Dragons Rising ✔️

Ch 45: The Mines

"Where'd he go?" I tried to sit up.

[He admitted defeat and left.] She pushed me back down with a claw.

My immediate thought was that she'd changed her mind again about killing me.

[You think I would go through all of that just to kill you after?] She lowered her head close to mine.

"You've been trying to get me alone with that killing stick all day. What was I supposed to think?" I was too tired to form thought-speech.

[You can see it?] Alarm flashed in her mind.

"It must be some flaw in the enchantments. Or maybe it's because I was there when he cast it." Though, I hadn't been there when he'd enchanted the second stick, and I'd seen that one. Weird, especially since Leera hadn't been there to help me see it, either.

[Weird is right. Hmm... that does explain why you've been avoiding me all day. Well, if you were there, you should know that I only accepted the spear after he offered to kill you for me. If I hadn't, you probably would've died hours ago.]

"You could have just said you didn't want me dead."

[You saw what happens when you say no to him. Getting myself killed wouldn't have helped anyone.]

Now that I wasn't in any real danger, I had to admit she had a point. "Maybe not."

She gave me a pointed look.

"Fine, it was the right choice. And thanks for not killing me, by the way."

[You're welcome. Anyway, we should get the salt and go back.]

I'd forgotten why I'd set out for the mine in the first place. There wasn't any time to waste. "Let's go."

Leera bent her head so I could grab her horns and pull myself up. As soon as I was on my feet, she knelt.

"I can sneak down there on foot and put the salt somewhere you can pick it up without attracting the attention of the watch elents."

[You make it sound like you aren't coming back.]

"I will, just not right away. I have something I need to do." I wasn't sure what I exactly it was that I planned to do, but after what I'd seen happening to the poor old dragon in the mines, I couldn't just do nothing.

[You're going to do something stupid that could get us killed.]

"It'll be fine. They'll never know I was there. Let's go." I started toward the mines. My limbs were weak after having forced myself to go through the transformation when I didn't have enough energy left, and I couldn't go any faster than a stumbling walk.

Leera snorted. [I'll take you around the back of the mine. No one will see me. If we don't fly, it'll take you a week to get there.]

I turned around, saw that I'd moved about five feet since since I'd started walking, and decided she was probably right.

A few minutes later, we were landing behind the whitish-gray salt rock mountain, out of sight of the watchful guard elents.

[Be careful.] Leera nuzzled my hair with her snout.

"I will." And I fully intended to be careful. That didn't mean I wouldn't get into trouble anyway, but it would all turn out okay. I hoped.

Leera stayed in the rock's shadow as I crept around it. The older yellow dragon wasn't there anymore, and a purple class 6 was in his place, heading towards the mine entrance. I walked right past him amongst the milling miners, dragons, and carts. No one gave me a second glance, probably assuming I was one of them because I was a talme covered in dirt.