The Lost Queen (Book 1 of The Lost Queen Series)

Chapter Forty-Four

The opening of the tunnel was a small hole, similar in size to the one Seraiah had fallen in to end up in Metrius in the first place.

She emerged first, followed by Lonan, and they stood for a few minutes, blinking in the sunlight as their eyes adjusted to the sudden change.

The sky seemed enormous after being underground.

"Guess we won't be needing this anymore," Lonan said, extinguishing the lantern.

"Don't leave it behind. We might need it again," Seraiah warned him. She didn't anticipate having to return to the underground, but if she'd learned anything since leaving home, it was to prepare for the unexpected.

Seraiah scanned the nearby area, looking for the dragon cave or any signs of a dragon. The sky was clear, and there were so many trees in her way, it was hard to tell what the mountainside looked like. Maybe if she could get a better angle.

She took a few steps forward.

"Be careful of the edge," Lonan called. He hadn't moved from next to the tunnel entrance.

She looked down and hurriedly stepped back. If not for Lonan's warning, she might have stepped right off the side of the mountain, and it was a long way down. She doubted there would be a lake at the bottom to catch her this time.

Seraiah retreated to the tunnel entrance. "Any idea which direction the cave might be in?"

Lonan tugged on his beard and then pointed to the left, where a thin path wound past them and disappeared into the trees. It appeared animal created, but passable if Seraiah was careful where she stepped.

"That looks like it goes up," Lonan said. "Dragons might like being on the highest peak for easier flying."

That sounded reasonable to her. "All right," Seraiah said, "let's head that way then. I don't want to waste any of the sunlight."

Lonan nodded. "Best not to meet a dragon at night."

"Why's that?"

"Nighttime is when dragons go hunting. Everyone knows that. If we were to see a dragon at nightfall, they would just be waking up for the night, and I don't care to meet a hungry dragon. I'm not sure they're discerning when it comes to what to eat for dinner."

Seraiah frowned. It would mean another night going by before she got her hands on a scale. Then there was the matter of getting it back to the Summer King and returning to Nyrene. She was going to be very, very late.

"Perhaps," Lonan continued, "it isn't a good idea to even meet the dragon. We could sneak into its cave while it's away hunting."

"And look for a scale that has fallen off?" The idea was tempting.

"Yes, and then we can be long gone by the time it discovers someone was in its cave."

"But what happens if there aren't any scales lying around for us to grab?" She didn't want to see a dragon either, but she didn't know how dragon's scales worked. What if they didn't shed?

Lonan didn't seem to have an answer either.

"If we don't find one, we'll have to wait for it to come back so I can ask it for a scale," she said.

"Oh, I don't think there is any asking a dragon for anything. There's a reason the faeries sent you rather than retrieve the scale themselves."

Lonan made a good point. The Summer King wouldn't have sent her on a quest he thought she could win.

"How about this? First, we find the cave and scout the area. Then we can decide what to do from there. If you don't want to go anymore," she told him, "now would be the best time to change your mind. You could still turn around and go home."