The goblin didn’t hesitate to follow his command.
“How many were waiting for you?” he stretched his wings.
“Twenty, at least, Master.”
“And only two followed. How brave. Urgle, I can’t leave you to wander inside my lair or this realm.” He scratched the tender scales behind his ears. “Follow me.” When the urge suited him, he sometimes kept a prisoner for interrogation. They entered his storage room.
The goblin’s eyes went wide at the sight of the chains and hooks bolted to the wall as he fell to his knees. “I will go fight the dwarves.”
“Oh, grow some balls.” Koishi set the iron collar around Urgle’s neck and adjusted the size. Not even the cave troll he’d kept had been capable of breaking free of the thick chains. “I’m not going to torture you. I think…” He patted Urgle’s head. “I think I’d like to have a pet.”
As he left the room, he heard the chain chime as it hit the ground. He glanced over his shoulder at the prone and unconscious goblin. How did Urgle survive within his goblin clan? They normally ate their weak.
That would be a question for another night. At present, he had dwarves to eat. Good thing he was famished–they were a chewy race.
Chapter 3
The wind from the storm rattled the windows in Sandra’s hotel room. Lightning flashed, illuminating the stark modern furniture surrounding her. She’d pulled the curtains closed and set the volume on the television loud enough to drown out the thunder.
After a hot shower, she almost felt ready to eat something. Almost. Her stomach quivered at the memory of the ship ride. Best to wait for breakfast–she’d heaved enough for one lifetime. Water would have to do.
The storm had rolled in not long after Koishi had dropped her off. It pounded the building with a vengeance. Thank the universe she wasn’t on the ocean during this. It would have turned her guts inside out.
A game show played on the television. She couldn’t understand a word. Even with all the bells and whistles howling, the thunder still crashed over the noise. Childhood fears were the hardest to get over. Koishi had mentioned the dragon, Ishi, would be flying tonight. She flinched at the flare of light. Would he go out in the storm?
Odd how close their names sounded, but when she’d checked her Japanese-English book, they meant very different things. If Ishi was anything like his name described, she’d be in worse trouble than she’d thought. Things like ruins, volition, stone, and death were listed under the definition. Koishi simply meant pebble. Well, if she ever met him again she’d ask him about it.
With a flicker, the power went out. The drum of rain filled the quiet, then a flash of lightning, followed close behind by the clash of thunder. Sandra clutched her knees to her chest. Didn’t the hotel have a generator?
She rocked on her bed and peered at the curtains. This day was going down in history as the worst in her life. All she needed were a couple of huge, hairy spiders crawling onto her bed to perfect it.
A distant roar followed the thunder. She jerked from her curled position and listened more intently. That couldn’t be Ishi, could it? She relaxed her iron hold on her legs and contemplated the dark floor. There weren’t any spiders. She’d only placed them there with her imagination, but it didn’t make stepping off the bed any easier.
With a surge of childish fears, she bounded across the room on tiptoes and tore open the curtains covering the sliding glass doors leading to her balcony. Lightning lit her room again. She stood transfixed, paralyzed by the vision of red, gleaming scales slipping into the dark clouds.
She pressed against the glass, searching the sky. No flipping way, had she really seen that? The inky night had swallowed him. When her source at Baker Morris told her about the Takai Crossing gatekeeper, she’d allowed herself to believe because she had needed to, but deep inside doubt had resided that a dragon existed on Earth.
Lightning zigzagged across the sky, illuminating the clouds long enough for her to catch another glimpse of the red dragon battling the winds. His massive wingspan strained against the currents of the sky as he roared with the peal of thunder. Rain glistened over the hard surface of his scales. As the flash faded, he vanished.
Reeling backward, Sandra tripped over the edge of the bed and landed next to her pack on the floor. How the hell was she supposed to face that creature and not pee her pants? He could swallow her whole without chewing.
She sat up, leaned her back against the bed and stared out the sliding glass doors as if expecting him to land for a midnight snack.
Her sister was sick. Dying. Fear was a luxury Sandra couldn’t afford. Too much depended on her facing a creature that legend said hoarded treasure of all sorts. She needed to keep this thought in the forefront of her mind to battle the dread building in her soul. Love had given her the nerves to travel halfway around the world to a country where she didn’t speak the language. If she clutched her devotion like a shield, it would help her face the dragon.
After Beth’s diagnosis, Sandra had phoned her best friend to cry on her shoulder. She’d never even heard of Baker Morris Inc., which her friend claimed to work for, but Sandra was willing to grasp at any straws if it would save Beth. Until tonight, Ishi and the gates to Outremer had all been a strange fantasy, an odd quest to hide from reality.
Lightheaded, she slowed her breathing and glared at the night sky, searching for another glimpse of red scales. This might work. She could really save Beth.
What price would the dragon ask for in exchange for the saji? She didn’t have much money. She’d used her life savings buying any information on Ishi that she could find. The most expensive thing was a list of items within the dragon’s hoard. This treasure hunter claimed he’d entered the room and barely escaped with his life, but listed the things he’d seen before they faded from his memory.
From what Sandra could find out, a saji was one of the few magical items that could work on Earth. Unfortunately, the list didn’t contain any pictures, so she didn’t know what a saji looked like.
Tomorrow, she would have to question the locals about the dragon. Someone on the island must know the location of his lair. How could a creature that big hide on an island this small without someone knowing his location? Maybe some knowledge of his history would help figure out what he’d like in trade. Her heart soared with fresh determination and she grinned at the storm that only a few moments ago had frightened her. Gathering her courage wasn’t a choice but a necessity.
Her grin faded. Damn, how was she going to question anyone? She couldn’t even ask for the location of a hotel without screwing it up. Chewing on her bottom lip, she searched the dark clouds for an answer. Lightning flashed once more and she spotted a red tail slipping into the storm.
That was it. She opened her pack and yanked out a note pad. By the dim light of the storm, she sketched a rough drawing of the dragon. How could anyone misunderstand what she wanted with a picture?
Koishi rolled his right shoulder to ease the knot. He had pulled a muscle while flying in the storm last night. After a dinner of dwarves, the flight had helped him digest.
The bleating of sheep grew louder as he approached the pen on his small farm on the side of the volcano. He opened the gate and watched as they gathered in the far corner. The handlers had done a good job settling the animals and taking care of his stock. He was the one who choose what animals to set free on his mountain. Technically, he could just swoop by and snatch a snack at will from the pen, but where was the sport in that? He always gave his prey a fighting chance.
Mud sucked at his boots as he made his way toward them, searching the flock for the fattest ewes. Using his dragon reflexes, he darted in and tucked one under his arm. It squirmed and bleated as he carried it back to his truck. It was more cumbersome than heavy. Closing the pen gate behind him using his foot, he recognized a familiar pretty brunette hiking up the hill toward his truck.