“The Adroanzi are a large group,” Shaw said gravely. “We underestimated their numbers and that's why we weren't able to neutralize all of them as I'd implied we would.”
“In other words, they probably had a bunch of people here, working on booby traps while others went out to kidnap children?” I shot back.
“Yes.”
“Okay then.” I sighed. Then I frowned in thought. “I don't need a boulder. I need something thin that I can wedge between the cracks of this trigger.”
Brahma pulled a switchblade out of his pocket and handed it to me.
“You carry a switchblade?” I asked as I took it.
“Not all of us have claws at our disposal.”
“Fair enough.” I started to crouch, but Odin stopped me.
“Give it to me.” Odin held out his hand.
I handed over the knife and Odin knelt beside my trigger-pressing foot. He flicked the blade out, then shoved it between the pressure plate and the cave floor. Using the heel of his hand, he pushed down on the hilt until the blade was wedged firmly.
Odin looked up at me but remained where he was to say, “Lift your footveryslowly.”
I carefully lifted my foot and the pressure plate stayed put. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Odin got to his feet.
“All right, we need to be especially aware of our surroundings,” Odin declared. “Watch the floor, the walls, and the damn ceiling. In fact, split up the watch. Form groups with each person focusing on one area.”
“We don't have the time for this,” I huffed. “If only the tunnel was wide enough to accommodate my wingspan.”
Shaw looked around pensively, then shook his head. “It's still too narrow for us as well.”
“I could do it,” Odin offered. “A raven can navigate this tunnel, no problem.”
“No,” I whispered. Then I repeated in a stronger tone, “No. Not alone. You have a bad track record with caves.”
Shaw cocked his head at Odin in that weird, owl way.
“I died in one,” Odin said simply.
Shaw's eyes widened.
“We're dealing with a god,” Azrael reminded us. “These traps have been mild so far, likely left by his children, but he could do far worse and there might be triggers above ground level as well. Even humans have motion detectors.”
That sobered us.
“You know what?” I snarled as I shifted into my half-dragon form—without the wings or tail so I didn't mess up my clothes. “Screw this. They're just a bunch of snakes.”
Shaw's stare took in my horns and golden scales. “The rumors are true; you're a dragon.”
“That's right, Hedwig.” I slipped past him. “And I come equipped with my own armor.”
I started striding down the tunnel at a fast clip. Night would be coming soon and if we didn't reach the children by then, I'd fail them as I had the other two.
“Not on my watch,” I growled and started to run.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Here's the thing about dragon scales: they're good for slicing attacks but stabs can slip through the joints between. That's why humans used lances to kill dragons. A long pointy thing is the way to go when dealing with an enormous, scaly, fire-breathing reptile. You just have to get past the breath first... and that's why humans became experts at throwing javelins.
What I'm getting at is this: a weredragon can be stopped by a pit of spikes. I'm saying this with absolute certainty because several yards into my mad dash, I fell into one.
