The amount of gold in the cavern was breathtaking. Saying there was a lot of gold was like saying that there was a lot of snow after a blizzard. Everywhere I looked, there were hills of gold, and artifacts.
I was in complete awe as I walked past one of the hills of gold. I held the torch high as I tried to see the top of the mountain of gold. My foot hit something, and I looked down. There was a beautiful crown full of jewels. I laughed as I put it on, then grabbed a handful of gold and raised it above my head, spinning around as the gold rained down.
It was absolutely fantastic. Through the fog of getting carried away, I got a glimpse of rational thought in the form of words from my father: "Don't get greedy, and you'll do fine.”
I had let the euphoria of the treasure get to me. I took a deep breath and calmed my nerves. I removed the crown from my head and set it down carefully, then filled my pouch with gold coins. They were from several different empires that I did not recognize.
Each of the coins looked completely different. Some had a head with a long, skinny beard on them. Some had an eagle on them. Others had an intricate design all around the coin, with a face that had a large open mouth in the middle. They looked creepy, but gold was gold.
Once the pouch was full, I quickly turned around and started to leave, but the light of my torch gleamed off a dagger, catching my eye. The bottom of the handle was gold, but most of the weapon was made of steel. The designs carved into the blade and hilt were inlaid with gold and silver. The handle had a lot of spirals and loops, but the blade was the most impressive part of the whole thing.
I could not read the language of the writing on the blade, but the letters were pure gold. Above the writing were four images of animal heads. While most of the blade was etched and filled with gold, the animals looked almost painted on. They glowed blue like starlight and had such detail that I almost thought they were alive.
The first image was an otter. The second, an angry-looking, snarling wolf. The third was a bear, mouth opened in a fierce roar.
The fourth image was the most majestic of them all. A dragon's head. It, too, was caught in some type of roar. As I looked at all of the images, I realized that the animals were not angry; they were in pain.
Half of the blade was coated in dried blood. Whoever had used this last had not even attempted to clean the blade, but I could fix that.
As I held the blade, it seemed to hum with energy. It made the hairs of my arm stand up on end, almost like during a thunderstorm, when lightning strikes close by.
I fastened the blade to my belt, made sure the pouch of gold was secured tightly, and started towards the exit.
The earth itself seemed to vibrate with a deep rumble that filled the air and echoed off the cavern’s walls. Suddenly, the cavern seemed a lot warmer.
I was not sure exactly what was happening, but I knew better than to just stand there. I grabbed Aesa out of the sheath on my back and ducked down behind a small pile of gold. And by small, I mean that it was only six feet tall.
The earth shook for a second, causing gold to rattle across the cavern. The noise was amazing, if not deafening.
I took a few quiet steps around the gold as I made my way towards the exit. It was close by, but so was something else. I could hear breathing, like the wind rushing through the trees of a forest on a gusty day.
The cavern was so large that the light of my torch never reached the walls, but I was still glad to have it. It was the only light in the blindingly dark cavern.
I cursed. How could I be so stupid? If something was in here, then it could just as easily see the only light in the entire cavern. I thrust it into a pile of gold, extinguishing the flame, and backpedaled away from the fading light.
I crouched, listening. Everything was quiet. One heartbeat, then two. Still quiet. After ten more beats, I took a cautious step, but ended up kicking something in the dark. It skittered down the aisle, making a lot of noise as it clanged across the floor, echoing through the enormous cavern.
I silently cursed at myself, and waited. Nothing. I recognized a sapphire-encrusted chalice sticking out of the pile of gold, and was pretty sure I was near the first pile of gold I had seen, so the exit was close.
"You can do this," I said silently to myself, clutching Aesa in my hand as I prepared to move.
Then the ground shook again, and I heard a roar that was the loudest noise I had ever heard, like the roar of a thousand bears all at once. A moment later, the entire roof of the cavern lit up with a massive flame.
My ears rang as the noise died down, and my vision filled with spots. I breathed heavily as I tried to think through the situation. It took several seconds for my eyes to readjust to the darkness again, and then I realized that there were now several small torches lit throughout the cavern.
The dragon’s fiery breath must have lit them. I heard another low rumble that shook me to my core. I took a few steps toward the exit, and so did the dragon.
Dark red scales reflected what little light was in the room, while its bright green eyes narrowed and scanned back and forth. Its tree-like tail flicked like that of an angry cat, and it was shifting anxiously while its front claws flexed around the mountain of gold it was standing on. Its head and long neck were facing the opening, eagerly searching for me. I could hear it sniffing the air sharply, like a dog trying to pick up on a scent.
If I just stayed still, maybe it would think I had already left.
I sat there for a few more seconds, waiting. It had to get bored eventually, right?
Of course, Lady Luck would not be with me this day. The dragon snapped its head around and stared right at me.
So much for waiting it out or running. He had my scent.