Free Tail of the Dragon by Craig Halloran Page B

Die!
    The third wurmer pounced on Nath’s head. Its razor-sharp talons tore at his eyes.
    He reached up and grabbed the wurmer and squeezed it between his dragon paws.
    A hot stream of fire shot from the wurmer’s mouth, covering Nath’s face.
    “Argh!” Nath roared. “Enough of this!” He crushed it like a beetle in his hands and slung its corpse into the woods. Still tormented by the burning oil, Nath buried his face in the ground. The flames extinguished.
    Need to be smarter than that, Dragon .
    Shaking his head and slinging off the dirt, he quickly scanned the area. All the wurmers were dead.
    A soft, weak, and desperate voice caught his ear.
    “Nath.” It was Selene. She lay flat on the ground, trying to push herself up. Her neck was sagging. Her chin rested on the ground. “Use your fire.”
    “On what?” he asked. His eyes narrowed on her. “You?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I’m no fool, Selene. I’m certain this is some clever ploy to trap me. Where’s Brenwar?”
    Irritated, she pushed herself up off the ground. Her neck still drooped, and it had horrible gashes in it. Strength returned to her voice. “You are mad!”
    Glancing at her wounds, he replied, “I see you are feeling better.”
    Selene, smaller and standing beneath him, looked up at him and said, “I can’t believe you.”
    “Don’t play games, Selene. Where is Brenwar?”
    “I don’t know where that bearded man-goat is! If he’s lost, then it’s your fault, not mine!” She craned her neck and winced. “Now, will you listen to me? We don’t have much time!”
    There was truth in her voice. Nath felt it. He’d always been able to discern the truth from a lie. But Selene had fooled him before. Still, her neck was in bad shape. Blood seeped between her claws that held it. Finally, he said, “What do you want me to do?”
    “That’s a wurmer lair,” she said, pointing at the caves. “I went in and found the larvae, but the wurmer guardians found me before I could act. The wurmer eggs aren’t too deep, but there are hundreds of them. You need to stick your head in there and turn loose the heat. Do you understand me?”
    “And turn my back to you?” Nath objected. “I don’t think so.”
    “Dragon King,” she said, softening her tone, “you must listen. I’d do it myself, but I’ve nothing left. I can barely stand.”
    “Tell me where Brenwar is first.”
    “What in all of Nalzambor makes you think I have that dwarf?”
    “Someone saw you fly away with him,” Nath said.
    “Someone who?”
    “A raccoon.”
    Selene’s jaw dropped. Then, with incredulity, she said, “A raccoon? Are you being serious?”
    Taken aback, Nath said, “Yes.”
    Selene started to laugh. “Ha ha! Please, you are making me laugh! And it hurts. Heh heh! The Dragon King and his raccoon advisor. Haw!” She sucked her teeth. “Oh, it hurts.”
    “Stop it,” Nath said.
    “Ha ha! I wish I could,” she said, slapping her tail on the ground. “Heh heh heh! But I can’t. So, where is this advisor?”
    Feeling like a fool, Nath filled his chest up with fire. He glared at her, turned, stuffed his head inside one of the caves, and unleashed his flames. The white-hot blast vaporized everything in its path. Nath let it all out. His anger. Humiliation. Frustration. His fire stopped. He pulled his head out of the hole and found Selene.
    She had a wry smile on her face. “Well done, Dragon King. I’ll be right back.” With a hitch in her gait, she slipped back into one of the caves.
    Nath sat down on his haunches. His head was light, and he saw spots in his eyes. He’d never let out so much fire before. All the cave openings were smoking brown now instead of yellow.
    Huh, didn’t know I had that in me.
    A few minutes later Selene emerged. “That took care of it,” she said. She held out her dragon palms, revealing an amber stone a little bigger than an egg. Something dark green wiggled inside. “Wurmer egg,” she said. “It