The sun was beginning to set when Shon and Solimar walked into camp outside of Alderfold. Tarun, Krall, and Piggy had already set up the camp earlier that day, and were now sitting around a campfire eating their supper. All three of them looked up when the wizard and elf entered the clearing.

“It’s good to see you,” said Krall, standing up. “I was beginning to worry. I thought for sure that you two would be here waiting for us, considering how anxious you were about traveling as a pair.” Krall added a wink at his last comment. “How did tracking the dragon go? How much of her perimeter were you able to locate?”

“Forget the perimeter,” said Solimar, sounding exhausted. “We found her lair.”

Krall stood for a moment in the fading light of dusk, with shadows from the firelight dancing across his shocked face. “You found her lair?” he finally said. “How in the world did you manage that?”

“We’ll explain after we have some dinner and rest our feet a bit,” said Solimar. “We had to hurry to make it here by today, and Shon is especially exhausted. He went through a lot to get us as far as we did.”

“Of course,” said Krall, still looking surprised. “Have a seat by the fire and we’ll get you some of this stew that Tarun prepared.”

“I didn’t know you could cook,” said Shon as he sat down on a log by the fire.

“I didn’t know you could track a dragon,” replied Tarun with a smirk, ladling some hearty stew into a wooden bowl. “I guess we’ve both got some surprises to share with one another.”

“Uh, how about you start by telling me about that,” Shon said, pointing to a large, black, shiny object sitting next to Tarun. “Is that a sword made of rock?”

“You like it?” asked Tarun with a wide grin, handing the bowl of soup to Shon. “Krall suspects it’s the only Vedionite sword in the world. You wouldn’t believe how sharp it is!”

Solimar raised an eyebrow and looked at Krall. “Did you seriously let him make a sword out of Dragon Stone?” asked the elf. “And it hasn’t shattered yet?”

“Not yet,” said Krall with a chuckle. “Though Tarun won’t trust our wagon to carry it with all of its bumping and shaking. He carries that thing around with him everywhere. We had some pretty tense moments when shaping it, but it sounds like nothing like the excitement you two were having. How could you have found that dragon’s lair so quickly?”

Solimar and Shon began telling Krall and the others about their encounter with the poisoned bear and all that they had learned about the strange purple poison. Shon explained how he had used his magic to sense and track down animals that had been poisoned, and how he and Solimar had mapped the locations of the animals they found. Finally they told them about the pattern of kills that had led them to the dragon’s lair. When they finished, everyone sat silently around the campfire, considering the new information.

“It sounds like you both had a very dangerous two weeks indeed,” said Krall. The sun and finished setting by this time, and the stars were beginning to appear overhead. “I’m sorry the rest of us weren’t there to help.”

“Well what about you three?” Solimar asked. “Were you successful in your task, aside from Tarun’s new fragile toy?”

“I’d say so,” Krall replied. “We collected enough Dragon Stone, and then some. Piggy was able to fashion it into enough weapons for the job of taking down this dragon at least.”

“But do we even need the Dragon Stone weapons?” Tarun asked. “If her poisoned blood is as flammable as Shon and Solimar say, can’t we just light the dragon on fire and burn her from the inside out?”

“I’m afraid not,” Shon said. “Solimar tried using a flaming arrow on a poisoned elk that we came across early on. We thought it would put him out of his misery faster. That’s when we learned that the poisoned blood only becomes flammable after the animal has been dead for a while.”

“Besides,” said Krall, waiving a hand, “it’s too early to start strategizing how to kill the mother. Now that the lair has been found, our first priority has to be neutralizing those eggs of hers.”

“You mean we’re just going to destroy totally harmless dragon eggs?” asked Tarun. “Couldn’t they just be taken back up to Dragon Country instead of killing them?”

“Those eggs may be harmless,” said Krall, “but the dragons inside them are not. The moment a dragon hatches, it’s deadly. No matter how young it may be. And to be caught by a mother dragon while carrying her eggs is about the most dangerous situation a person can be in.”

“Besides,” Krall continued, “the moment those dragons hatch, they’ll be a whole new kind of abomination. Even more than their mother.”

“What do you mean?” asked Tarun.

“I suspect that Vdekshi is to blame for poisoning the mother,” said Krall, “but she must have had at least some life before Vdekshi got to her. I’d bet anything that those dragons will be born with the same poisoned blood pumping through their veins. Their entire existence will be consumed with pain and rage. I think destroying the eggs will be more of an act of mercy than cruelty.”

“Who’s Vdekshi?” Shon asked.

“That’s Krall’s old slave master,” said Tarun. “He’s a powerful necromancer, and the one who we think poisoned the dragon. It’s kind of a long story.”

“Oh,” said Shon, looking around at the others. “And did everyone else already know this?” The others stared at Shon for a moment, and then Piggy broke the silence by blowing his nose on his hand. “Alright then,” he said. “Carry on. I’ll just pretend that what you just said wasn’t incredibly scary.”

