Page 67 of Fiendish Delights
Hugo ran his tongue across his lips then turned and walked to the door. ‘Bye, Duchess,’ he said. He closed the door to afford us some privacy before facing me once more. Initially I felt a frisson of anxiety until I realised that his expression was now serious. ‘You realise we both came up exactly the same plan.’
I pushed my hair out of my eyes. ‘Great minds think alike.’
‘We can’t leave the treasure with the dragon.’
I nodded. ‘One of the fiends might still make a grab for it and harm the dragon in the process.’
‘And gain enough magical power to cause the rest of us real problems.’
‘But the dragon won’t give up the chess set easily to any of us.’
‘So we have to give her something in return,’ Hugo said. ‘Something valuable.’
I gazed at him. ‘Gold might work. But it would have to be a huge amount.’
‘It would be a long shot,’ he agreed. ‘We have to offer her something she genuinely covets.’
‘And what would a dragon covet more than a dragon’s egg?’
‘The egg is ancient and there’s no way it’s viable, but it’s the best option we have.’
‘Yes.’ I frowned. ‘It will still be incredibly dangerous.’
‘Certainly. We’ll have to enter her lair and she won’t like that.’
‘And she may well decide that we’re villains for having the egg in thefirst place.’
‘Indeed – but it’s worth the attempt.’
‘Definitely.’
‘We can’t risk the Primes’ lives.’
‘No.’ I paused. ‘Neither should we risk yours.’
Hugo’s eyes narrowed. ‘Let’s not start this again. We go together – between us, we can persuade the dragon to give up the chess set. And we make a pact to stop trying to protect each other. We’re both adults and we can both make decisions for ourselves, regardless of the dangers involved.’
I yielded because there was no longer any other way; I couldn’t persuade Hugo to stay at home any more than he could persuade me. ‘Okay.’ I sighed. ‘Okay.’
‘I’ll drive.’
‘If you insist.’ I met his eyes. ‘But if the dragon eats you, I will kill you.’
He smiled crookedly, the familiar dimple forming in his cheek. ‘Ditto,’ he murmured. ‘And I won’t forget everything else you said about me. We’ll come back to that later.’
He should forget it because I’d not forgotten Miriam’s words from moments ago. I was probably already too far gone to be saved, so Hugo shouldn’t get attached to me. ‘Mmm.’
He leaned into my ear. ‘I hope your bunny pyjamas are in that backpack as well as the egg.’
‘I don’t hear any shouting,’ Duchess said from the other side of the closed door. ‘Does that mean you’re shagging?’
Hugo quirked an eyebrow. ‘Not yet,’ he whispered. And he grinned.
Twelve hours later,we presented ourselves at the Office for Dragon Affairs in Aberystwyth, Wales. I’d expected a grand establishment with elaborate stone masonry, several floorsof offices and at least a handful of dragon-inspired statues. I’d obviously been spending too much time in castles, though, because the ODA was little more than a dusty room in the back of a cement-covered office block.
There was only one member of staff: a bespectacled man with a shiny, bald head and a cheap suit. He had the harassed air of an over-worked civil servant, and he was none too pleased at the interruption. ‘You want what?’ he asked, his eyes wide with astonishment.
Hugo offered his most disarming smile. It bowled me over but it did nothing for Arnold Enger. ‘It’s not a case of want,’ he said. ‘It’s a case of need. We need to know the location of the female dragon’s lair.’
