CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

FIRE AND BLOOD

They follow their dragon guide to yet another cavern, but this one isn’t dark like the earlier ones. This one is practically blazing with light, and when they get closer, Filomena realizes it’s because there is so much gold piled inside the cave. It’s hard to look at the three dragons who are sitting on the hoard.

These dragons who assess them are so large that they make the dragon who led them here look like a pony. They’re easily as tall as skyscrapers, and old … so old.

“Who dares wake us from our sleep?” grumbles the one on the right.

“Supplicants! We haven’t seen a supplicant who’s survived our game in centuries,” rasps the dragon on the left.

The one in the middle is the largest. That dragon turns a large, wizened serpent face toward them. “I am Darius, keeper of the Deep. To my left is Maximus, and to my right is Saleyeth.”

Filomena curtsies. “Filomena Jefferson-Cho of North Pasadena.”

“Jack Stalker the Giant Slayer. Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Jack says.

“Alistair Bartholomew Barnaby. I like your dragon bed,” Alistair offers innocently. “What’s it made of?”

“Gold, and the bones of our enemies,” Darius replies grimly.

“Ew,” Alistair says without thinking.

Darius tilts his head in challenge, silently daring Alistair to speak ill of the lair again, and this time it’s Filomena who kicks his shin.

“Ow!” Alistair yelps.

“Please forgive our friend for his lack of manners,” says Jack.

Darius seems willing to let it go. “For thousands upon thousands of nights, we have slept in the Deep, untroubled by the Above. What do you seek from the Deep? Your valor has won you an audience, nothing more. But speak freely and we may consider your request.”

Once again Filomena bows low. “Your Eminences, the lands above you are in danger of falling to the ogre queen, who seeks to destroy us all. Things are dire, and every day one more kingdom falls to her power. We must fight, but we cannot do so without the armor and weapons forged in the Deep.”

“She speaks the truth, Your Greatnesses,” says Jack. “We need your help if we are to save Never After from this danger.”

“The affairs of the Above are of no concern to us,” says Saleyeth, a beautiful golden dragon. “No one has ever cared for dragons’ welfare. Why should we lift a claw in anyone’s favor?”

“The ogre queen will not be satisfied until she has all of Never After under her command,” Jack warns. “Once she’s conquered all the kingdoms of the Above, she will look for more lands to conquer. She will come down here, seeking gold and riches.”

“Let her come,” says Saleyeth angrily. “We will show her what happens to thieves.”

“Please, Your Eminences!” cries Filomena. “Once upon a time you came to Westphalia to celebrate the birth of its princess! You promised to honor the alliance between the Above and the Deep. We need your help desperately.”

Darius swishes his tail, and the gold beneath him clinks. “We did send emissaries. It seemed a fortunate boon. But that was thousands of years ago.”

“Merely a blink of a dragon’s eye,” says Filomena.

Darius smiles, showing his sharp fangs.

“Please,” says Alistair simply. “Please help us.”

The three dragons exchange suspicious looks, and Maximus breathes fire unexpectedly, letting out a low growl. “And how exactly do three small children plan to defeat the ogre queen and her army? Do you have an army of your own behind you?”

“Well, no…,” says Alistair.

“Not exactly…,” Filomena replies. “I mean, not just yet, anyway. But we will. Once we can get the remaining fairies together…”

The dragons laugh, deeply and savagely, causing the entire room to shake.

“It’s not funny!” Filomena cries. In the heat of the moment, she removes her beanie, and the radiant mark of the thirteenth fairy glows in the dimly lit room, catching the dragons’ attention.

Darius rises to his feet and stomps slowly to Filomena, bending down to inspect the mark on her forehead.

“Is it real?” Salayeth inquires.

Darius lets out a monstrous huff, like he’s thinking, and the sudden blow of air sends Filomena’s hair flying back as she squints. “It appears so,” Darius finally responds.

“It is real,” Jack confirms. “It is the mark of Carabosse.”

“Carabosse,” says Maximus approvingly. “Now, she was a fairy.”

