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Images flashed through Dusk’s brain from a life he could barely remember. Somewhere in his childhood, he had seen drawings of flying beasts that destroyed towns and murdered entire armies, but he wasn’t sure where. He remembered the word ‘dragon’ and it brought with it an instinctual fear that he didn’t understand. Somewhere in his mind, he heard pieces of a story about the dragons trying to destroy the world of men. Or were the dragons rulers at one point? He couldn’t remember, but he knew that none had been seen in over a thousand years, alive or dead. Without meaning to, he had stumbled onto something miraculous and ancient.
“Dusk?” a quivering voice called down the passage. “Dusk!”
He snapped out of his stupor and turned the lantern back to the gap, “I’m fine. You can make it through. It’s a little tight at the end, but I’ll help you.”
Nine slowly began sliding his way through the passage while holding the pickaxe in his left hand, his smaller frame slipping through easily. At the very end, he was stuck for only a moment before a light pull from Dusk brought him out to the other side. He tried to brush the dampness away and then looked up, seeing the skeleton for the first time. His jaw dropped.
“No way...” he breathed. “This can’t be real.”
Dusk, without a word, began to walk toward the remains, taking the lamp with him. In less than a moment, Nine was on his heels, keeping close to him and the light. It was almost unneeded as they approached. The skeleton bathed the entire cavern in a pale blue light that seemed to emanate from within. Dusk placed the lamp on the ground and stepped around gently. The floor under his feet felt like loose gravel. Quietly as possible he came forward to reach out and place a hand on a massive rib. The surface of the bone was smooth like glass. Across the entire carcass lay a thin sheet of faceted crystal, almost like the skin and scales of the creature had fossilized over time to create a shell. There were holes here and there, but all that could be seen within the crystalline skin was a shining light. Even peeking through a hole, Dusk couldn’t make out anything more than a bright shape within that seemed to shift and sparkle slowly.
A loud thud and the scattering of loose stones almost caused Dusk to fall over as he whipped around to see Nine lying on the ground, his pickaxe thrown forward a few feet. He had slipped on the loose gravel and fallen. But it wasn’t gravel, it was glinting in the lamplight. Nine was staring down at his surroundings, his jaw hanging wide again. They were coins. Thousands upon thousands of gold and silver coins covered the cavern floor, throwing light in all directions. They had been covered with a fine layer of dust and earth, but now that they were exposed, it was obvious they filled the entire cavern.
“Oh, gods...” Nine whispered. “This is more gold than the king himself has.”
He picked up great handfuls of the coins, letting them fall through his fingers and rain down to the floor once more. His eyes were large and gleaming. Even in the dim light, it was obvious what he was thinking.
“Leave it,” Dusk said flatly. “You’ll never sneak it out without being caught. Just let them have it.”
“But if we got away... we could actually have a real life!” Nine retorted, running his hands through the coins.
“Look around you! There’s no way out besides the way we came. Just leave it there. If you get caught there won’t be a tomorrow. Everything in this place belongs to the Lord de Ronja, even you.”
Nine glared at Dusk until he turned away to look at the skeleton once more. Behind he could still hear the boy running his hands through the coins. He bit back the urge to tell him to stop. He might as well let Nine enjoy it while he could. There would be very little joy for the next ten years of his life anyway, if not longer. The cavern was, at the very least, providing them a brief taste of freedom that would be too short-lived.
Sighing deeply, Dusk permitted himself to continue exploring the skeleton. He walked the thirty feet down to the tail that curled against the edge of the wall, running his fingers along the glass-like surface. Retrieving the pickaxe, he came back and gave it a few light taps. The sound that rang out was pure and sweet. It vibrated through the entire fossil, creating a ghostly melody that seemed to stir something deep inside Dusk, like a sad memory. He felt himself being drawn towards the head of the creature, which was curled back against the wall.
Ax in hand, he clambered up over the skeleton, using the legs and the long row of spikes along the spine as handholds to hoist himself up. The creature was larger than he had first thought. It was easily over seventy feet long and the torso itself stood more than ten feet tall. One wing touched the ground beneath him, curled tightly against the body while the other was thrown open across the cavern wall. It was bent at an odd angle and had obviously been broken before it fossilized. Even so, it stretched up and across the ceiling, easily the full length of the creature. Dusk thought it must have been a terrifying sight while it was still alive. A monster blotting out the sun before it attacked.
