Dragon’s Fire
A burst of flame shot out of the cave and hit the bushes. The bushes exploded.
The saber-toothed cat leaped from its hiding place. It gave a great roar and a cry. Fire licked its back and its hind legs.
The giant cat rolled on the ground for a moment. Then it struggled to its feet. A growl rumbled in its throat.
The saber-toothed cat arched its back and stared at the cave. It roared at the darkness.
There was a shuffling sound inside the cave. The saber-toothed cat backed up.
Beth tensed as the massive shadow lumbered out of the cave.
Sabra cried, “The file, Beth!”
Beth fumbled around to reach the file in her pocket.
Suddenly the moon slipped out from behind a cloud. The light poured onto the creature. It was coming out of the cave.
Beth couldn’t take her eyes off it.
Greens, purples, blues, golds, and silvers—all of these colors reflected off the beast’s skin.
Beth blinked. She couldn’t believe her eyes. It truly is a dragon, she thought.
It was twice the size of an elephant. But it was leaner and more muscular. Its tail and neck were long and thick. They swayed like huge tree branches.
The dragon’s head was long and diamond-shaped. Sharp teeth filled its narrow jaws. Its head looked like a cross between a horse’s head and an alligator’s.
Smoke trailed upward from its nostrils. Beth thought she saw sparks when its teeth rubbed together.
The dragon’s attention was on the saber-toothed cat. The dragon roared, and Beth felt the ground shake.
The saber-toothed cat snarled and backed up. It hissed once and scratched at the air with its massive paw.
Beth sucked in a gasp of air. The dragon was coming forward. It walked past the girls. Beth’s hand was shaking. But she finally got her fingers around the file. Thank you, Mr. Whittaker, she thought.
Beth grasped the file firmly. Then she started sawing the ropes.
The saber-toothed cat may have been frightened, but it didn’t give in. It sprang at the dragon’s neck.
The dragon swung its head like a hammer. The blow knocked the saber-toothed cat into the air. It hit the ground with a hard thud. Then it rolled to its feet.
The dragon snorted and shook its head. Then Beth saw three bloody streaks across the dragon’s snout. The saber-tooth had scored a hit.
The giant cat crouched for another strike.
Beth sawed at the ropes again. One strand was now thin. She yanked with all her might, and the strand lengthened. Suddenly, one of her hands slipped free. Then the other. She leaned over to cut at the rope around her legs.
The dragon opened its mouth wide and let out a loud cough. Once, twice . . . and then a burst of flames shot forward.
The saber-toothed cat screeched and scrambled out of the way. It ran as far as the water, and then it turned back.
Beth untied the last of the ropes from around her legs. She was finally free. She turned to Sabra and untied her friend’s ropes. Sabra was free in less than a minute.
The two girls ran for the only cover they could find: inside the cave. They squeezed behind a large rock.
“Is this a good idea?” Beth asked.
“We must think of a way to escape,” Sabra said. “And we can’t let those horrible creatures see us.”
They peeked out at the dragon and the saber-toothed cat. The cat was prowling back and forth in front of the dragon. It seemed to be looking for an opening to strike.
“Do you think the saber-tooth attacked the sheep . . . and your shepherd?” Beth asked.
Sabra nodded. “The claw marks around the post were too small to belong to the dragon.”
“And the tracks,” Beth said. “Those were paw prints. And the white fur in the bushes. The dragon was being blamed for the saber-tooth’s work.”
The dragon’s roar shook Beth and Sabra out of their conversation. The two creatures were watching each other.
“I see no way out,” Sabra said.
The saber-tooth leaped for a strike. The dragon countered with another blast of fire. Red and orange flames lit up the girls’ faces.
A strange whining sound came from behind them.
“Did you hear that?” Sabra asked. “It’s coming from deep in the cave.”
“Uh-huh,” Beth said and then swallowed hard. She looked back into the cave.
Shimmering light seemed to be coming from deep in the darkness.
“I see moonlight. I think there’s a back way out,” Beth said. She didn’t like the idea of going deeper into the cave. But it was their only way to get away from the beasts. She slowly moved into the darkness.
They rounded a wide bend in the cave wall. Then they came to a huge chamber. Small fires were scattered around the room. The firelight reflected on the surface of a wide pool of water. Beth could smell seawater. “I think there’s a way out,” she said. “But we’ll have to swim across.”
“No,” Sabra said. “There could be an undertow. We could be dragged out to sea.”
Then Beth gasped and pointed. At the edge of the water was a small dragon. It lifted its head sleepily.
“A baby?” Sabra said.
The small dragon turned toward her voice. It blinked at the girls and whined again.
“The dragon was protecting its baby from the saber-tooth,” Beth said.
A bright flash from behind them made the two girls jump.
Heavy thumps echoed throughout the cave and shook the floor.
“The dragon!” Beth cried.
They flattened themselves against the cave wall. Beth found a crack in the wall to slide into. She pulled Sabra after her.
The mother dragon thundered into the chamber.
The baby dragon screeched. Its mother moved toward it and made a deep trilling sound.
Beth thought it sounded almost like a purr. The beasts pressed close to nuzzle each other.
“Time for us to go,” Beth whispered.
Sabra nodded.
The girls edged toward the cave opening. They’d made it only a short distance when the dragon roared.
Dust and small rocks fell from the ceiling.
Beth turned in time to see the mother dragon rushing toward them. It was snorting hot flames.
“Run!” Beth screamed.