“Carabosse was a friend to the Deep,” says Darius with a frown. “We are pledged to help any who carry her mark.”

“But Carabosse was magnificent, and this one is so … small,” Maximus responds indignantly.

“A speck,” agrees Saleyeth, gazing at her claws. “Not even worth a chomp.”

“I’m glad I’m … unappetizing,” says Filomena.

Darius seems to have made up his mind and speaks for the three. “Small as she is, she is marked by our friend. And we dragons are loyal above all. We will aid you in your battle against the ogres. With one condition: The treaty between the Deep and the Above is that we stay to our spaces. But I find we are weary of the darkness. We wish to fly in the sun once more. If we help you defeat the ogre queen, we must be allowed back in Westphalia. We will not be hunted, nor shall we hunt in return.”

“Your Eminence, your generosity is beyond imagination,” says Filomena. “But please let us talk about it before we accept.”

The dragons huff. Then Darius flicks his claw and Filomena, Jack, and Alistair find themselves alone in a cave outside the royal cavern.

“Can we give them what they want?” asks Filomena.

“Technically, no, since we’re not the royal family of Westphalia.”

“But the royal family is missing.”

“So maybe we can pledge on their behalf?” asks Alistair. “What could it hurt?”

“They’ll kill us if they think they’ve been deceived,” says Jack.

“But we don’t have a choice.”

“How do we know they won’t turn around and slaughter everyone in Westphalia once the ogres are defeated?” he asks.

“We’ll just have to trust them,” says Filomena.

“Yikes,” says Alistair.

“They’ll keep their word. I know they will,” she says.

Jack sighs. “All right.”

As if the dragons know the trio is done, the supplicants are popped back in front of the royal council.

“On behalf of the royal family of Westphalia, we accept the terms of your agreement,” says Filomena.

Darius, in lieu of answering with words, begins to wriggle and groan, almost as if in pain. Slowly and painstakingly, he sheds the scales on his left claw, like a glove that’s become too large for him. They rest at his feet, sharp and shiny. “You have my word. To seal that word as true, as a promise to be honored until the end of time, we will give you our scales as armor for your army.”

Jack reaches down to touch the dragonhide. It’s unexpectedly light, like woven threads of gold and silver.

“These scales have endured for millennia. May they protect you and yours for the rest of your time.”

The other two dragons rise, repeating the act, with Maximus offering his scales to Alistair and Salayeth offering hers to Filomena.

“As for weaponry…” Darius rummages through the pile of treasure underneath him and removes a wrapped bundle, laying it in front of them. He uncloaks it, revealing a set of fangs in different sizes and shapes, forged into swords and daggers.

“Whoa!” Alistair exclaims, leaning forward to stare at the gift. Then he looks up at Darius, asking, “Are those what I think they are?”

The dragon nods. “Dragon’s Teeth are known for both their deadly and mystical properties. They are as protective as they are perilous. For centuries, they have been used to penetrate even the thickest and most spellbound armor, aiding in some of the most crucial battles of all time.”

“Is it true that even just the sight of a Dragon’s Tooth can paralyze an opponent with fear?” Filomena asks.

Darius pauses, considering the question. “That answer depends on how powerful the particular opponent is, as well as what kind of magic or sorcery the enemy wields against you.”

Alistair and Jack pause at that, eyeing Filomena, as though they’re thinking the same thing she is: What will the ogre queen have in her arsenal?

Darius wraps the bundle back up and hands it to Jack. “May these weapons protect and defend your cause. You carry the blessings of the Deep in your battle.”

“Defeat the ogres,” orders Salayeth. “I long to see the sun once more.”

“Blessings upon you three,” adds Maximus. “May you bring peace and glory back to Westphalia.”

Filomena, Jack, and Alistair bow low to the dragons and thank them for their gifts.

“One last thing,” says Darius, before bidding the trio farewell and letting them back through the portal to Vineland. “You were wise to seek the power of the Deep. But that is not enough. All of Westphalia must stand against the ogre queen if the kingdom is to survive. And if soldiers are what you are looking for, look no further than the Wolves of the Wood.”