‘You’re a dragon,’ whispered Rose. ‘You look like a man, but you’re not. You’re a dragon.’

‘Yes,’ said her uncle. ‘But there is something more important to worry about. You must watch out for— You must beware of—’

The words vanished from his mouth, and he shook his head in desperation.

‘Felicia—’ He made a great effort, and managed to croak, ‘Felicia, don’t eat anything.’

‘You’re a dragon,’ Rose said again. And she turned and ran, with Flax and the pup racing after her.

But as soon as they were away from the light of the cavern, they had to slow down for fear of bumping headfirst into rock. Or something worse.

‘I don’t understand,’ whispered Rose as they crept along. ‘He’s my uncle. His portrait hangs behind the throne, next to my parents’. How can he be a dragon? How can he?’

Flax didn’t understand it either. But right now she was far more frightened about someone coming towards them through the labyrinth.

‘Pup,’ she whispered, ‘can you smell scorching?’

‘Not new scorching,’ he rumbled. ‘I think it might be a human.’

Rose stopped dead. ‘You mean it’s not another dragon? Then why are we trying to get away from them?’

‘Because we don’t know who it is,’ hissed Flax. ‘Here, go down this tunnel. No, not that one. The second one.’

They crept down the second tunnel. They turned left several times, then right again. Each time they came to a corner, Flax stopped and listened.

At last her heart slowed a little. ‘I think we’ve lost them.’

‘But what if they’re here to help?’ whispered Rose.

‘What if they aren’t?’ Flax said grimly. ‘Can you hear them, pup?’

‘No,’ said the pup. ‘Have they gone? Can we go back to my parents now?’

Flax shook her head. ‘They’re still here somewhere. I think we should go outside and hide until they leave. Can you find the way out?’

‘I think so,’ said the pup.

He led them in silence through the dark, dangerous tunnels. Every now and then, they stopped so Flax could listen.

The first and second time, she heard nothing except the sounds of the mountain. The scuttle of scorpions. The drip of water. The creak creak of the rock above their heads.

The third time, she heard footsteps directly ahead of them.

It was too late to run. Flax gripped the belt buckle (which was now a toasting fork).

A light shone in their faces.

A dark shape loomed up behind it.

‘Felicia,’ said a pleased voice. ‘I have found you at last.’

Rose gasped. ‘Aunt Delilah!’