Realms of the Dragon II by Philip Athans

Author:Philip Athans [Athans, Philip]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-7869-3808-7
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Published: 2014-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Nollo led them to the warped peeling doors of the barn, wincing as the rusted hinges moaned when opened. Inside, the musty smell of hay, horses, and lantern oil greeted them. Poorly lit, they could hear the whinny of the caravan horses. Nollo crept forward, taking them around the back of one of the wagons, to a shroud-covered cage.

Nollo turned back to face them and said, “Remember, one coin each for a look, two if you want to touch it.”

McDodd shook his fist as he spoke. “I’ll give you two of something else if you don’t hurry up.”

Nollo ignored the threat, puffing out his chest in preparation for his performance. “In all the realms there is no monster so fearsome, no danger so… so… dangerous, no beast so horrible that they cause fear by their very name!”

Nollo gestured grandly as Syndar whispered to Kirsk, “Can a dragon be fearsome and horrible at the same time?”

Kirsk smirked as Nollo’s voice rose. “Cast away your eyes gentle folk, for you dare not see what I am about to show…”

But McDodd had had enough. He pushed the smaller boy out of the way, and grabbed the shroud and yanked it off, revealing a battered steel cage. The bars were warped from repeated blows, and the top of the cage was punctured from dozens of rents and tears. The cage was more fascinating than the mottled brown creature curled up inside it. Dull scales adorned the torso, and a long thick tail curled tight to the sleeping body.

“Gods, the stink!” McDodd said as he wrinkled his nose in disgust. “That’s the ugliest lizard I ever saw.”

Nollo unsuccessfully tried pushing the burly McDodd back.

“It’s a dragon you axe-head, and you’re the one that stinks.”

Syndar crept close, studying the creature as it stirred at the noise. One reptilian eye popped open, surveying the group. The beast opened its tooth-filled snout, a leathery tongue sliding out in a lazy yawn.

Nollo said, “See? No lizard has that many teeth. Them’s dragon teeth. Stick your finger in and see for yourself. Just make sure you have enough fingers left to count your coins.”

Kirsk smiled at Nollo’s bluster, and looked to Syndar.

She shrugged, looked back to the cage, and said, “I’ve only read about them in my mother’s book, I’ve never seen one. I expected it to be… to be…”

McDodd finished her thought. “Bigger, right? A dragon is as big as this barn, not smaller than my dog.”

As if in answer, the creature let out a cry that sounded more like a squawk than a roar. Its tail flipped back and forth for a moment, rattling the cage, and it sent an expectant look Nollo’s way. Disappearing behind another wagon, Nollo returned, struggling to carry a bucket stinking of day old fish. Grabbing one of the slimy offerings, he hoisted it toward the cage.

McDodd stole it from his hand. “Good thing this isn’t really a dragon, you’d be too weak to even care for it.”

As McDodd slid the fish through the bars of the cage, the creature grew more animated.

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