Forever and Ever After (book1)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The dawn light turned the snow orange when Isobel awoke, unable to sleep as the snow melted into cold drips on her head. At least with the snow around, she could melt some into water and have a wash before travelling. Washing her hair had always been a luxury Isobel always loved; always hated having it cut it a reasonable length and having it so messy that it looked more like a hedge than hair. So with the freezing cold she lit a fire, built a little holder out of sticks and twine to hold her metal canister in place, slowly she started to wash her hair.

The sun was quiet high when she had finished and platted her hair down her back; at least that wouldn’t catch fire if the dragon came after her, but she couldn’t help but wonder where the rest of the knights were. Surly they were up before her and were getting everything ready to go; unless they were looking for her, which she doubted.

She let the flame die down on her little camp fire when she decided that she wouldn’t wait much longer and if they didn’t appear she would go on her own to look for the dragon and Charming. While packing up and dismantling, she watched the road in earnest waiting for the knights to come but they didn’t.

She made up her mind; she would go alone, even if that took longer than the knights did. She settled her pack in the middle of her back and headed up the mountain in some random direction. Keeping close to the trees, she was able to pick out a vague dip in the road where there was once a path.

The further she climbed the thinner the trees got, the deeper the snow became. Some trees had been ripped apart from where ogres had crossed so she was on edge and alert for any sudden rumbles; one ogre was enough for anybodies life time.

Her fingers had become numb from the cold and her feet asleep from the damp cold. But she kept going higher the mountain until when and she thought that the snow and the cold wouldn’t ever warm, the snow stopped suddenly. The ground below was burnt black and some flames still flickered on the edge of the path.

Swallowing her fears, Isobel looked around in case the dragon came back to finish what it started and pulled her sword from her belt; she wouldn’t be caught unprepared, not when there were lives on the line.

The first sign of the dragon close by was the intense heat coming from the ground, the trees, even the air around her was warm like the summer. The second was the scaly tail that was tipped with spikes, long enough to spear a man through and still have five inches to spare.

It twitched as Isobel froze to the spot to watch. It twitched again and with a rustle of the trees it disappeared with the stomping of its feet echoing around her like millions of dragons were around her instead of just the one. She threw down her pack and took several shaking breaths to calm her increasing heart rate and shaking hands.

Slowly she turned in a circle, keeping her eyes wide open to any sudden movements in the foliage. Her knees shook uncontrollably and her hands were just as worse; her sword shook so badly that she was be embarrassed if anyone else was with her.

Slowly she walked backwards towards the cave; at least she would be able to hear or see the dragon before it had chance to eat her. If Charming was still alive, the den is where he’ll be, she couldn’t imagine him running around trying to find his way home from here. At least Charming would be in the same place as Marcus’ oh so desirable egg.

The dragon didn’t appear when Isobel got to the den. The entrance was still steaming from the fresh snow and from the drips of melting snow dripping from branches. No trees grew around the den, only black shapes deformed from the flames like claws protecting the dragon’s den. The ground hissed where Isobel trod and dried her boots from the damp she had collected.