Read Online The Dragon Griaule by Lucius Shepard - Free Book Online Page B

light a number of warty knee-high protuberances that sprouted among the pools – these were deep red in color, perforated around the sides, leaking pale threads of mist. At the rear of the chamber was an opening that Catherine assumed led farther into the dragon. The air was warm, dank, and a sweat broke out all over her body. She balked at entering the chamber; in spite of the illumination, it was a less human place than the mouth. But once again she forced herself onward, stepping carefully between the fires and, after discovering that the mist made her giddy, giving the protuberances a wide berth. Piercing whistles came from above. The notion that this might signal the presence of bats caused her to hurry, and she had covered half the distance across when a man’s voice called to her, electrifying her with fear.
    ‘Catherine!’ he said. ‘Not so fast!’
    She spun about, her scaling hook at the ready. Hobbling toward her was an elderly white-haired man dressed in the ruin of a silk frock coat embroidered with gold thread, a tattered ruffled shirt, and holed satin leggings. In his left hand he carried a gold-knobbed cane, and at least a dozen glittering rings encircled his bony fingers. He stopped an arm’s length away, leaning on his cane, and although Catherine did not lower her hook, her fear diminished. Despite the eccentricity of his appearance, considering the wide spectrum of men and creatures who inhabited Griaule, he seemed comparatively ordinary, a reason for caution but not alarm.
    ‘Ordinary?’ The old man cackled. ‘Oh yes, indeed! Ordinary as angels, as unexceptional as the idea of God!’ Before she had a chance to wonder at his knowledge of her thoughts, he let out another cackle. ‘How could I not know them? We are every one of us creatures of his thought, expressions of his whim. And here what is only marginally evident on the surface becomes vivid reality, inescapable truth. For here,’ – he poked the chamber floor with his cane – ‘here we live in the medium of his will.’ He hobbled a step closer, fixing her with a rheumy stare. ‘I have dreamed this moment a thousand times. I know what you will say, what you will think, what you will do. He has instructed me in all your particulars so that I may become your guide, your confidant.’
    ‘What are you talking about?’ Catherine hefted her hook, her anxiety increasing.
    ‘Not “what,”’ said the old man. ‘Who.’ A grin split the pale wrinkled leather of his face. ‘His Scaliness, of course.’
    ‘Griaule?’
    ‘None other.’ The old man held out his hand. ‘Come along now, girl. They’re waiting for us.’
    Catherine drew back.
    The old man pursed his lips. ‘Well, I suppose you could return the way you came. The Willens will be happy to see you.’
    Flustered, Catherine said, ‘I don’t understand. How can you know . . .’
    ‘Know your name, your peril? Weren’t you listening? You areof Griaule, daughter. And more so than most, for you have slept at the center of his dreams. Your entire life has been prelude to this time, and your destiny will not be known until you come to the place from which his dreams arise . . . the dragon’s heart.’ He took her hand. ‘My name is Amos Mauldry. Captain Amos Mauldry, at your service. I have waited years for you . . . years! I am to prepare you for the consummate moment of your life. I urge you to follow me, to join the company of the Feelys and begin your preparation. But,’ – he shrugged – ‘the choice is yours. I will not coerce you more than I have done . . . except to say this. Go with me now, and when you return you will discover that you have nothing to fear of the Willen brothers.’
    He let loose of her hand and stood gazing at her with calm regard. She would have liked to disregard his words, but they were in such accord with all she had ever felt about her association with the dragon, she found that she could not. ‘Who,’ she asked, ‘are the