I didn't understand his move, but apparently the dragon did, for it cowered back on its haunches. The Deveel pointed forcefully and it slunk back to its place at the back of the stall.
A small ripple of applause rippled through the crowd. Apparently they were impressed with the ferocity of the dragon's attack. Me, I was impressed by the pendant.
The keeper acknowledged the applause and launched into another spiel of gibberish, this time punctuated by gestures and exclamations.
I decided it was about time for me to go.
"Gleep!"
There was a tug at my sleeve.
I looked around. There, behind me, was a small dragon! Well, he was about four feet high and ten feet long, but after looking at the other dragons, he seemed small. He was green with big blue eyes and what appeared to be a drooping white mustache.
For a split second I was panicky, but that rapidly gave way to curiosity. He didn't look dangerous. He seemed quite content just standing there chewing on....
My sleeve! The beast was eating a piece of my sleeve! I looked down and confirmed that part of my shirt was indeed missing.
"Gleep," said the dragon again, stretching his neck out for another mouthful.
"Go away!" I said, and cuffed him before I realized what I was doing.
"Gleep?" it said, puzzled.
I started to edge away. I was unsure of what to do if he cut loose with a blast of fire and therefore eager to avoid it.
"Gleep," it said, shuffling after me.
"Gazabkp!" roared a voice behind me.
I spun and found myself looking at a hairy stomach. I followed it up, way up, and saw the dragon keeper's face looming over me.
"I'm sorry," I apologized readily. "I don't speak your language."
"Oh. A Klahd!" The Deveel boomed. "Well, the Statement still stands. Pay up!"
"Pay up for what?"
"For the dragon! What do you think, we're giving away samples?"
"Gleep!" said the dragon, pressing his head against my leg.
"There seems to be some mistake," I said hastily.
"I'll say there is," the Deveel scowled. "And you're making it. We don't take kindly to shoplifters on Deva!"
"Gleep!" said the dragon.
Things were rapidly getting out of hand. If needed Aahz's help or advice, it was now. I shot a desperate glance toward the tent he was in, hoping beyond hope to see him emerge.
He wasn't there. In fact, the tent wasn't there! gone, vanished into thin air, and so had Aahz!
Chapter Eighteen:
"No matter what the product or service might be, you can find it somewhere else cheaper!"
-E. SCROOGE
"WHERE did that tent go?" I demanded desperately.
"What tent?" The keeper blinked, looming behind me.
"That tent," I exclaimed, pointing at the now vacant space.
The Deveel frowned, craning his neck, which at his height, gave him considerable visibility.
"There isn't any tent there," he announced with finality.
"I know! That's the point!"
"Hey! Quit trying to change the subject!" The keeper growled, poking me in the chest with an unbelievably large finger. "Are you going to pay for the dragon or not?"
I looked around for support, but no one was watching. Apparently disputes such as this were common on Deva.
"I told you there's been a mistake! I don't want your dragon."
"Gleep!" said the dragon, cocking his head at me.
"Don't give me that!" the keeper boomed. "If you didn't want him, why did you feed him?"
"I didn't feed him! He ate a piece of my sleeve!"
"Gleep!" said the dragon, making another unsuccessful pass at my shirt.
"So you admit he got food from you?"
"Well ... in a manner of speaking... Yeah! So what?" I was getting tired of being shouted at.
"So pay up! He's no good to me anymore."
I surveyed the dragon. He didn't seem to be any the worse for having eaten the shirt.
"What's wrong with him? He looks all right to me."
"Gleep!" said the dragon, and sidled up to me again.
"Oh! He's fine," the keeper sneered. "Except now he's attached. An attached dragon isn't any good except to the person or thing he's attached to."
"Well, who's he attached to?"
"Don't get smart with me! He's attached to you! Has been ever since you fed him."
"Well, feed him again and unattach him! I have pressing matters elsewhere."
"Just like that, huh?" the Deveel said skeptically, towering to new heights. "You know very well it doesn't work that way. Once a dragon's attached, it's attached forever. That's why they're so valuable."
"Forever?" I asked.
"Well... until one of you dies. But any fool knows not to feed a dragon unless they want it attached to them. The idiot beasts are too impressionable, especially the young ones like this."
I looked at the dragon again. He was very young. His wings were just beginning to bud, which I took as a sign of immaturity, and his fangs were needle-sharp instead of worn to rounded points like his brethren in the stall. Still, there was strength in the muscles rippling beneath those scales... yes, I decided, I'd back my dragon in a fight against any....
"Gleep!" said the dragon, licking both ends of his mustache simultaneously with his forked tongue.
That brought me to my senses. A dragon? What did I want with a dragon?
"Well." I said haughtily, "I guess I'm not just any fool, then. If I had known the consequences of allowing him to eat my sleeve, I would have..."
"Look, sonny!" The Deveel snarled, poking my chest again. "If you think you're going to...."
Something inside me snapped. I knocked his hand away with a fury that surprised me.
"The name isn't 'Sonny,' " I hissed in a low voice I didn't recognize as my own. "It's Skeeve! Now lower your voice when you're talking to me and keep your dirty finger to yourself!"
I was shaking, though whether from rage or from fear I couldn't tell. I had spent my entire burst of emotion in that tirade and now found myself wondering if I would survive the aftermath.
Surprisingly, the keeper gave ground a few steps at my tirade, and was now studying me with new puzzlement. I felt a pressure at the back of my legs and risked a glance. The dragon was now crouched behind me, craning his neck to peer around my waist at the keeper.
"I'm sorry." The keeper was suddenly humble and fawning. "I didn't recognize you at first. You said your name was ... ?"
"Skeeve." I prompted haughtily.
"Skeeve." He frowned thoughtfully. "Strange. I don't remember that name."
I wasn't sure who or what he thought I was, but if I had learned one thing traveling with Aahz, it was to recognize and seize an advantage when I saw one.
"The secrecy surrounding my identity should be a clue in itself, if you know what I mean," I murmured, giving him my best conspiratorial wink.
"Of course," he responded. "I should have realized immediately...."
"No matter," I yawned. "Now then, about the dragon...."
"Yes. Forgive me for losing my temper, but you can see my predicament."
It seemed strange having someone that immense simpering at me, but I rose to the occasion.
"Well, I'm sure we can work something out," I smiled.
As I spoke, a thought flashed through my head. Aahz had all our money! I didn't have a single item of any value on me except....
I reached into my pocket, forcing myself to make the move casual. It was still there! The charm I had taken from Quigley's statue-body that allowed the wearer to see through spells. I had taken it when Aahz wasn't looking and had kept it hidden in case it might be useful in some crisis. Well, this definitely looked like a crisis!