The dwarf pointed to the ceiling, where water dripped off one of the stalactites. “This whole cavern is directly underneath a creek that runs through Fox’s property. The ceiling’s strong enough as it is, but if I start digging diamonds out of here, there’s a good chance the whole thing will collapse in, leaving a giant sinkhole right in the middle of his backyard—even bigger than the one that’s there right now.”

He wasn’t telling me anything I hadn’t already guessed, but it was nice to have some confirmation.

“And you couldn’t risk that,” I said in a soft voice. “You couldn’t risk him finding out about the diamonds that are on his own land.”

“Smart and pretty. A shame you’re going to die so young,” Dawson mocked.

“I thought we had a deal,” I said, although there was no real protest in my voice. I’d expected the double cross.

The dwarf laughed. “Ah, the foolishness of youth. But I’m a sporting man. I’ll give you a chance to get out of here.”

“Really? And how would I do that?”

Dawson stared at me. “All you have to do is beat me— in an elemental duel.”

30

30

“A duel?” I asked.

He nodded. “A duel. That’s how I take care of my problems. Haven’t lost one yet in more than two hundred years.” He looked over his shoulder. “You boys might want to step out of the way for this.”

The giants moved off to either side of the cavern, leaving Dawson standing by himself in the middle.

The two men looked bored, as though they’d seen their boss do this a dozen times before. They probably had.

The dwarf stood relaxed with his knees slightly bent.

He tipped his cowboy hat back on his head to give himself a clearer look at me, and his hands hung down by his sides, fingers flexing and unflexing. He reminded me of some Old West gunfighter who’d just called the town sheriff out into the dusty street for a noon showdown.

Yeah, I could see how elemental dueling would fit right in with Dawson’s cowboy fetish. Too bad it was going to be the death of him.

“A duel, huh?” I asked again.

“A duel,” he repeated. “You and me. Right here, right now. Think about it, how strong your magic is. You might beat me.”

But Dawson didn’t sound too concerned by the possibility.

Bastard was trying to goad me into making the first move. Into doing something sloppy. Oh, I was going to do something all right, but it wasn’t going to be what he expected.