The maw moved back into shadow, and the head rose and rose once more to its grand height. Dorian’s hand finally fell away from my body, only for his fingers to find mine, to grip my hand tight.
“First,” the dragon said, “I would take your name.”
An easy take. A test. “Eurydice.”
A scrape and a thud from somewhere deep in the cavern. The ground rumbled under my feet. “That is only half a name.”
“Eurydice Waters.”
“Ah, yes. A daughter of scorn, of the hardscrabble folk. A cursed name for a cursed child.” For the first time, a certain pleasure had entered its androgynous voice. “And for that, I shall give you something in return. I am called Caustrix.”
Caustrix. The word thrummed through me, unforgettable.
“Now, you must give,” it hissed.
What could I give? What could a dragon possibly want? I had no gems, no valuables on me. Only myself.
Dorian leaned close, his lips nearly touching the shell of my ear. “Freedom.”
My gaze darted to him in the darkness. I couldn’t possibly offer this creature freedom. It resided so deep under the earth, I didn’t even understand how it had gotten down here. Or why.
A low chuckle resounded through the cavern. “I have lived a thousand years in silence, and you think you can whisper quietly enough to keep a secret. What is your name, fae?”
His face turned from me, chin rising. “Dorian Crowmere.”
“Anotherveyre.Do you know what became of the last one, Dorian Crowmere?”
“I wish I did.”
The eyes blinked. A breath out.
“I ate him.”
Silence.
Then a barking laugh rapped off the walls. “An entry for your history books. Or perhaps not, since it’s unlikely you’ll ever touch a quill or inkpot again.”
So many threats. The more that came, the less I felt them.
But theveyre-eating part… that had the ring of truth.
“You wish to be free.” I stepped forward without letting go of Dorian’s hand. “You think I can give you that.”
“And what makes you think you can read my mind, dirt waif?”
“Nothing. I only know two facts.”
“Oh?” The voice lowered, almost indulgent. “Facts are for the naïve and idealistic. Do tell me yourfacts.”
“First, you haven’t killed us.” He didn’t speak, didn’t argue. “Second, you’ve been down here, alone, for at least four hundred years.”
Caustrix’s breath pressed my braid back and forward, back and forward. Quicker now. A growl emanated from his throat, and his mouth opened once more.
Blue flames, dancing in the darkness.
They rose, rose out of the throat and past its teeth. Blue flames erupted into the cavern, illuminating the space. For half a second I saw it, the creature in all its terrible glory.
A behemoth. Tectonic. Black-scaled, an elegant neck and a tail just as long. The fine-boned webbing of wings tucked to its body.