dragons walk around in human form, losing ichor through a hole in his scales and wounds on all four limbs,” says Emerak, nervously checking over his shoulder to make sure there isn’t a fifth dragon about to attack him from behind. “You must be weaker than us. And yet, you only arrived recently.”
“If you think I’m weak, Lord Emerak, attack me now and we shall see,” I coldly challenge, hoping he won’t take me up on it. I do in fact feel quite weak.
“Why do you want to bring all the dragons off the planet?” Vroak asks. “Why not a few? Why not us three only? There will be larger hoards for all of us.”
“The plan only works if all the dragons currently here take part,” I tell him. “The target is extremely rich, but also somewhat defended. The more we are, the better.” It’s partly true, I think. The other, more important reason is that the Plood demanded it. Everyone or no one. Except Yranox. He has to stay here, or the plan will crumble.
“We must fight?” Ganogeg inquires. “Who will be our opponents?”
“Our opponents there will be small, but numerous,” I state, not wanting to go into details. “In your dragon form, you will lay waste to them effortlessly. But when you arrive at this target, you will be in your current form. Until you can gather a small hoard, enough for you to Change, you will be vulnerable.”
“Why do you tell us this?” Emerak asks. “Why tell us the drawbacks to this plan, before we have accepted?”
“I want you to know what you will be choosing,” I primly state. “I am a prince! Have you not met me before? I am not as deceptive as you think.”
“Nor do you talk like a dragon,” Vroak observes. “It is mostly the seeming lack of deception in this plan that makes us suspicious, as you probably realize.”
My chest stings badly, and I suppress an urge to put my hand on the wound. “I will not make up deceptions where none are called for,” I snap. “I am offering to take you off this planet and take you somewhere you can gather hoards and so regain your strength. To a place as rich as the Inferior planet. And what little I will ask in return will seem to you not only reasonable, but profitable as well. For you. But you need a prince for this. Only a royal can lead all the dragons in a common effort of this kind. And then for only a short time. Do you see my coloring? Do you see my eyes of different hues? I am Prince Caronerax, descended from kings.”
“The powers of royals are known,” Ganogeg agrees. “Only a prince or a king could lead dragons. How will we get to this target of yours?”
I look up at the treetops. They sway ever so slightly, and the ground shakes. A large creature is walking somewhere in the woods, not far away. “That will be revealed when you all agree to my proposal. And we know you all will. Eventually. Now go and gather all the others. We will meet at the abandoned slayer camp. If you see other royals, tell them nothing about this. They are not part of the plan.”
It’s a weakness. Yranox must not learn of my scheme to become king of the dragons. He would do anything to thwart me.
“I have not agreed to anything yet,” says Emerak. “I will think about this.”
“You will all think about it,” I agree. “And then you will all accept. You have no choice.”
All four of us back up slowly, keeping an eye on each of the others, tense and ready for a surprise attack. Then we all are far enough apart to relax, and I pretend to make my way back the way I came. In reality, I’m circling back to my cache spot, stopping a distance away to make sure I’m alone here.
I count twenty slow beats of my heart, and still nobody else returns to complete their snooping. No, they have something else to think about now. Something bigger.
I walk up to the right spot and start digging.
24
- Jennifer -
“It was pandemonium,” Delyah says, looking drawn and haggard. “The earthquake shook everyone up in every way.”
“Tell me about it,” I agree.
We’re sitting in some kind of luscious garden inside Bune, on the highest level except for the control room. Some of the girls are walking around or sitting in groups, the toddlers