The dragon reared its head back, unfolding its wings, which spanned the full diameter of the room. Lines of embroidered scales stood out on its skin, and fabric pleated over to make thin spines on the creature’s back.
“Okay, let’s say that a dragon is like a snake. I know something about snakes,” Mouse whispered. “When you see a snake, you must back away slowly.”
“Into a fire?”
Mouse glared at him. “Is now really the time for your attempts at wit?”
She shuffled sideways to the edge of the charred crescent on the floor. Thornwood followed as close to her as possible without touching her. The dragon watched them with golden eyes. As Mouse moved closer, she saw red silk slide over orange, forming the dragon’s long neck. Stark white outlines emphasized the brightness of the embroidered scales. The dragon’s fluid movements blended intosomething at once feline and reptilian. The creature’s head bobbed, following them as they moved.
“What is the next step in your plan?” Thornwood asked.
“There is no next step—it’s taking everything I have just to focus on de-escalation at the moment.”
“Perhaps the dragon will get dizzy, watching us walk around in circles.”
“Save the sarcastic remarks until one of your brilliant plans pays off. What did you see up the chimney?”
They both sidestepped, making it a quarter of the way around the room. Still, the creature watched them, matching their turn with its own. Its tail twitched back and forth.
“There was nothing up there but a pinprick of light. We could not climb it, even if our reptilian friend was not here.”
“Why is the dragon here at all?” Mouse said, thinking aloud to distract herself from her rising panic. “I can only assume someone set up this place to prevent anyone from dismantling the spell affecting the rest of the house. That means the dragon must be both a distraction and a deterrent.”
Thornwood raised his eyebrows. “That makes sense.”
“No need to sound surprised,” Mouse said. “You say the caster designed the magic to keep people away from the roots of the spell. So then, where would the roots be?”
“The part of the room least likely to garner attention,” he said.
They both looked straight up. There was no visible decoration above them, and Mouse still could not make out the ceiling.
“Our best way up there is now stalking us. Too bad we did not use the cloth to pull ourselves up before,” Thornwood said.
Mouse stopped moving, and Thornwood bumped into her.
“What is it?” he asked.
“You’re right. The dragon is our best way up.”
“Did you hit your head when you fell earlier? The only way this dragon will help us get there is as a cloud of ash.”
“Trust me,” Mouse said. “Now, do your best to distract it while I climb onto the creature’s tail. And when I’m on, I’ll distract it while you get on.”
Before he could respond, she took off, leaving him pressed against the wall. She dashed straight at the creature, her robe and nightgown hiked above her knees. The dragon lowered its head, its mouth opening.
At the creature’s foot, Mouse dove to the side and caught the edge of its tail as high up as she could. She clung to the dragon, wrapping as much silk around her hands as she could. It was slippery, and she drew in tight against its scales.
Thrashing, the dragon jumped from side to side. While its tail whipped, Mouse took a chance and let go, landing squarely across the dragon’s neck. It roared, doubling its efforts to knock her off. She hoisted herself upright as she searched for Thornwood. He was watching, mouth agape, and she wanted to scream.
“Do something!” she shouted. Her fingers strained as the dragon shook its head.
“What were you thinking—a joust, perhaps? So tragic that I’ve left my lance in the forest and am not a complete lunatic.”
“You are impossible,” she shouted. “Get on its back! I did it!”
“You make my determination not to die sound like a character flaw,” he yelled back. “I may be a Faerie, but getting my head bitten off or being torn to pieces will still kill me.”
The shadows lengthened, and Mouse’s eyes shot to the fireplace. Where her body pressed against the dragon, she could feel a rattle and hear something like sand falling through an hourglass.