Page 9 of The Black Dragon
Acid rose in her throat as she glanced backward at the roaring dragon. “Justindid nothingwrong.”
“But he is dragon and needs to be contained.” Dell shook his head. “Stay out of this, Ariel. You don’tunderstand.”
“Promise me you won’t hurthim!”
Leo finally looked at her. Then he glanced at Justin. “All right. Nocastration.”
She sighed withrelief.
“In two days, after I draw out his blood, I’ll sell him to the Shadow Wizard. I heardCadeyrn pays five hundred pieces of gold for ordinary dragons. He will give me a thousand for ablack.”
Dell laughed, a high-pitched girlish sound. “Even a thousand pieces of gold is a steal for such a magnificent creature, sir. Why not keep him here longer and experiment? We’ve barely begun studying the effects of dragonscales.”
Her father shook his head. “It’s too dangerous withmy daughteraround.”
Nausea made her stomach roil. Dell had actually taken Justin’s scales. She went to the cage, staring at the black dragon, who was once more in humanform.
Justin hung his head, refusing to look at her. But she could see the patch of skin on his arm that looked pink, as if it had begun toheal.
Father, what have you done tohim?
Justin would be soldand she’d never see him again. Worse, the dragon would become a wizard’s slave and never see his freedom again. Who knew what the Shadow Wizard would do to thedragon?
The Shadow Wizard will not have you, Justin. Ipromise.
She skimmed her hand over the bottles of potions. Dell went upstairs to get more supplies. When Leo turned to consult the sacred book of magick, one vial slidinto herhand.
“I am returning to my studies, Father. Do you wish to have pot roast tonight for dinner? Orsoup?”
“Either.” Leo squinted at the cramped writing in the book. “Leaveme.”
Soup would be easier. Easier to make, and to spike with a sleeping draught that would make Leo sleep like thedead.
Ariel slipped upstairs, the sleeping potion clutched in herpalm.
Time to make dinner. But first, she needed to make a memory of Justin and hiskiss.
The way he’d touched her as a man touched awoman.
In her bedroom, she stripped down and removed her prosthesis, staring at her malformed limb. Ariel’s fingers clasped the stump that Justin had caressed with such tendercare.
Then she threw herself down on the bed andwept.
Neveragain.
Tonight, after Dell had left, when Leo slept and Justin lay unconscious and exhausted from having his magick drained, she would unlock the cell door. She would use the magick Leo stole to break Justin’s chains and return the dragon’s magick tohim.
Justin would be free of this terrible place. Hewould findfreedom.
But for her, there would be noescape.
