Azure bonds - Kate Novak [20]
Still, she was grateful that they had learned of this back door. With any luck, the dragon wasn't aware of it, or at least ignored it as too small to worry about.
A splattering noise warned her that the stream was nearing a considerable drop, and she slowed accordingly. She wrapped her glowing arm back in her cloak to hide her presence from the dragon. She reached the end of the tunnel and stepped out onto the ledge Akabar had mentioned. The stream fell twenty feet or so into a small pool on the cavern floor. Excellent! The waterfall will cover any noise I make climbing down.
Light filtered in from another, larger passage in the side of the cavern. This passage provided the dragon egress from its lair. Holes in the domed ceiling let in more rays of light. At first Alias was glad of the light because it drowned out the dim glow of her sigils, and she unwrapped her arm. Then she noticed the black, cawing birds fluttering in and out of the holes in the ceiling.
Crows! Nine hells! Alias cursed under her breath. Crows were bad luck-not just a sign for the superstitious, but a danger for anyone relying on stealth. One of their raucous cries raised in challenge of her intrusion into their territory would be enough to wake the dead. For the most part, the birds roosted in crannies near the ceiling, though a few circled in the thermals rising from the dragon's body. Since I have no intention of approaching the dragon, there's no reason for them to get excited, she reassured herself.
The great beast itself lay curled catlike. Alias had no doubt that the monster was a light sleeper. She wouldn't be surprised to discover brittle twigs or bells scattered across the main entrance. It was even possible that the dragon was capable of casting magical spell guards to wake her if anyone crossed the threshold into her treasure hold.
And what a hoard that hold held! Even by a dragon's standards the loot was immense. It included not only chests of gold lions and other precious coins, but split bags filled with trade bars, tapestries, and bolts of satin and velvet, marble statues, and bound books. Many of these items were still packed in the wagons that had been picked up and flown here by the monster. The dragon lay between the front entrance and the mounds of shimmering wealth, but nothing blocked Alias's access to the beast's hoard.
If the treasure was enough to start the adventuress sweating with gold fever, the bones were enough to quench that fire. Alias could spot piles of white as large as the treasure itself. Most were the remains of cattle and other large beasts the dragon used for food, but more than a few human skulls gleamed among all that ivory-the remains of adventurers Alias did not intend to join.
Alias leaned against the rock and watched the dragon's massive chest scales rise and fall with the deep breathing of slumber. Akabar's description of the monster had been accurate. The drab rust scales that darkened to a purplish hue toward the belly confirmed that the creature was a female, and her huge size could only come with great age.
The crows danced over the beast's hide, picking at the bugs beneath her scales. Alias realized the crows were actually ravens with wingspans as wide as she was tall. They only looked small, dwarfed by the size of the dragon.
Alias tore her eyes away from her unwitting hostess. No sense in hypnotizing myself with awe, she thought as she peered across the cavern for the bard's cage. She spotted it perched solidly atop an altar carved into the rock. This must have once been a temple, she decided. To what god?
The body in the cage lay slumped against the bars. Tymora, Alias prayed silently, don't let me be too late. The figure rolled over, apparently