Dusk slid down the other side and out of sight from Nine, making his way across rough broken stones to where the head lay. The light from within the carcass glinted across the face, catching something in the left eye of the creature. Dusk bent down, running his fingers across the almost perfectly preserved visage of the dragon. He had expected it to look more fearsome, but he was surprised to see that it only looked gentle and sad. The right side of the face was perfectly intact with the eyelids closed, while the left side seemed to have lost all its crystalline skin, exposing the skull beneath. There, lodged in the back of the open eye socket was a small faceted stone, no larger than the palm of Dusk’s hand. His fingers reached in, wrapping around the edges of it. He pulled, but it was stuck tight.
Glancing around he could still hear the clinking of coins. Knowing he was unwatched, he moved the point of the pickaxe into the eye socket and wedged it under the stone. Leaning his weight against it gently, the stone refused to budge. With one last glance, Dusk jumped and forced all his weight on the handle. The stone sprung free, tinkling across the ground like a fine piece of glass as the pickaxe clattered to the ground.
“Are you alright?” Nine called from the other side.
“Tripped over some more coins back here. I’m fine,” Dusk lied, holding his breath.
He heard the sound of clinking coins once more and let himself relax. Walking over to the now unstuck stone, he bent down and picked it up, turning it over in his hand so that it lay flat in his palm. It was warm, unnaturally so, and where it touched his skin he felt a prickle like he was being poked with needles. It was only as thick as a coin, but it was heavy. It was faceted like a crystal with one large flat surface on the top and a shallow point on the bottom. Dusk lifted it between his fingers and peered through it. The crystal was perfectly clear and a pale aquamarine, like the surrounding skeleton, but it didn’t emit a glow of its own. He stared at it for a few moments, mesmerized by its beauty, and then he was overcome with the urge to keep it.
He knew he was foolish to even think such a thing, he’d never get it out of the mine. Before they left they would be searched thoroughly by the guards, especially when Dusk told Maxon about the hoard of coins they had found. Still, he felt he couldn’t give it up. It seemed to call to something deep inside him like it belonged to him. Dusk swore he could almost hear it whisper in the back of his mind, asking for a favor like an old friend. The voice was deep and kind, although it spoke no words he could understand. It didn’t feel right to leave it behind. Even though he couldn’t explain it, he felt like it had been waiting for him.
Without another thought Dusk crouched down and pulled off his boot that was coming apart in places, having been in poor condition for a long time. Between the two pieces of thin leather making up the sole of his boot, he wedged the crystal in. As soon as it left his fingers and his boot was replaced, he felt foolish, but no amount of shame could convince him to remove the stone. He took a step forward, noticing the small bulge in the bottom of his shoe, pressing into the arch of his foot. He prayed no one would find it.
Dusk took one last look at the dragon that lay frozen in time, admiring the soft features of its face and the delicate pattern of scales, before he turned to climb back over. It was harder on this side. There weren’t many footholds and in the end he had to use the large forehead of the dragon and one broken horn to hoist himself up and onto its back. Sliding down the other side he landed with a crunch, the coins underneath grinding in the loose dust that covered them. Nine was standing a few feet away surrounded by a large exposed area of coins. The lantern flickered, casting glints of gold and silver off the floor.
“We should head back,” Dusk said flatly. “There isn’t any more tunnel to explore here.”
Nine nodded, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Dusk heard a slight jingle from behind the cloth.
“Leave the coins behind. We will be searched.”
Nine sighed deeply and turned his pockets out, letting the coins clatter back to the ground. Dusk nodded to him and stooped to take the lamp, the pickaxe still clutched in his other hand. The small adventure had been exciting, but now that he was faced with the thought of going back, Dusk found the same submissive mindset seeping back into his consciousness. He felt his chest deflate and his shoulders curl forward. It had been fun while it lasted.
The way back was easier and with the pickaxe, they widened the small gap before they passed through, making it easy to slip through. As they came upon the hole to the mine at last, they saw a brighter glow on the other side and noticed the hole had been widened out. Maxon was eagerly waiting on the other side and beckoned them through.
“Well?” he hissed. “What did you find?”
“There’s a large cavern with a dragon skeleton, sir,” Dusk replied with his head hung low.
He wasn’t expecting the blow that struck him across the face, sending him into the hard stone wall.
“Do you think you’re funny?” Maxon yelled, towering over him. “Don’t lie to me!”
“He’s not!” Nine cried out. “I saw it too!”
There was another dull thud as Nine was struck and thrown to the ground.
“It’s at the end of the tunnel through a tight gap,” Dusk called out. “There’s a strange blue light coming from it. I promise on my life it’s there, sir!”
Maxon stopped just as he was about to strike Nine again and turned back, walking over to him. “That’s not much of a promise. You!” he snapped at one of the guards, “Go see if what they’re saying is true.” He turned back to Dusk, “If he doesn’t come back with news of a dragon skeleton, I will strip all the skin off your body while you’re still alive. And that’s a real promise.”
“Yes sir.”
