Dragon's Teeth: An Alex Rogers Adventure (Ranger Book 2)

by Charles Lamb

  Pulling his bow and quiver from its place, he strung the bow and slung the quiver opposite his sword. Pulling a pair of water skins off the load on Shadows, he handed one to Cassie. He also pulled a coiled rope from one of his saddlebags.

  “A must in any cave exploration,” he commented absently as he held it up for Cassie to see.

  “I think we walk from here. The road ahead enters into the mountain and I don’t think either of the horses would appreciate the experience.”

  Not bothering to tether either horse, Alex, Cassie, and Kinsey left them to graze on the little patch of grass and brush available near the clearing. With that, the three headed up into the mountains, following a narrow road. As they walked, he could see the roadway was cut into the mountain dirt, and he could see the tracks where the wagons had traveled in and out, many times before their arrival.

  Within a few miles, they could see the opening into the mountain, the road proceeding straight into the cave with no other option. Alex paused to check his and Cassie’s gear before pulling an arrow from his quiver while she drew her sword. With a nod to her, he led the way toward the opening ahead.

  ----*----

  Leander, Abrianna, and Kelby left the temple of the sea god before first light, each carrying one of the three fire glass tipped weapons they’d recovered there. Breakfast was eaten in the saddle, and was nothing more than water and bread, with a few dried meat strips of beef and fish.

  Unlike the day before, Kelby was not light and flirty, parading naked. Leander suspected the prospect of confronting and killing the Sea Dragon, and thus avenging her mother’s death, removed any of the flirty mermaid behavior from her mind.

  The three rode mostly in silence, the sound of hooves on the hard-packed dirt road the only constant sound. The road itself was a gently increasing grade, rising from the coast and heading into the hilly interior. Turning back, Leander could see the temple in the distance, standing out against the backdrop of the sea in the early morning light.

  They continued this way for the remainder of the morning, stopping once to water the horses in a stream and once again to eat a quick lunch, giving their mounts a much-needed rest. With each stop, he noted Kelby would take one of the shorter weapons and practice with it as one might a sword or dagger.

  During the entire trip, Leander constantly scanned the area looking for any signs that Tantalus’s men might be watching their approach. He wasn’t sure whether to be concerned or relieved that no one appeared to challenge their passage as they traveled deeper into the hills.

  Cresting a rise, late in the afternoon, Lake Vishap appeared in the valley ahead. The holding of the House of Drakon was still not visible, as the map had shown it was further up the lakeshore. However, the appearance of the lake seemed to electrify Kelby, her red hair flipping from one side to the other as she scanned the lake, looking for signs of the dragon.

  “We must be alert for signs of the dragon,” she announced, gripping her weapon in one hand. Leander and Abrianna acknowledged her statement with a nod, and then the three continued down the road, scanning the water for any signs of movement beneath the surface.

  ----*----

  The sun was just up when Alex and Cassie entered the mouth of the cave, with Kinsey close behind. The additional sunlight was a welcome supplement, giving them a good look at what lay just inside the opening. Laying in a stack on one side of the opening were a pile of pitch soaked torches and a bucket with more of the liquid for replenishing them.

  Grabbing two, he handed one to Cassie and then ignited them both with just a passing thought. He had to admit his focus and control were improving, but he still had much to learn. His hope was they would address the issue of Cassie’s mom quickly, and then he could begin proper training with Ben soon.

  Using the light from the torches, they continued to follow the wagon tracks deeper into the mountain.

  ----*----

  The road Leander had been following from the temple to the lake had slowly edged its way over until it ran along the shoreline of the lake. Once, as it jutted along a point out into the lake, they had caught a glimpse of what they thought was Tantalus’s property. A white, two-story structure, they could make out the walled compound surrounding the buildings in the distance.

  “Stop,” Kelby said, as she stared out into the lake.

