XXI
“You’re wasting our time, human!”
Amal held up her hands to calm a ferocious uproar of dragons. Twenty Keepers and Crafters surrounded her in a room that resembled a hollowed-out cavern. The walls were made of limestone, and torches burned on the walls. Even though she was in Dragon’s Hollow, a skyscraper in the heart of the city, it felt like she was back in time in a place that existed long, long ago. The air was smoky and the dirt floor was strewn with gold coins.
“I am not here to waste your time,” Amal said.
A pomegranate-colored Crafter sat coiled up in front of her. With a beastly shriek, he silenced the room.
“Let the human finish her proposition,” the dragon said, “The sooner she is finished, the sooner we can dispense of her.”
Amal swallowed. She second-guessed coming h