“We’ll all need to leave first thing in the morning,” Krall said, turning back to the others. “If Shon is right about the mother leaving to hunt each morning, then the afternoon will be our best time to sneak into the cave and destroy the eggs without the mother anywhere nearby. Shon, do you think you’ll be able to sense if the mother is nearby or not?”

Shon shifted uncomfortably on the log he was sitting on. “Actually, I needed to tell you about that,” said Shon. “I can’t go back to that cave. What I sensed the last time we were there was just too painful and dangerous for me to handle. I’m… I’m sorry.” Shon lowered his head and stared at his lap.

Krall and Tarun both opened their mouths to object, but Solimar raised a hand to silence them. “Believe me,” the elf said, “if I thought that Shon was just being a coward, I would be the first to say so. But I was there when we were at the dragon’s lair. I think Shon is right to stay behind. In fact, if he does go, he could put us all in even more danger.”

Tarun stood up and then sat next to Shon. “I never suspected that he was a coward,” Tarun said, putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I only wanted to assure him that we would keep him safe.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” said Solimar.

“No, we can’t promise your safety,” said Krall, “but we can watch your back. You’ve become an invaluable member of our hunting party, Shon. Are you sure you can’t join us?”

“I’m afraid so,” said Shon, pulling his hood over his head. “I’m sorry to let you down, Krall.”

“I’ll trust your judgment,” Krall said, and then turned to the others. “Shon will stay here in the camp tomorrow and keep an eye on the wagon and the animals. That way the rest of us will be able to travel faster. We’ll be leaving before sunrise tomorrow, and by tomorrow evening we should have fewer dragon eggs to worry about hatching.”

***

Krall hid behind the trees closest to the entrance to the dragon’s cave and inhaled deeply through his nose. “It all smells so wrong,” he said. Nearby, Piggy sat on the back of his boar, trying to calm it down. The boar was sniffing heavily through its large nose as if in a panic, and was swinging its head from side to side and trying to back away.

“I know what you mean,” said Tarun. “It smells terrible over here.”

“It’s more than that,” said Krall darkly. “I’m familiar with the smell of death and decay, but this is different. It’s like I smell the death without the decay.”

“That’s one of the most unnerving things about the animals killed by the poison,” Solimar said. “Any flies, worms, or anything else that would usually start cleaning up the refuse just immediately dies when it tastes the poison. It’s one of the reasons that Shon and I started burning their bodies.”

Tarun was surprised how at the mere mention of Shon’s name, he felt so disappointed that his friend wasn’t with them. After being apart for two weeks, Tarun had been looking forward to spending time with Shon again, even if it was near a foul-smelling cave of death.

“Well, terrible smell or not, we’ve got to go in there,” Krall said. “It’s not quite noon yet, so we’ve got as good a chance as ever that the dragon is gone hunting. Let’s hope she stays out all day like you suspect, Solimar.” Turning to Piggy, he added, “You and your boar stay out here and keep a lookout for the dragon. You know the signal if you see her coming.”

Piggy cupped his hands around his mouth and made a nearly flawless impression of a crow cawing. Tarun realized it was the first time he had heard the dwarf use his voice, other than the grunts and groans he made when he woke up most mornings.

“Come on,” Krall said to Tarun and Solimar. “Let’s get this done as quickly as we can. I want to be as far away from here as possible when the mother gets back.”

The three of them emerged from behind the trees and dashed across the clearing in front of the cave’s entrance as quickly and quietly as they could. Krall held his black knife at the ready, Solimar’s bow was drawn with a Dragon Stone tipped arrow notched, and Tarun held his large stone sword with both hands.

When they reached the mouth of the cave and saw how dark it was inside, Krall put his knife away and retrieved a wooden torch from his pack. He found that the side of the cave’s entrance was smeared with thick blood stained purple with poison. Krall smeared the cloth of the torch against the wall and then used his flint and steel to strike sparks against it. The torch ignited immediately, and the three of them began walking down into mouth of the cave.

Although the opening of the cave was very large and easily wide enough for Krall, Tarun, and Solimar to walk side by side, they decided to walk in single file behind Krall because of the numerous quills and other poisonous debris that littered the sides of the cave.

After they had been walking for several minutes, the tunnel they were following began to slope downward. In the torchlight, Tarun saw the half-eaten remains of some now-unidentifiable animal. “It’s disgusting to think that any poison could cause a dragon to live in such a way,” Solimar whispered, nearly gagging.

“Is this not how most dragons live?” Tarun quietly asked. “Don’t they all bring their prey back to their lairs?”

“Above all else,” Solimar whispered, “dragons are very proud creatures. Even the ones who are barely more intelligent than beasts would never allow their caves to fall into such disarray as this. If dragons could still speak, they would never stop talking about their shame and rage to learn of another dragon living this way.”

“Dragons used to speak?” Tarun asked.

“Not all dragons,” said Solimar in a quiet tone that almost sounded like reverence. “But once a long time ago there were the Great Dragons. Enormous dragons that were intelligent enough to speak, and it’s rumored that some of them could even use magic. They were some of the most mighty and majestic creatures that ever lived.”

