The opening of the tunnel was a small hole, similar in size to the one Seraiah had fallen in to end up in Metrius in the first place.

She emerged first, followed by Lonan, and they stood for a few minutes, blinking in the sunlight as their eyes adjusted to the sudden change.

The sky seemed enormous after being underground.

“Guess we won’t be needing this anymore,” Lonan said, extinguishing the lantern.

“Don’t leave it behind. We might need it again,” Seraiah warned him. She didn’t anticipate having to return to the underground, but if she’d learned anything since leaving home, it was to prepare for the unexpected.

Seraiah scanned the nearby area, looking for the dragon cave or any signs of a dragon. The sky was clear, and there were so many trees in her way, it was hard to tell what the mountainside looked like. Maybe if she could get a better angle.

She took a few steps forward.

“Be careful of the edge,” Lonan called. He hadn’t moved from next to the tunnel entrance.

She looked down and hurriedly stepped back. If not for Lonan’s warning, she might have stepped right off the side of the mountain, and it was a long way down. She doubted there would be a lake at the bottom to catch her this time.

Seraiah retreated to the tunnel entrance. “Any idea which direction the cave might be in?”

Lonan tugged on his beard and then pointed to the left, where a thin path wound past them and disappeared into the trees. It appeared animal created, but passable if Seraiah was careful where she stepped.

“That looks like it goes up,” Lonan said. “Dragons might like being on the highest peak for easier flying.”

That sounded reasonable to her. “All right,” Seraiah said, “let’s head that way then. I don’t want to waste any of the sunlight.”

Lonan nodded. “Best not to meet a dragon at night.”

“Why’s that?”

“Nighttime is when dragons go hunting. Everyone knows that. If we were to see a dragon at nightfall, they would just be waking up for the night, and I don’t care to meet a hungry dragon. I’m not sure they’re discerning when it comes to what to eat for dinner.”

Seraiah frowned. It would mean another night going by before she got her hands on a scale. Then there was the matter of getting it back to the Summer King and returning to Nyrene. She was going to be very, very late.

“Perhaps,” Lonan continued, “it isn’t a good idea to even meet the dragon. We could sneak into its cave while it’s away hunting.”

“And look for a scale that has fallen off?” The idea was tempting.

“Yes, and then we can be long gone by the time it discovers someone was in its cave.”

“But what happens if there aren’t any scales lying around for us to grab?” She didn’t want to see a dragon either, but she didn’t know how dragon’s scales worked. What if they didn’t shed?

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Lonan didn’t seem to have an answer either.

“If we don’t find one, we’ll have to wait for it to come back so I can ask it for a scale,” she said.

“Oh, I don’t think there is any asking a dragon for anything. There’s a reason the faeries sent you rather than retrieve the scale themselves.”

Lonan made a good point. The Summer King wouldn’t have sent her on a quest he thought she could win.

“How about this? First, we find the cave and scout the area. Then we can decide what to do from there. If you don’t want to go anymore,” she told him, “now would be the best time to change your mind. You could still turn around and go home.”

“No, no. I will go with you.” Lonan picked up his pack and put it over his shoulder. “Lead the way.”

Seraiah smiled. She was surprised to find that she was glad he was coming with her, and she wouldn’t be doing this alone. Sometime during her stint in the underground, she had come to like the gnome’s company, mushroom stories and all.

Besides the birds chirping happily in the trees, it was quiet as they climbed the mountain. Lonan stayed uncharacteristically silent as he trudged along behind her.

The air grew colder the higher they climbed, and soon Seraiah was wishing for her wool dress. Then she remembered Wisteria had packed her a cloak.

She stopped and dug it out of her bag. It wasn’t the heavy wool cloak she’d brought with her from home, but when Seraiah settled the lightweight fabric around her shoulders, she was surprised to find it just as warm.

She would have to remember to thank Wisteria when she returned to Nyrene—if she returned to Nyrene.

Lonan lasted a little longer before he donned a cloak as well. By then, there was a light dusting of snow on the ground, and the trees were becoming sparse as the ground turned craggy. The animal trail they were following had dwindled away to almost nothing.

Seraiah took it as a sign they were getting close to finding a dragon.

“Do you see that shadow there?”

Seraiah squinted, trying to see what Lonan saw. “I think so.”

“Looks like a cave. We could wait here and be able to see when the dragon leaves.”

“Shouldn’t we get closer so it’s faster to get in and out?” She wasn’t a great judge of distance, but it seemed at least a half hour climb away from them—if not more.

“We don’t want it to catch our scent, or we will end up as it’s dinner.”

“If you say so,” she said, deciding to trust Lonan’s instincts.

They went about setting up camp, but the cave drew her eyes every few minutes. The scale she needed to free Kestrel and help her sister was so close. She wanted to grab it now and be done.

They settled in to wait, with both of them keeping an eye on the cave. With the fading light, it was hard to distinguish where the cave entrance was anymore.

Then, as the last of the light faded, and the stars appeared, a slight movement caught Seraiah’s eye.

She grabbed Lonan’s arm and pointed to the disturbance, making sure he was seeing it, too. He nodded and held a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet.

They stared intently, waiting for another sign of movement.

At last, they were rewarded as a large dark mass came lumbering out of the cave entrance, separating itself from the shadowy rocks.

They watched as it spread its wings and took off into the night. Seraiah held her breath as the great beast flew above them. Its wings and body blocked out the starlight for a moment before it dove down the side of the mountain.

It was incredible.

Sterling would have loved it.

As soon as the thought crossed Seraiah’s mind, a wave of sadness washed over her, but she pushed it away. She was doing this for her sister, and one day Sterling might be able to see this magnificent sight for herself—if only the beast didn’t eat Seraiah first.

They waited a few minutes longer to make sure the dragon didn’t return, and then it was time.

Seraiah double-checked she still had her dagger and then headed for the cave without waiting to see if Lonan followed. She wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t.

A moment later, she heard him scrambling after her.

As they drew closer to the entrance, Seraiah didn’t bother trying to be stealthy. They’d already seen the dragon leave and if it returned, it would catch their scent long before it heard them. No amount of careful sneaking would keep them hidden.

Seraiah marched right up to the cave, with Lonan trailing behind her.

It was dark, and when she peered inside, she couldn’t see anything in the pitch black. It was, however, ripe with musk and something else she could only assume was the scent of dragon.

She took a step into the cave and felt a tug on the back of her tunic. When she turned, Lonan held out the lantern they’d used underground.

She motioned for him to light it.

He did so quickly before holding it up to reveal the inside of the cave—and the dragon that was waiting for them.