly done and I found myself blinking against the metallic shine of gold in the torch light. Even the chamber pot was elaborately decorated, with a relief depicting a swarm of dragons painted with bright colors and accented by gold paint.

There were statues, reliefs, paintings and tapestries of dragons at every turn and I found myself smiling at the absurdity.

Finally, I finished looking around and headed for the door again.

There might be gold on every surface, but I wasn't stupid enough to start vandalizing a dragon's lair before I was sure it was empty.

Seeing the state of the room, it was hard to imagine that it had been left that way for a long period of time, which meant that whoever was in charge of the place was most likely going to return soon.They might not care about the shrine, but I could hardly blame anyone for neglecting a shrine no one bothered to visit. My mind drifted to the cloth wrapped bundle. Almost no one, anyway.

I closed the door behind me as I left, and headed for the next passage.

This one was much longer and when I reached the end, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a small, simple space that radiated comfort and coziness. Two armchairs and a footrest played center stage, surrounded by side tables covered in books and stacks of papers.

The walls were lined with shelves and a large writing desk was built into the corner adjacent to the door. The opposite wall, furthest from the door displayed a wide variety of cultural relics.

I recognized some of them from father's stories. There was an elf-forged chakram and the skull of a three eyed monster, and a few dozen other curiosities that made me forget where I was as I marveled. When I looked my fill, I returned to the armchair and started rifling through the pages and books.

A thick tome caught my eye an I paused to read the title.

A Complete and Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Herbology: Volume III

Bits of colored yarn hung out from between the pages, making it look as if the book were growing hair.

Carefully, I opened the book to the first marked page.

A beautiful flower painting adorned the entry for the Ambrosia Lilly. It was said to have stimulant effects on magic and wakefulness, and too much could cause euphoria and excessive excitement. The book helpfully noted that it was a common ingredient in love potions.

I was about to turn to another page when I noticed a second book. It had previously been concealed by the encyclopedia, but it was a fat notebook with uneven pages that appear to be extremely well used. I set down the encyclopedia and picked up the notebook. The image of a Phoenix feather was burned into the cover and my heart skipped a beat as I stared down at it.

My mother had a small memento box with the same symbol. As far as I knew, there was no special meaning, but my mind began spinning with all the implications. If she had been here, why would she not have come sooner? Why let such a trove of treasure gather dust while we starved?

My fingers shook as I untied the leather strings and let the book open on a random page.

The scrawled gibberish seemed to be notes with numbers and abbreviations I couldn't begin to understand. I was about to turn the page when a large pair of hands appeared without a sound or any sort of warning and the book was snatched from my fingers and slammed shut in front of me.

I startled, jumping back and straight into what felt like a solid oak tree.

"Bold aren't you, little mouse?" A buttery smooth voice spoke behind me with the slightest roughness that made my body both melt and freeze solid.

"Reckless humans like you tend not to live long, you know?"

Choking down my terror, I turned slowly to look up. And then immediately back down.

He was very tall, with a very toned body and red hair that glowed like rubies in the lamplight. His pale green eyes glowed in his shadowed face and a muscle was leaping in his clenched jaw.

Well, bugger and biscuits, I thought desperately. This had gone from blasphemy to trespassing and I couldn't see a way out.