  Acquiescing to the request, all three dismounted and Leander and Abrianna watched as Kelby slowly walked to the edge of the lake, as if in a trance. Standing there for several minutes, she suddenly turned on the two.

  “I’m going in,” she said. Slipping out of her things rapidly, Leander had little time to consider looking away before he found her standing naked before him. Both of her hands were outstretched, one motioning for the spear he carried, while handing him the short version she had been carrying with the other.

  “Are you sure about this?” Abrianna asked the mermaid, appearing to be concerned about her welfare.

  “If I get in trouble, I will lead it here. Be ready with those and we can kill it together,” she replied while exchanging weapons with Leander.

  The two watched as the little redhead waded out into the water, diving in when she reached waist deep water. As her head reappeared, so did a tail, flipping water in the air as she dove again. This time neither Leander nor Abrianna saw her reappear.

  Leading the horses away from the water’s edge and to a place where they might graze, Leander and Abrianna prepared as best they could for a possible dragon attack.

  ----*----

  The light from the torches provided more than enough illumination for Alex and Cassie to find their way through the cave. In addition, he would pause every so often, and let his senses wander into the various side tunnels they encountered. He wanted to be sure they didn’t accidently pass up a hidden or obscured pocket holding Amelia, and with the network of caves here it was challenging.

  Most of the tunnels were detours that led to dead ends or routed back to the main passage they were following. Sniffing the air at each stop, Kinsey seemed disinterested in each, affirming a lack of occupants. The main tunnel they followed was wider than any cave Alex had ever seen, and it had a strange resemblance to the Dwarf tunnels he had seen in Two Thorns. In that way, it appeared artificial rather than a naturally occurring channel into the mountains.

  “Are there dwarves in these mountains?” Alex asked Cassie quietly.

  “I have no idea, but I can say if there is a dragon here, then the dwarves are long gone. Dragons and dwarves crave the same things, and neither is known for sharing.”

  Alex nodded in understanding, if dwarves were mining gold or gems, the dragon would be interested in stealing their find. If the dragon had a hoard, the dwarves would do their best to claim whatever they could as their own.

  “Let’s keep moving,” he said as he waved Cassie on, walking deeper into the cave network. They continued this way for well over an hour before Alex touched something with his senses that caused him to stop in his tracks. Kinsey let out a low growl as well, requiring Alex to silence her with a soothing pat.

  “There is something up ahead,” he whispered, and reached for Cassie’s torch. Taking the two, he did something he had never tried before. Concentrating on the flames, he drew the energy from them until both were extinguished.

  He took Cassie’s hand, and with Kinsey following, he led her in the darkness, taking a side tunnel and moving as quietly as possible. Following the winding tunnel, they started to see a dim glow ahead. Peering around a corner, Alex could see the tunnel opened into a large cavern.

  Both stepped up cautiously, peered out the tunnel opening and discovered they were a good twenty to twenty-five feet above the floor below. Why anyone would cut a tunnel into the wall of a cavern this high up, he had no idea, but had it not been illuminated, they might have walked out and dropped to injury or even death.

  The illumination in the cavern was coming from various points high in the ceiling, glowing and providing a blueish
hue. Scanning the cavern itself, Alex could see a rocky pedestal in the center of the open space, a good twenty feet tall, and with furniture and crates stacked all over.

  The cavern floor was hard rock and swept clear of loose dirt. There were piles of loose stone and earth pushed to the outer walls, as if someone had cleared the center of the cavern floor around the pedestal on purpose. It was then Alex noted the piles of gold, silver and other precious object scattered here and there all over the open floor space.

  The amount of treasure was impressive. There was not nearly enough to cover the vast cavern floor, but there was more than enough to ensure anyone who recovered it could live a life of untold luxury. As he was scanning the corners of the cavern, looking for another way in, Cassie grabbed his arm.

  “Alex, look!”

