Page 70 of Skulk of Foxes
Finn cleared his throat. ‘Can we get to the point? Is he here yet?’
We all knew who he was referring to. Morgan and I shook our heads. ‘No sign of Liung yet,’ Morgan said.
‘What do we do if he doesn’t show?’
I shrugged. I’d happily show Morgan that I was feeling nervous but I wouldn’t show anyone else. ‘I’ll take the sphere to the deepest, darkest ocean and drop it in.’
‘We should have done that in the beginning, darlings,’ Julie said. She fluttered her hands. It was good to see that she was almost back on form. There was even some healthy colour in her cheeks.
‘Too many variables,’ Morgan grunted. ‘Like getting to the ocean without Rubus stopping us.’
‘Speaking of your darling brother, have we had any word?’
Morgan’s expression was grim and I noted him touch his sling briefly as if to remind himself of what his brother was capable of. ‘Nothing. I spoke to Begonius ten minutes ago. It appears that Rubus is tucked up for the night. Monroe and his wolves will probably have a quiet time.’
‘Timmons,’ I said softly. ‘Not Begonius. He prefers to be known by his human name.’
Morgan squeezed my hand reassuringly. ‘Timmons,’ he agreed, with a gentle glint in his eye. ‘You’re more kind-hearted than you realise for remembering that.’
It was only a name; it wasn’t rocket science.
‘You’d be surprised,’ Morgan continued, ‘how many people don’t listen or pay attention to small details like that.’
‘Many people aren’t me.’
He chuckled. ‘That is very true.’
I was no longer convinced I was being complimented. Perhaps it wasn’t wise to pursue this line of conversation for too long.
I checked my watch. It was almost time. ‘He should be here by now.’ I craned my neck, scanning the Roman fort and the grassy banks. ‘Can anyone see Liung?’
Finn and Jodie scanned the area while Morgan pursed his lips. Julie reached into her coat pocket and drew out a delicate silver hip flask. She took a sip and smacked her lips. ‘Fortification, darling,’ she murmured. I could tell from the scent rising into the air that it wasn’t gin and, when she tucked the flask away, her lips were faintly stained with red.
‘I can’t see him anywhere,’ Finn admitted, still pretending to search around so that he didn’t have to notice what Julie had been doing.
Morgan continued to frown. ‘Can you hear that?’ he asked.
‘I can’t hear anything,’ I started to say. Except then I did.
There was an odd thrumming sound in the air, as if the distant clouds were beating. It got louder and louder. I spun in the direction it was coming from. From over the horizon, behind a copse of old oak trees, a speck appeared in the sky.
Jodie’s mouth fell open. ‘That’s…’
The speck grew closer. And bigger. ‘A dragon,’ I breathed.
We watched as the shape, growing more massive by the second, flapped towards us. He was the size of a house and dark red in colour. Oddly, his features were still similar to Liung’s human face.
‘You know,’ I said, as he circled over our heads, ‘none of the storybooks or films ever said much about a dragon’s genitalia. It does rather … hang down unpleasantly, doesn’t it? Not to mention that, proportionally speaking, I ain’t all that impressed.’
Julie tilted her head backwards to get a better look. She’d regret it. ‘I see what you mean.’
Liung opened his mouth and roared, rather pointlessly in my opinion. He somersaulted before landing directly in front of us, his massive claws slamming into the earth and raking up great clods of mud. Now he was just showing off.
He stretched out his neck. He widened his jaws in our direction, and snapped for effect. Then, before our eyes, his body transformed. With a crunch of bones and heaving scales, he shrank into the wrinkly and flabby form of an old pensioner who’d seen better days.
Unperturbed by his nudity, he stretched his arms wide. ‘I am dragon!’ he bellowed. ‘Hear me roar!’
I rolled my eyes. ‘Yeah, yeah.’