“Solimar was raised in a tribe that revered the Great Dragons,” Krall whispered over his shoulder to Tarun. “They practically worshipped them. As for me, I can’t say I’m sad that such powerful creatures have disappeared. Let’s just say that if you ever found yourself facing a dragon that could speak, you would only be alive as long as it wanted you alive. There’s no fighting a dragon like that.”

As Krall finished his sentence, he came to an abrupt stop. Tarun looked over Krall’s shoulder and saw that in front of him the tunnel branched off in three different directions. After a moment of silence, Tarun asked, “Should we split up and each take a passage?”

“Given our circumstances,” said Krall, “that would be about the worst thing we could possibly do. Besides, we only have the one torch. Solimar, which way do you think we should go?”

“Most dragons would only keep their eggs in the largest chamber of the cave, surrounded by gold, precious stones, and other treasures,” said Solimar. “However, it seems clear that this dragon has even abandoned her usual instincts for riches, so I’m afraid all we can do is guess.”

Krall sniffed the air in front of each passage several times. “The air seems to be foul in every direction,” he said. “Although the foul smell to the left does seem to be somewhat familiar. I can’t put my finger on it, but it is not an inviting smell. What do you think, Tarun?”

Tarun looked at the three passages in front of him. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what Krall had taught him about following his instincts. He thought about the three directions in front of him, and waited to see if the feeling of optimism and strength he associated with his instincts accompanied any of them. Instead, as his eyes were closed he heard a faint sound of clattering rocks coming from the direction to his right. Instead of optimism, the slight sound filled him with dread and cold fear.

“Did either of you hear that?” Tarun whispered.

“Hear what?” Solimar asked. “I’ve only heard the sounds of us talking.”

“Never mind,” Tarun quickly said. “I think we should choose the middle tunnel and take it quickly. This cave becomes less inviting every moment we stay still.”

“Agreed,” said Krall, starting to look more uneasy as well. “Any direction we choose will be better than lingering here in indecision. Center tunnel it is.”

After a minute of walking, the tunnel opened up into a large and spacious cavern. In the center of the cavern, they saw a large pile of stones, wood, and other debris. “Good instincts,” Krall said to Tarun. “It looks like we found the nest.”

Krall, Tarun, and Solimar began climbing up the pile of rocks. When they reached the top of the nest, Krall used the torchlight to view the inside, and what he saw made his blood run cold. In the center of the nest, Krall saw three enormous broken empty eggshells. One of them was dripping purple liquid.

“They’ve already hatched,” Krall said with terror creeping into his voice. “We have to get out of here now!”

As the three of them ran out of the cavern and up the tunnel they had entered from, Solimar began cursing and muttering. “How could the eggs have already hatched?” said the elf, panting. “Their mother only started brooding a few months ago. There’s no way a dragon could incubate and hatch that quickly!”

“It must be that cursed poison,” said Krall. “It must have changed the dragon and her young more than we even realized.”

“What do we do now?” Tarun asked as they continued running. “Kill the young dragons and the mother?”

“The first thing we need to do is get out of this cave and get somewhere that I can think straight,” Krall replied. “We came here equipped to destroy eggs, not kill dragons. Let’s just get to where the tunnel branched off and keep heading upward. If we keep running at this pace, once we reach that spot we should only be a few minutes from the mouth of the cave.”

As Krall ran, the jostling torch in his hand made strange dancing shadows on the cave walls. The shadows unnerved Tarun, and he wished to get out of the cave even faster. Soon the torchlight revealed the opening where Tarun had selected their path, and he began to feel relief that they would soon be out.

The light from the torch continued to play tricks on Tarun’s eyes, and as they neared the opening where the tunnel branched off, he almost thought he saw the shadows of other people moving in front of the opening. The moment they emerged from the opening, Tarun’s feeling of relief turned to confusion and then panic.

Tarun, Krall, and Solimar were frozen still in their tracks. Tarun tried to ask Krall what was going on, but he could not turn his head. He could not even speak. A moment later, emerging from the darkness and into the light of Krall’s torch, strode Jarkt. Behind him was the witch Treshigan, and his other two fellow dragon hunters.

“I thought I heard something down here,” Jarkt said, with malice dripping from his voice. “Where are you freaks off to in such a hurry? We’ve been here for hours searching the tunnels for the dragon’s nest. Could it be you’ve found it already?”

Tarun tried desperately to speak so he could tell them about the hatched dragons, but with his jaw locked in place, all he could do was loudly hum and growl.

“Are you trying to threaten me, boy?” Jarkt shouted. He used the back of his hand to strike hard against the side of Tarun’s face, sending blotches of color and stars into Tarun’s field of vision.

As the lights and colors inside his head began to fade, Tarun closed his eyes to try and focus and stay calm. With his eyes closed in the darkness, Tarun was able to make out two quiet, but distinct sounds. One was the low murmur and mumble of the witch Treshigan chanting her curse to hold their bodies still. The other sound seemed to come from the tunnel to his right, and sounded like a collection of low discordant hissing.

Tarun opened his eyes again, and immediately wished he hadn’t. Just outside of the torchlight to his right, he could see the flames flicker and reflect off of three pairs of jet black eyes.