Fate of Dragons

Chapter Seven

"Follow me. Run." The boy took off down the passage and Derol had no choice but to follow. He scooped Astrid into his arms and resisted the temptation to look back. The boy, who apparently knew Tesa, turned into a narrow passage that led away from the wider main passage. Unlike the soft glowing lights that had lined the main passage, this narrower one was almost completely dark. Occasionally, daylight pierced through the rock roof above, so Derol did not lose sight of his guide.

Ahead, a warm light glowed in the passage, and soon they came to an opening to a cavern. The boy came to a halt and Derol stopped behind him. He set Astrid down and she squeezed his hand hard.

This cavern was small but lit with torches in wall sconces. There were two wooden doors across from the tunnel they were in.

"Stay here," said the boy. "I'll be right back."

Derol didn't argue, because he didn't know what else he would do. At least being in the caves gave them a feeling of security. Beyond that, he was out of his element. He grimaced to himself as he thought about all that time they'd spent in the woods below Enval when they could have been on their way here to warn Tesa. Then maybe they'd have gotten here in time to warn her.

"Are there dragons in there?" whispered Astrid.

Derol started to shake his head no, but stopped. Maybe there were dragons in the caves. But no, the boy had said that all the dragons had gone.

Moments later, the door burst open and a silver-haired woman ran into the passage, her arms wrapped around a shining, speckled egg.

"You're friends of Fenn?" she said when her eyes lit on Derol and Astrid.

"I didn't know his name," Derol said. "The boy with the long black hair?[ Check previous descriptions of Fenn.]"

"Yes." She jogged toward him, cradling the egg. "Can you hold this?"

Dumbfounded, Derol opened his arms to receive the egg, but the woman pushed past him and held the egg out to Astrid. The small girl's arms wrapped around the egg, her hands just barely touching each other on the other side.

"Sorry," the woman breathed. "Only females can touch them." She looked to Astrid. "When Fenn comes back, follow him."

Astrid nodded solemnly and looked to Derol. "Can my daddy come too?"

Derol felt a twinge of pride that she had remembered to keep up the ruse even in this frantic situation.

The woman nodded and disappeared back down the corridor. When she returned, another, younger woman followed behind. They each held two eggs, one under each arm. They set the eggs down in the middle of the chamber. Behind them, a small dragon bounded in, then a large dragon. Each one wore leather bags tied to their backs, and from the shape of the bags, Derol surmised they contained eggs as well.

The two women set to emptying the dragons' packs. A small pile began to grow in the center of the cave. Astrid clung resolutely to the egg that the older woman had given her.

"Just wait here for Fenn," the woman said. "We'll be back with more eggs soon."

Finally Fenn returned. He rushed into the cavern, and his eyes came to rest on Astrid and the egg. He smiled and addressed Derol.

"The gates are closed up there, and nobody has tried to get in yet. But we should start moving the eggs deeper now. When they get through the gates, there won't be anything to stop them."

"Only she can touch them?" Derol asked, wondering how Fenn meant to move the eggs.

"One at a time is better than none," Fenn said. "Will you follow me?" he asked Astrid, kneeling so he was at her level.