“Who dares trespass in my home?” the dragon boomed in a sinister male voice that raised goosebumps all over my arms.
“We mean you no harm,” Adriel replied in a firm, even tone. “We seek only peaceful passage through your dwelling.”
“I am neither fae nor demon norMorkahlf.” The dragon said the last with what might have been a sneer. “I am not beholden to the laws of the small and the weak,nor do I feel compelled to grant the requests of lesser beings.”
I could feel myself sweating despite the chill, but I worked to keep my panic at bay. I’d never encountered a dragon, but I assumed that, like other predators, the beasts could sense fear.
Adriel didn’t reply, though he did lift the grubby canvas sack higher, as if to waft the stench of my jacket toward Eckoghari.
The dragon’s sightless eyes blinked in surprise, and two long slits along the tip of his snout flared.
“I smell gnome.” Eckoghari flicked his tail, smacking the surface of the pool hard enough to send torrents of water as tall as Kaden surging up and over the sides. “How wise of you to bring an offering to appease a much greater and more powerful being.”
The dragon bared his teeth, and my stomach clenched. If only I’d let Adriel carry the little wretch in his saddlebag to use as bait. Although I didn’t condone the sacrifice of innocent creatures, in that moment, I would’ve gladly handed over the smelly brute.
“Allow us to pass unscathed,” Adriel demanded. “And you shall have your treat.” He wafted the bag in the air again, coaxing a low growl of longing from the beast.
“Just theone?” Eckoghari rumbled, his slitted nostrils twitching. “One gnome forfourlesser beings and their beasts of burden?”
“One was all we could procure on such short notice,” said Sorsha.
“Pity,” said the dragon. “A meager snack for such a mighty favor. It is not often fresh meat presents itself so readily in my caves. Though I delight in the pungent flavorof gnome, it would be foolish to allow a fae, aMorkahlf, a prince, and a huntress to simply walk away.”
My heart hammered against my ribs, and my fingers twitched toward my blades. Eckoghari had no plans to let us leave, yet the others still had not drawn their weapons.
“Perhaps a fair trade for safe passage through your caves,” the princess suggested. She had not drawn her weapons either, though she stood in a warrior’s stance with her feet spread apart, her left just in front of her right.
“A trade?” Eckoghari replied, his voice an eager growl. “I am partial to the taste of gnome, yes, but I am also a collector of secrets.”
“Secrets?” repeated Sorsha.
“Particularly secrets revealed between trusted friends. When you get to be as old as I am, nothing is quite as scintillating as watching kinship unravel.” Eckoghari’s sightless eyes seemed to glitter in anticipation. “I should like to hear a secret between you and theMorkahlf.”
Adriel stiffened.
“Very well,” she said, a muscle tensing in her jaw as she turned to look at Adriel. “Did you know?” she asked. “About the attacks on the Drathen villages? Before last night, I mean.”
Adriel was silent for a long moment, staring at the ground. Though his expression was impassive, I could sense him warring with himself. Deciding how much to reveal.
“Yes,” he said finally. “I’d heard of two others. One a fortnight ago. The other about a week before that.” His throat bobbed. “There was nothing we could do.”
Sorsha stared at him, her turquoise gaze growing frostier with every heartbeat. Eckoghari stood in silentfascination, his long tongue flicking out as though he could taste the tension in the air.
For several seconds, the only sound was the continuous drip of melting icicles, and the atmosphere in the cave seemed to crackle.
Adriel jerked his head toward the dragon, whose tail flicked lazily against the surface of the pool. “You have your secret. Now let us pass.”
“The one who makes the bargain should be more fastidious,” Eckoghari rumbled, his ferocious maw stretching in delight. “The faerie asked for safe passage through my caves. She did not specific forwhom.”
My insides clanged with terror and fury. Eckoghari had no intention of letting us go. He was always going to devour us.
“The deal was for all of us,” Sorsha choked. “One secret and a gnome in exchange for allowing us to pass.”
“I shall permit two of your party to proceed without harm. Leave the huntress.”
The slow shink of blades sliding out of scabbards made my insides thrum with nervous energy. Adriel and Sorsha edged closer, weapons in hand, but Kaden hadn’t touched his swords.
His shadows fanned out across the cavern, billowing up the walls and dancing with the steam wafting from the pool. Smoky tendrils encircled Eckoghari’s hind legs and wrapped around his wings.
