She stopped at a wall of ice, drawn to three gold ornaments glittering from within.
Dragon eggs, whispered a voice inside her.
Another wonder. They were frozen so deep, it would take months to free them. Unless the dragon breathed her fire on the ice, but then the entire scaffold would turn to water and the ceiling would cave in, burying them all.
Greta dragged her gaze away from the frozen eggs. The rock on this side was slicker, her feet losing purchase every couple of steps. Twice she slipped and had to start again, her ankle screaming in protest. She refused to give up. Not while the dragon’s gaze burned into her back, hope taut as a bowstring between them.
She reached the stake and gave a sharp tug.
The dragon stiffened, sending a blast of fire to the ceiling.
Elias shouted as a hail of rock fell, ducking to narrowly avoid it. Greta hugged the wall, waiting for the onslaught to pass. Growing desperate, she tugged the stake again.
The dragon whipped her head around, huffing smoke at her. A warning.
She burst into song.
‘Your fire is yearning, your fire is brave,
I feel it burn for the freedom you crave.
Soon, you will fill the whole sky with your roar,
Together we’ll win you the freedom to soar.’
The dragon blinked, then slowly settled.
It was now or never. Greta reached up with both hands, the oil lamp sliding down to her shoulder and smacking her in the chin. She gritted her teeth as she grabbed hold of the stake, stepping off the ledge and hanging her entire weight on the end.
Sweat stung her eyes and moistened her hands. But she held on tight as the stake cut into her palms. It yielded with a rasping screech, freeing the wing and Greta with it. She tumbled to the ground, the stake accidentally dragging at the wound.
The dragon reared up, her spiralling horns slamming into the ceiling.
‘NO!’ Rubble came like rain, slamming into Greta’s arms and back as she covered her head. It pinned her to the ground as a rattling boom reverberated through the mountains.
The dragon beat its wings in panic, causing more rock to cascade from the walls.
‘Stop!’ cried Greta, trying to dig her way out. ‘You’re burying us!’
It was too late. The boulders trapping Greta were impossibly heavy, and at least three deep. They made a tomb around her armour, her oil lamp flickering pathetically as it went out.
Elias cursed, his oil lamp flickering nearby. From what Greta could see, he was still on his feet. ‘That damned beast is too wild. It’s bringing the walls down.’
‘Help!’ said Greta, desperately struggling for breath. ‘The rocks are crushing me.’
Elias backed away. ‘This was a mistake,’ he muttered.‘You can’t save that crazed beast. No one can.’
Rocks had fallen across the mouth of the tunnel, partially blocking the way out. Elias cast his sword aside and started shoving them out of the way. The dragon drew back, smashing its wings against the walls in a panic.
‘Come back!’ yelled Greta. ‘You can’t leave me here like this!’
‘You had your chance,’ he said, without turning around. He was too busy desperately kicking his way through the fallen rocks. ‘You failed.’ With most of the boulders now dislodged, Elias picked up his oil lamp and made to slip into the tunnel.
Only to meet the point of a glimmering sword.
Greta rasped a breath, hope fluttering desperately in her chest. Were her eyes deceiving her? Was the sudden lack of airflow toying with her mind?
Alarik’s voice echoed through the tavern. ‘Don’t even think about it.’
