be happier for it. I never thought I'd say this, but he's got more sense than you. This is knight's work, and the work of royal sorts who have hours to waste learning how. The ones with great big manly beards and armour with enough shine to blind their enemies. Not an orphan girl and some boy like me."
"My father was a knight," Bonnie says, her blood starting to boil. "The greatest dragon slayer the circle ever saw. They recruited him from beyond the barrier itself because he was so good at it. I'm his blood."
"You're a girl!" Neven shouts. "It should be me protecting you. Instead you run off and try to kill dragons, then end up bringing them back as pets! Which is beyond stupid because by all rights you should be dead now. It's a dragon, Bonnie. You know the tales. You heard Jack. Dragons kill. That's all they do. I don't know what spell caused it to stop, but the moment it ends we're both dead. You know that."
He's right. That's the worst thing. She knows he's right. Tears choke at her throat. She blinks, and takes a deep breath to chase them away before she speaks. "What would you have me do?"
"Leave it," Neven says firmly. "Knighthood, riches, even the kingdom isn't worth your life. If we hurry we might still make the boat. Leave it here with its castle, and its-"
He breaks off, mouth gaping open and closed like a fish.
"Neven. What is it?" She glances at the dragon, but the massive beast is doing nothing more than crouching on the grass, lapping blood from its claws like a giant cat.
He turns back to her, eyes sparkling. "I think we're the only people to storm a castle to kill a dragon, and forget to rescue the princess."
***
The tower seems to go on forever. The rough stones rub her fingers raw before she's halfway up. It could be worse, she tells herself. The tower was made for a difficult climb, but not an impossible one. The walls could be smooth as silk. Instead they jut out at odd angles from each other, providing handholds.
Still, by the time she reaches the top her skin is covered in sweat.
She levers herself onto the ledge, gasping. She might have been the best climber in their village, excepting for Mr Moore whose job it was to fix the roofs, but climbing a tower is a lot different than climbing a tree. Her arms and legs feel like jelly. How did the King expect anyone to slay a dragon the size of a castle, then climb this thing? Who would go through that much effort for a wife?
Metal bars stand firm behind the ledge, surrounding a small balcony. Flowers of a dozen different sizes and colours decorate the dark metal and rise up to climb the walls. Pretty wooden boxes border the edges in such numbers that there remains only a small patch of smooth marble right in the middle of the floor. Each one has a different plant. She recognises carrots and strawberries, but most are foreign to her.
Gingerly she steps over the balcony onto the patch of marble. Behind the balcony is a giant pair of ornate doors, bordered in gold, and filled almost completely up by coloured glass so dark that she can see the merest of shapes behind them. She ignores them for now, turning back to the railing to tie one end of the rope hung over her shoulder around the bars.
It's a good thing Neven brought so much rope. She drops the other end and it falls just short of where tiny far away Neven waits on the ground. They’d decided only one of them should make the climb, and both of them knew it had to be her. Neven’s a lot stronger than he looks, but she beats him hands down at climbing - or any physical activity for that matter.
The dragon sits watching them both with curiosity in his black eyes, but makes no move toward either of them. The spell may wear off, but for now it’s holding. Bonnie takes a deep breath, turning away as Neven clambers up the wall to grab the rope.
The glass of the doors is cool under her hand. They open at the lightest touch of her fingers, as if waiting for her to come. What’s behind the
"My father was a knight," Bonnie says, her blood starting to boil. "The greatest dragon slayer the circle ever saw. They recruited him from beyond the barrier itself because he was so good at it. I'm his blood."
"You're a girl!" Neven shouts. "It should be me protecting you. Instead you run off and try to kill dragons, then end up bringing them back as pets! Which is beyond stupid because by all rights you should be dead now. It's a dragon, Bonnie. You know the tales. You heard Jack. Dragons kill. That's all they do. I don't know what spell caused it to stop, but the moment it ends we're both dead. You know that."
He's right. That's the worst thing. She knows he's right. Tears choke at her throat. She blinks, and takes a deep breath to chase them away before she speaks. "What would you have me do?"
"Leave it," Neven says firmly. "Knighthood, riches, even the kingdom isn't worth your life. If we hurry we might still make the boat. Leave it here with its castle, and its-"
He breaks off, mouth gaping open and closed like a fish.
"Neven. What is it?" She glances at the dragon, but the massive beast is doing nothing more than crouching on the grass, lapping blood from its claws like a giant cat.
He turns back to her, eyes sparkling. "I think we're the only people to storm a castle to kill a dragon, and forget to rescue the princess."
***
The tower seems to go on forever. The rough stones rub her fingers raw before she's halfway up. It could be worse, she tells herself. The tower was made for a difficult climb, but not an impossible one. The walls could be smooth as silk. Instead they jut out at odd angles from each other, providing handholds.
Still, by the time she reaches the top her skin is covered in sweat.
She levers herself onto the ledge, gasping. She might have been the best climber in their village, excepting for Mr Moore whose job it was to fix the roofs, but climbing a tower is a lot different than climbing a tree. Her arms and legs feel like jelly. How did the King expect anyone to slay a dragon the size of a castle, then climb this thing? Who would go through that much effort for a wife?
Metal bars stand firm behind the ledge, surrounding a small balcony. Flowers of a dozen different sizes and colours decorate the dark metal and rise up to climb the walls. Pretty wooden boxes border the edges in such numbers that there remains only a small patch of smooth marble right in the middle of the floor. Each one has a different plant. She recognises carrots and strawberries, but most are foreign to her.
Gingerly she steps over the balcony onto the patch of marble. Behind the balcony is a giant pair of ornate doors, bordered in gold, and filled almost completely up by coloured glass so dark that she can see the merest of shapes behind them. She ignores them for now, turning back to the railing to tie one end of the rope hung over her shoulder around the bars.
It's a good thing Neven brought so much rope. She drops the other end and it falls just short of where tiny far away Neven waits on the ground. They’d decided only one of them should make the climb, and both of them knew it had to be her. Neven’s a lot stronger than he looks, but she beats him hands down at climbing - or any physical activity for that matter.
The dragon sits watching them both with curiosity in his black eyes, but makes no move toward either of them. The spell may wear off, but for now it’s holding. Bonnie takes a deep breath, turning away as Neven clambers up the wall to grab the rope.
The glass of the doors is cool under her hand. They open at the lightest touch of her fingers, as if waiting for her to come. What’s behind the
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