A Destiny of Dragons (Tales From Verania 2)

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“I would have burnt him to a crisp!”

“And you really think it’s a good idea to leave me out here?” Gary asked, staring up at Kevin, who was working himself up in a right state. “Seriously? You bitch.”

“He needs someone to keep him calm,” I said.

“Who is this unnamed foe who dares to touch my hoard? Why, I oughtta knock his teeth in! Does he know who he’s messing with?”

“And that someone has to be me,” Gary said flatly.

“I’m the Beast from the East! Lord Dragon to the gypsies! A god to people who ate entirely too much corn to maintain a healthy diet!”

I shrugged. “Who better than you? You love him.”

“I do not.”

“Sheep fear me. They cry and scream and run whenever they see me coming, and while I won’t eat them, I will gobble up their delicious terror!”

I rolled my eyes. “Just do it, Gary.”

“I will have my revenge, Sam,” Gary hissed. “Mark my words. One day when you least expect it, I will have my revenge.”

And he totally would, too. Years could go by before he enacted whatever diabolical plot he concocted. Unicorns were assholes like that. “Just… nothing with the face. Or my hair. I’ve got really good hair.”

“Oh, I make no promises.” Gary chuckled evilly.

I looked at Ruv. “Make sure they don’t do anything stupid.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?”

“I don’t know! Gods, Ruv. Show some initiative for once in your life. Sand mermaids, magical plans, it’s like I’m doing everything here.”

“Yikes,” Ryan said. “That’s not even what happened.”

“You got yourself sucked under the sand by a monster,” I said. “You’re lucky I’m even inviting you to be on Team Sam at all. So shut it.”

“Bitch,” Gary coughed.

I ignored him. “Now, do what I told you to do, or I’m going to light someone here on fire, so help me gods.”

Tiggy grinned smugly at Gary. “I get to go,” he said. “Team Sam for the win.”

“Fine,” Gary said with a sniff. “We’ll just have Team Gary out here, and everyone knows Team Gary is the better team. We get to have cool things like cupcakes and fascinating discussions about what people love best about me.”

“Cupcakes?” Kevin asked, ears perking.

“Not that kind of cupcake,” Gary hissed. “I’m trying to make a point.”

“Thanks for this,” Ruv grumbled. “Really. You should go before more things happen.”

“Gods, what is with all of you and jinxing me? Team Sam, front and center!”

Tiggy snapped to attention, standing straight, legs together, arms at his sides, chin tilted up. Ryan drew his sword again and posed, because he was a douchebag and he couldn’t not.

We were going to die horrible and painful deaths.

STEPPING INTO the dome was a surreal experience. The sandy ruins of the castle in the dry, scorching heat gave way to cool, dank air redolent with the strong perfume of flowers and the crisp scent of the trees, as if we’d walked through some kind of portal to a land far, far away from the desert. I thought maybe it was an illusory magic, that the dragon or whatever caused this was projecting, but if it was, it was the most convincing façade I’d ever seen. The grass and leaves were soft beneath my feet. The tree bark was rough against my hands. The flower petals were velvety, the pollen sticky on my fingertips. If it was a lie, it was good. But if it was real, it was extraordinary. The stories we heard as kids said that dragons were beings of pure magic, more so than any other creature in existence. That their blood was made of stars and had led to the Creation of Man. Man, so it was said, came from pieces of stardust. If dragons were made of stars, then it was thought we came from dragon’s blood. I’d always listened with wide eyes as a child but fell into cynicism as a teenager, as children often did.