The dragon shifted to one side, then collapsed, shaking the ground on impact. Guillot remained where he was, taking comfort in the simple act of breathing and not having to fight for his life. The sun shone on his face, its gentle warmth a welcome change from the furnace-like heat of the dragon’s breath.
Another shadow fell over him.
“It’s dead,” Solène said.
“Did you kill it?” Guillot said, confused.
“You did. A clean strike to its heart. It just took it awhile to realise that it was dead.”
Guillot groaned. “I was aiming for its lungs.”
Solène laughed. She knelt beside him and placed a hand on his chest. A wave of relief spread through his body. Tired, stinging muscles were refreshed. Aches and strains faded. His wound felt less severe, though it was still bleeding. He propped himself up on one elbow and looked at the dragon, motionless on the ground. For a moment Guillot was struck by the tragedy that something so unique and so magnificent had to be killed. He didn’t feel a rush of victory or achievement, just shame. That didn’t detract from the fact that it had needed to be done. Nonetheless, he couldn’t muster any pride in the act.
He wondered how Valdamar had felt after slaying his first dragon.
When he got to his feet, Solène handed him his sword, hilt first. “I picked this up,” she said.
He thanked her and took it. He pulled a handful of grass from the ground and did his best to clean the blade before sheathing it. The feeling of the grass in his hands made him realise that he had worn through the palms of his leather gauntlets, probably while gripping the spear shaft to keep from falling to his death.
“What do we do now?” Solène said.
He shrugged. “We take proof of what we’ve done back to Trelain. After that? Whatever we want.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“The Prince Bishop won’t be able to touch us. We’re the heroes who slew the dragon that terrified the whole country. When we ride into Trelain with the dragon’s head, everyone will know it’s dead and that we’re the ones that killed it.”
“That’s it then?”
Guillot smiled. “Oh no,” he said. “That’s definitely not it. I said he couldn’t touch us. I didn’t say we couldn’t touch him.”
CHAPTER 49
The cave had not felt movement nor heard sound in centuries. Since its last inhabitant had left, never to return, it had been a place of stillness and silence. It was not empty, however. A cluster of three eggs sat, huddled together, on a pile of gold coins melted into a solid mass. Now one of the eggs twitched, knocking against its neighbour, which also twitched. In moments, all the eggs were moving, their nascent inhabitants stirring for the first time.
Both the sound and movement were meagre, but grew steadily, ending a state of stasis that had existed for a millennium. The first egg split with a crack that echoed through the cave and a baby dragon pushed its snout through the gap, taking its first breath of air.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DUNCAN M. HAMILTON holds master’s degrees in history and law, and has practiced as a barrister. He lives in Ireland, near the sea. Hamilton independently published his first trilogy, the Society of the Sword (The Tattered Banner, The Huntsman’s Amulet, and The Telastrian Song) and the Norse-inspired Wolf of the North trilogy, which were released in ebook and audio editions. Dragonslayer will be followed by Knight of the Silver Circle and Servant of the Crown.
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
DRAGONSLAYER
Copyright © 2019 by Duncan M. Hamilton
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Richard Anderson
Map by Robert Altbauer
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates
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Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
The Library of Congress has catalogued the print edition as follows:
Names: Hamilton, Duncan M., author.
Title: Dragonslayer / Duncan M. Hamilton.
Description: First edition. | New York, NY: Tor, 2019. | “A Tom Doherty Associates Book.”
Identifiers: LCCN 2018054058 | ISBN 9781250306739 (trade pbk.) | ISBN 9781250306722 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250306715 (ebook)
Subjects: | GSAFD: Fantasy fiction.
Classification: LCC PR6108.A5234 D73 2019 | DDC 823/.92—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018054058
eISBN 9781250306715
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First Edition: July 2019