Free Shadow by Mark Robson

in the stirrups.
    The next hour was a medley of bumps and stomach-lurching drops as Shadow navigated through the valleys and inner passes. The final, tight V-shaped valley was particularly treacherous. Air
currents swirled, whistling around the craggy cliff walls and howling over hollows with the voice of an invisible giant.
    As they rounded the final bend he saw the most unforgettable view in this mountain range. The valley widened out into a bowl-shaped dead end. The sheer cliff at the end was riddled with caves.
Many were natural in origin, though many more had been carved out to make new habitations for the numerous night dragons. This was the home of the enclave.
    Black dragons perched on ledges and rocky outcrops. The vast grey wall looked as if a swarm of giant rock-worms had made their homes there. So many great black openings dotted the face of the
cliff that Pell wondered again why the mountainside had not collapsed.
    Pell’s heart began to accelerate as Shadow proceeded without hesitation to one of the largest caves, high up the mountainside.
    This is it, Pell thought, unable to contain his excitement as they approached the gaping maw of the cave. Our time is here at last.

Chapter Seven
Segun
    ‘The Great Quest, you say?’ the rider asked. ‘Yes, Segun will want to see you immediately. Come. Follow me and I’ll lead you to him. What was your name
again?’
    ‘Pell. Rider of Whispering Shadow,’ Pell replied, keeping his voice calm and steady.
    The rider’s response was exactly as Pell had imagined. The hint of excitement in the man’s voice, the urgency with which he was taking Pell to meet Segun – everything was
exactly as it should be. So why did he suddenly have a bad feeling brewing in his stomach?
    ‘What’s the matter, Pell? Is everything all right?’
    ‘Yes. Everything’s fine, Shadow,’
he replied.
‘I’m probably just a bit nervous about meeting Segun.’
    ‘You’ll be fine, Pell. You’re my rider. Together we make as formidable a partnership as any in the night dragon enclave. You have nothing to fear. Be strong. I’m told
Segun respects strength.’
    ‘Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but it’s hard to imagine being strong when I’m still sore from my
fall.’
    ‘You have recovered quickly,’
Shadow responded without pause.
‘Many would have taken weeks before riding again after such injuries. You were on my back the next
day. You
are
strong, Pell. Do not forget that in Segun’s presence. I am being ushered out of the cave-mouth now. I shall have the honour of sitting with Widewing and the other senior
dragons while you meet with Segun, but I’ll be out of range of your thoughts. Good luck, dragonrider. Do not fear. We will find success together. I feel it.’
    Shadow’s words were warming, but Pell could not totally shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. By the time he reached the solid wooden door set into a small stone archway in
the right-hand wall of the cave, he realised that any second thoughts were irrelevant now. He had come too far to turn back.
    The rider opened the door and led the way through. Pell had to stoop under the arch. On the other side was a tunnel, lit by a line of torches that were visible for some distance. The walls were
rough and unfinished, the subterranean corridor hewn into a functional walkway. Thick wooden supports shored up the roof at regular intervals, setting Pell to wondering about the stability of the
caves. The more his mind questioned, the more he imagined the weight of the mountain pressing down above him. If the roof collapsed, he would be squashed flat in a heartbeat. The knowledge made him
feel tiny and fragile, like a bug. It was not a pleasant sensation.
    Although Pell could walk upright along the passageway, he had to duck under the support stays to avoid hitting his head on the crossbeams. They passed several doors along the passageway, but his
guide did not so much as glance at them. When they