Dusk stayed on the ground, keeping silent. He glanced at Nine, nodding ever so slightly as if to tell him to stay still. He wanted to tell Maxon of the gold, knowing how greedy the foreman was, but he didn’t dare. Maxon might find that part of the story too outlandish and kill him on the spot before the guard had time to return.
It was a long and arduous wait with many whispered threats from Maxon along the way, most of them aimed at Nine. After a half-hour the guard appeared in the gap, his face flushed white and a small satchel clutched in his hand.
“It—it’s true sir,” he quivered, handing over the jingling bag. “There’s a skeleton and heaps of coins.”
Maxon undid the leather binding and dug his hand into the bag. Pulling out a handful of gold and silver coins, his eyes grew wide, shining in the lamplight. He smiled. Not a cruel smile, but a happy one. Something Dusk had never seen before, but it was no less terrifying.
After a moment Maxon placed the coins back in the bag and turned slowly to Dusk. “Why didn’t you mention the gold?” he asked gently. “Thought maybe you’d leave that out and take some for yourself, huh?’
“No sir I—”
“Search them!”
The two guards surged forward, grabbing Dusk first and slamming him against the wall face first. They ran their hands all over him, turning out his pockets and patting down his legs.
“There’s nothing here, sir,” the first guard relayed.
“Search the boy.”
They dropped Dusk to the floor and made their way towards Nine. To Dusk’s horror, he saw Nine pull away and try to make a break for it. He barely made it more than ten feet before he was tackled to the ground by the guards. Dusk heard the sickening crunch of bones as they piled on top of him, grinding him into the hard stone floor. Nine cried out in pain, but they ignored him, running their hands roughly over his body and turning out his pockets.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, Dusk heard the gentle tinkle of coins scattering across the ground. He kept his face firmly pressed towards the ground, only turning his eyes upward to look into the eyes of his terrified companion.
“Thought you could get away with some coin, huh?” Maxon hissed through gritted teeth. “I know your story boy and why you’ve already lost a finger for being a petty thief. Looks like you never learn, do you? Strip him!”
The guards yanked Nine to his feet and slammed his already broken body against the stone, tearing off his clothing as they did so. They threw his tattered shirt to the floor, ripped off his boots, which also had a few coins stuffed in them, and the rest of his clothing until he was pressed naked against the cold wall. Maxon walked over slowly, eyeing the boy with a look of malice, the likes of which Dusk had never seen in person.
“I don’t tolerate thieves,” Maxon said lightly. “Or unbreakable dogs. And you are both.”
Dusk hadn’t noticed the pickaxe, but as Maxon reeled it back over his head, he turned away, not wanting to see what was about to happen. There was a sickening thud and dull crunch, followed by a wet sucking sound as the pickaxe was pulled back out and tossed to the ground. Dusk heard Nine’s body hit the floor, but he didn’t dare look. He kept his eyes firmly on the ground.
“Strip the other one,” Maxon sighed.
Dusk didn’t have time to react before he was lifted to his feet and hurled against the wall once more, his head smashed against the stone and stars erupted across his vision. He felt the hot warmth of blood running down his face as his clothing was torn off in the same fashion and tossed about the tunnel. There was nothing to be found of course, until the guards began reaching for his boots. They pulled them off roughly, tipping them over and shaking them to make sure they were free of coins. The boot holding the stone was pulled off and shook, but nothing came out. The guard shoved his hand into it and finding nothing, tossed it over his shoulder onto the ground.
“There’s nothing here sir,” he proclaimed, turning away from Dusk’s dirty, naked body.
“An honest slave,” Maxon laughed. “Well, that is a new one. Now I’m really sorry to see you go since we have you broken so thoroughly.” He snapped at the guards, “Stand watch over this hole and don’t let anyone near it.”
Dusk’s eyes wandered and settled on the body of Nine. There was a large hole in the top of his head where the sharp point of the pickaxe had sunk in. He was surrounded by a pool of blood and one of his eyes lay on the ground next to his body. The pickaxe was covered in gore that was still leaking out of the top of his head. Suddenly Dusk felt a sharp blow against his stomach, causing him to double over. It was Maxon’s fist.
“Are you deaf?” he yelled. “I said get your shit and get out of here!”
Dusk quickly bent down and retrieved the torn fragments that remained of his clothing, scooped up his boots, and walked briskly up the tunnel. Ignoring the looks of incredulity at his nakedness, he made his way to the mouth of the cavern only to be stopped by the guards. They tried to question him, but Maxon was hot on his heels.
“Take him to his quarters and lock him up. He’s to be sold tomorrow,” he commanded as he pushed through. “And for the love of the gods, cover him up. I can’t stand to see such filth.”