BooksBarbecue
Back Copper Chain
Chapters (62)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. CONTENTS
  5. MAP
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

For a moment, all three onlookers drew back, putting distance between themselves and the bars. Then they exchanged glances and approached once more.

‘Why black?’ Palemon asked. ‘I thought they were silver.’

‘He is a half-breed,’ Zara said.

Tarik smiled as he appraised Dion, the expression making his melted face look sinister. ‘His mixed blood certainly hasn’t affected his size.’

Hefting the collar, the gray-robed magus opened the gate once more and entered. He approached, even as Dion growled, filling the near-silence with a low, rasping rumble. A shiver of pain shook Dion from nose to tail as he felt the magus clamp the iron collar around his neck. Fastening the arrow through the hoop, Tarik tightened it to one of the first notches.

‘Now what?’ Palemon asked as Tarik left the cell and closed the gate behind him. ‘How long must we wait?’

‘One day,’ Zara replied. ‘If he becomes wild, it will happen within a day. We’ll return tomorrow.’

For the first time, Dion realized that the feelings of encroaching wildness were gone. But with the collar around his neck, he couldn’t change his shape.

He was trapped in the form of a dragon.

31

31

Palemon could barely contain himself as he walked down the stone-walled corridor. He’d slept little the previous night, too filled with anticipation, and now he glanced at Zara as she struggled to keep up with his long strides.

‘Sire, slow down,’ Zara said. ‘We don’t know what we’re going to find.’

But he ignored her, passing the door that had once sealed the underground chamber from the world and approaching the long row of cages. Coming to a halt outside the barred gate of the third in the line, he peered in. The oil lamp had run out of fuel, and it was so dark he could barely see the shadowy outline of the beast within. He was forced to wait for Zara to arrive before the cage’s occupant became clear.

Finally the sorceress approached and her staff lit up the area. Palemon saw that the black dragon inside the cell was looking out at him with a steadfast expression. A low growl came from deep within its broad chest as the thin, sweeping wings folded in to its back and then spread out again. The black scales and sharp teeth made it seem like a thing out of a nightmare.

For the first time, he truly appreciated how invincible a warrior on dragon back would be in battle. Riding his powerful steed, he could command the sky, and strike an opposing force from above, or even circle behind. The tough hide was strong enough to stop all but the luckiest arrow. The claws on the dragon’s forelimbs could rip a man’s head from his shoulders or tear a full-grown horse into pieces.