  Following her gesture, he saw a woman on the pedestal, moving over to one of the chairs by a table. While her hair wasn’t red, the resemblance to Cassie was unmistakable. Cassie was about to shout to her, when a movement on the far side of the pedestal caused Alex to clasp his hand over her mouth.

  As the two watched, a huge red dragon rose up from behind Amelia and gently dropped a cloth bag, dangling from its mouth, onto the table. Amelia opened the bag, pulling items out one by one and placing them on the tabletop. Kinsey began another, louder growl, requiring Alex to quickly quiet her again.

  They watched as Amelia produced a bottle from the bag, and unsealing it, poured herself a cup.

  “It’s feeding her,” Cassie said in wonder.

  The dragon watched Amelia for a few minutes, as if checking to be sure she was eating ok. Finally, it wandered off, eventually curling up around the pedestal and closing its eyes. With that, Alex understood why the floor appeared brushed clean, as the dragon’s tail slowly swept back and forth while it slept.

  The dragon had to be at least forty feet, nose to tail, with large interlocking scales protecting its upper body. The head was bigger than the Sea Dragon they had encountered earlier, with two distinct horns at the top of its head. Alex could see talons on both the front and rear legs, long as his sword and slightly curved.

  He had little doubt that it could breathe fire and the wings folded tight against its back were fully functional. The spikes on its tail were also of note; he could imagine they were used with deadly effect when whipped back and forth.

  “How are we going to get past that thing?” Cassie asked as she pointed to the dragon.

  “I have no idea.”

  ----*----

  Kelby was delighted to be back in her element, swimming fast and free. Riding a horse hadn’t been as bad as she feared, and it was a necessary evil to acquire the weapon she now held in one hand. She had every intention of driving it straight through the dragon's heart.

  Sweeping right and following the shoreline after her dive, she headed to where they had seen the House of Drakon compound near the lake. Sure enough, near the dock that extended out into the lake, the lake bottom was torn up, as if by huge claws pawing at it.

  Using that as her starting point, she swam out into deeper water, looking for anything that might serve as the dragon’s lair. This lake was well known to the mermaid community for not only its access to the sea, but for the numerous underwater caves.

  Unlike mermaids, who could breathe underwater as well as in the air, she knew the dragon would require a dry den, one where it could rest easy. That was why she had been serious about looking for the nymph’s mother. The air pocket in the Sea Dragon’s lair would be ideal for holding an air breather without concern of escape. A captive would likely drown before escaping to the surface, as the distance was too great to swim unassisted.

  The thought of the nymph and her human companions caused Kelby to pause her search. Before this, she only thought of humans as objects to be used, and then only the males had value. Female humans had no value to mermaids whatsoever. Her taunting of the Princess over her man was typical for the disdain they held for women.

  Her time with these people, however, had given her cause to reconsider. Yes, she was helping them, but they were helping her as well. They had provided her with the first real lead she had in finding her mother’s killer, and in arming her for battle with the same.

  Originally, she had planned on killing the dragon, and returning to the sea through the underground river, leaving the humans behind. Now, she was considering, for the first time, returning to Abrianna and Leander to help find the nymph’s mother.

  It was as she debated her decision that the dragon’s head appeared from the cave mouth behind her.

  Chapter 12

  Alex and Cassie stood at the mouth of the tunnel, examining the cavern before them. Amelia still had not noticed the two as she sat eating a meal on the twenty-foot high stone pedestal in the center of the space. The red dragon continued to slumber at its base, presumably unaware of their presence.

  Drawing Cassie and Kinsey back away from the mouth of the tunnel, he whispered to her when he thought it was safe.

  “I can try and reach her by becoming invisible. Maybe there are stairs on the back side, where we can’t see them,” he suggested.

  “No, Alex. You cannot use magic. Dragons are magical creatures, and very sensitive to such things. Even though you would not be visible, the dragon could see the energy around you,” she replied in a panic.

  Thinking again, he asked, “Would it feel the use of the bow?” referring to the magical properties of the elf weapon.

