An orphan must betray the dragon that gave him a true home and family in order to save his guardian's life. Fourteen-year-old Foxkit plays with fire by striking a bargain with the ferocious dragon Aerohim: Let six runaway orphans hide in his den in...
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Alarm furrowed Kit's brow as he remembered the bright crack in Sheen's spire. "She's already wounded, and gold weakens her—"
"Don't worry about your princess," Lil interrupted with a wicked gleam in her eye. "She's fine now. Aerohim gave her a fancy pearl pendant that protects her from the gold's effect."
"She's not my princess," Kit said, his cheeks burning.
Lil gave a sly shrug. "Whatever you say. Sheen is out gathering sticks—that girl has odd habits, if you ask me—but Aerohim should be back soon." She gave a mournful sigh. "Since Lady broke, Aerohim has been bringing us our meals. I do hope her galley's fixed soon! I'm getting awfully sick of scorched fish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."
"Wait, how long have I been out?" Kit interrupted.
"Three days," Vi said as Lil continued to babble on about the woes of overcooked fish fillets.
Kit shouldn't have asked. His stomach rumbled in immediate protest. "Is there anything to eat now?" he asked faintly.
Dead silence filled the cavern until Minnow raised her hand with a guilty glance. "Maybe, if we can find my little blue jar that never runs out of . . . cookies."
"What! And you didn't share any even though it's self-replenishing?" Tad asked, looking mildly offended.
Minnow stuck out her tongue. "I was going to, but then Vi said they spoiled my supper and took the jar away!" A strand of ringlets puffed up from the force of her mournful sigh. "I stole it back and hid the jar in the potion shelves, but they slid all over the place when the mountain broke, so now it's lost."
"I bet the jar could make chocolate cookies, couldn't it?" Lil demanded. She bit the edge of her lip as a ravenous gleam lit her eye.
"Double chocolate glaze, almond marzipan, sugared anise, pistachio, any flavor you wish for," Minnow said with an evil, gap-toothed grin.
"Think the cookies come in rabbit flavor, too?" Moony asked, licking his chops. "I'll help the pups sniff out the jar!" He grabbed Minnow by the collar and bounded off with Lil and Tad in hot pursuit.
Vi rolled her eyes. "Don't die of hunger, all right?" she said before sprinting after the dire wolf and his mouthful.
"No promises," Kit said.
Only the Mazak boy remained behind. Kit's eyes widened as David extended his hand to pull him upright and revealed iridescent scars lacing his palms. But there was more—holding the dragon's heart for those few seconds had awoken Ormeila's dormant gift. The teal scales of David's partial sandskin had burst from his hands and wrists and hardened with the magic of Aerohim into magnificent reptilian gauntlets tinged crimson red.
"Thank you," David said quietly. "I couldn't save my Denmother, but you gave me the chance to save our dragon."
"You're welcome," Kit said, feeling awkward, until he realized what he really wanted to say. "Ormeila—I'm sure she'd be proud."
