by Ted Fauster
By the time the golden scales beneath began to press through—thick plates as large as coffin lids—the long jut of bone towered as tall as a wild palm.
From the corner of his eye, Nettle Truth Bringer, one of the most devout abbots in all the land, caught sight of the other tusk on the far side of the arid chamber. A solid-gold-coffer the size of an ox cart, overturned by its ascension, lay crookedly in a sea of coins and glittering jewels.
The abbot trembled with excitement. It wasn’t the jewels that had him excited. It wasn’t the gold. It was his Lord and Master! To be in his presence!
He dropped to his knees. The exposed patches of his scaly flesh were immune to the corrosive granules, but it was still an unpleasant posture to hold. Nevertheless, he knit his stubby paws together and did his best to remain alert and attentive.
At last, the giant head of the creature lifted up before him, rising up to the very top of the domed, clay ceiling, a choking cascade of sand spilling down from its massive bulk.
It was looking at him. He could feel it. Although his eyes were devotedly fixed straight ahead, focused on a spot of hide where two thick plates clicked against each other as the beast settled, he could feel it glaring at him.
A loud puff sounded from above. A blast of warm air blew most of the stinging sand from his tiny, insignificant form.
The abbot fell prostrate. “Forgive me for disturbing your slumber, my lord,” the krin offered. “I am not worthy. I was but only answering your call.”
The gigantic creature that loomed before the reptilian subordinate clicked its jaws. It yawned, and a sound like a thousand cows bellowing filled the air with a putrid moisture.
“Oh, what a wonderful slumber that was. So tell me, does the Brotherhood of the Weyr possess the stone?”
The abbot snapped to attention, his eyes swollen with pride. “They do my lord!”
“Excellent. And have they been instructed in its usage?”
“Yes, my lord, they most certainly have! I told the leader precisely how to use the stone, that it would take him, and anyone that touched him, directly to this chamber, my lord!”
The golden dragon shook its head. Puddles of sand rained down.
“Good. Very good. Now, if you would be so kind as to repeat the exact words to me, the ones that will activate the codec stone and bring me my prize.”
The abbot nearly convulsed with glee. “Yes, my lord! Of course, my lord! The words are as such: Take me to the heart of the Dragon Keys, where the Dragon Lord’s wrath shall be appeased!”
Episode One: The Containment Cube available Christmas 2016
http://eepurl.com/cpLj39