“I think he’s happy to see us,” Darnak said dryly.

Strong clawed hands nudged Jig into the room. He glanced back, wondering if Straum suspected something. Dragons were supposed to be the most dangerous creatures in the world, undisputed masters of trickery. When he thought about it, how could Straum not suspect something? With freedom so close, he wouldn’t risk anything going wrong. Barius’s plan would get them all killed.

Jig started to inch closer to Darnak. Maybe he would know what to do. Before he got close enough to speak, Ryslind walked up to the dragon’s side.

“We have it, master,” he said. “It was a close thing.” His thin finger pointed at Jig. “The goblin attempted to betray us and take the rod for himself.”

Jig froze. Maybe his ears were still recovering from Straum’s roar and he had misheard. “I gave the rod to you,” he said meekly.

Ryslind smiled, a cold expression of triumph. The slitted glow of his eyes seemed to burn into Jig’s chest. As he had done once before, Ryslind spoke directly into Jig’s mind.

I warned you that you would pay for humiliating me, goblin. Jig suddenly understood. Whatever Straum had done to the wizard’s mind, enough of Ryslind remained to want revenge. He hadn’t forgotten his promise to punish Jig. He had simply waited for the best time to exact that punishment.

“It wasn’t like that, exactly,” Darnak protested.

“Silence,” Barius hissed.

Jig glanced over. Barius had begun to edge away from his guard. He glanced at Darnak, who tilted his head slightly. They planned to use Jig’s execution as a distraction. A good plan, Jig admitted. The only flaw involved the minor detail of Jig’s painful death.

“Did he?” Straum asked. His neck twisted around until he stared down at Jig. “I’ve always thought goblins to be cowardly, stupid creatures. Betraying me took more boldness than I’d have expected from you. For a goblin, you’re quite the brave fellow.”

Jig didn’t breathe. He couldn’t look away from those huge, gold eyes. He could see himself reflected in the slitted pupils, his body distorted on the curved surface. He watched the mirror-Jig raise his hands, as if to explain. He saw the wide-eyed expression of fear, the frantic trembling in his jaw.

He never saw Straum’s tail rush through the air to smash into Jig from the side.

The last thing Jig heard as his body crashed into a wall was Straum’s amused voice saying, “Pity, really. Had you been as cowardly as the rest of your race, you might have survived.”

CHAPTER 17 - In the Blink of an Eye

CHAPTER 17

In the Blink of an Eye

“You lasted longer than I thought you would, I’ll grant you that much.”