  “I doubt it. Why? What are you thinking?” she asked.

  “I think I can fire an arrow, with the rope attached, across the open space without waking the dragon.”

  “How will that help? My mother cannot shimmy down a rope!” Cassie commented, snapping at Alex in irritation.

  “No, I was going to cross over,” he replied patiently, understanding her frustration at being so close to rescuing her mother, only to find a dragon blocking their way.

  “Once I am there to protect her, I can shield us both,” he finished.

  “How will you get back?” Cassie asked.

  “I just need to get her off the pedestal, and then we can take any of the tunnels out and meet you back at the horses. Once there we can all fly back to Tazmain,” he finished. What he didn’t say was he neither saw a path down from the stone Amelia sat atop, nor a tunnel large enough to allow the dragon to exit. That indicated there was far more he didn’t know about the cavern than he did.

  Unfortunately, he didn’t see another option and they certainly couldn’t afford to delay much further. And so, gathering his bow, rope. and arrow, he prepared to execute their plan.

  ----*----

  Kelby felt the change in water flow around her, just in time to miss the snapping jaws of the dragon as it surged out of its lair. Darting to one side, she prepared to spear the creature, but it performed a spinning move of its own, leaving her with no target. As the two maneuvered to gain the advantage over the other, they moved back down the lake.

  Twice, she was able to strike at the dragon, creating nothing more than flesh wounds, but startling the dragon who had not experienced a fire glass weapon. As she was swimming about, looking for an opening, the dragon slammed her with its tail, sending her flying out of the water and high into the air.

  As she spun in the air, preparing to land in the lake, she just made out Leander and Abrianna, standing on the shore with their fire glass weapons in hand. Hitting the water, she immediately shifted right, rather than straight down and into the waiting jaws of the dragon.

  The forward surge from the dragon caused it to break the surface, allowing the humans on the shore to get their first view of the creature she was fighting. She could see the bright flash from underwater, where the dragon had spouted fire in rage.

  Darting forward, she managed a quick jab with the spear, inciting a second flame burst that she took to indicate a painful response. She almost lost her weapon though, as the dragon spun away from her, nearly ripping the shaft from her han
ds. The force did cause her to fly away into the air again, landing in the shallows.

  Rising up, she found herself standing on two feet, in waist deep water and backing toward the shore, spear still in hand. Before her, the dragon was howling from her latest strike, thrashing about, blindly searching for its antagonist.

  Standing naked between Abrianna and Leander on the beach, all with their fire glass weapons in hand, she heard the man speak to her.

  “I see you found the dragon,” he commented dryly.

  “Any sign of Amelia?” Abrianna added more seriously.

  “No. But, I couldn’t get into the lair. She may still be there,” Kelby answered, as they saw the dragon cease its thrashing and focus on the three.

  “I think we have trouble coming,” Leander commented absently as the creature started forward. When its head reared up, the three dove to one side or the other, to try to avoid the fiery blast that scorched the area they had just occupied. Kelby felt the heat on her skin as she rolled away, returning to her feet with her spear held before her.

  Glancing to her left, she saw Leander regaining his feet as well. His gaze caused her to return her attention to the dragon, who was preparing to release another blast of flame. As it drew a breath, she caught a flash from her left as Leander launched his weapon as one might throw a knife. The fire glass drove deep into the dragon’s neck, right below its head and piercing one of the ducts used to make fire.

  Kelby knew that dragons had glands, one on each side of their necks, that produced the liquid they combined to spit fire. Leander’s blade had pierced one of the two, causing the liquid to shoot out before reaching the point where it could combine with the other.

  Moving quickly, she raced forward, driving her spear into the side of the creature, her reward a new howl of pain. Unfortunately, the dragon also reacted instinctively, its wing swinging at the source of its agony. Unlike four-legged dragons, Sea Dragons were of the Wyvern type, their forelegs and wings combined.