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Lomar shrugged. “I know, it sounds implausible but at least two traders I talked to claimed they’re everywhere. One said it’s all they’re talking about in the ports. Apparently, ships have been lost due to dragon attacks.”
“Superstitious sailors,” Kormac scoffed. “It’s more likely a storm took those vessels.”
“Maybe.” Lomar didn’t sound convinced as they continued crunching their way up the path. “What are we looking for anyhow?”
“Anything out of the ordinary.”
They found it in the middle of the pass.
The two scouting soldiers located it first and shouted, “Warlord, you’ll want to see this.”
They broke into a jog that took them around a slight bend and then slowed their steps. Some of the snow and ice caking the mountain had sheared off, tumbling with it massive hunks of rock, enough to block the passage. So much for enemies invading from the land of mist. The snow layered upon the rubble indicated it had been here for a while.
“Guess it’s a dead end,” Lomar announced.
An agreeing Kormac was about to turn around and head back when he spotted it. He pointed. “There’s a rope.” The braided length hung down on the far left of the pile and appeared to be tethered at the peak of the mound.
“Guess Khaal wasn’t letting an avalanche prevent him from doing his duty.”
Kormac glanced at Lomar. “Shall we take a look?”
“You’re going to peek whether I agree or not,” Lomar concluded.
He was.
Kormac eschewed the rope and chose to climb, using his hands and feet to find purchase. The soldiers used the dangling length, but Lomar followed and passed him, nimble as a goat. They ascended to the top of the heap and glanced past it to see…
Kormac blinked but the beast resting on the ground remained. A large creature with wings tucked at its back.
Lomar nudged him and whispered, “Still think dragons aren’t real?”
CHAPTER FOUR
Despite Kormac and his men only whispering, the large beast lying on the other side of the collapsed wall lifted its head and appeared to stare right at them.
Definitely a dragon, reptilian in appearance with a long snout. The wings were a pale shade of blue while the hue of the body reminded him of ice because of the way it shimmered when the light caught it.
“Um, what do we do?” Lomar muttered.
The dragon stood.
“Don’t die,” was Kormac’s advice.
His hand went to the hilt of his sword, but he didn’t have to unsheathe it as the massive dragon, with a mighty leap, flung itself into the air, higher than should have been possible. Its wings unfurled when it cleared the mountain and caught a current of air. It flapped its way out of sight but he and Lomar watched in awed silence until the latter said, “Wonder what dragon meat tastes like?”
“Chicken,” spoken by Kormac in a deadpan tone.
They chuckled, but the soldiers with them didn’t. They stared fearfully at the sky. There would be no keeping what they’d seen quiet. Then again, his people should know. If they had a dragonnow roaming the area, precautions should be taken and a hunt planned. Kormac wouldn’t mind pitting his skills against such a formidable adversary.
Lomar nudged him and pointed. “Looks like the dragon has a lair.”
With the dragon gone they could see an opening in the side of the mountain, by all indications recently uncovered. The clue being the rubble pushed away from the dark maw and the rawness of the revealed edges. Its appearance made him think of Ioan and the mention of secret caves. It also intrigued.
“Let’s go check it out.”
“You mean, I should go,” Lomar corrected.
“We’re both going,” Kormac’s firm command.
