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Ancient Amulet

  Theo stared down at his hand, where blisters were quickly forming.

  “Come on, let us find some water,” Emberion said.

  Theo yelped when Emberion grabbed him in his front claw and, with a few beats of his wings, pulled him up over the treetops.

  “What are you—”

  The burning sensation in his palm only intensified from the wind sweeping past, and his eyes teared up. The one good thing about it was that Theo had no time to be scared of hanging free in the claw of a dragon.

  They landed again as quickly as they had gone up, right next to a small stream.

  “Wash it off,” Emberion said. “Now.”

  Without hesitation, Theo threw his hand into the stream.

  The cool water was like pouring gasoline over an open fire and he hissed in pain, tears falling down his cheeks, and he wondered if Emberion did this on purpose, if he wanted Theo in pain, if he wasn’t nearly as good as Theo had thought him—

  But then the pain lessened and he could drag air into his lungs again.

  He gasped for breath as the agony from his hands abated, and kept his hand in the water, afraid that the pain would return if he took it out.

  “That is enough, Theodore,” Emberion said, and pulled him back from the stream with his front leg around Theo’s middle.

  Theo stared down at his trembling hand. His palm was still red and aching dully, but it was nothing like before.

  “Thanks,” he said hoarsely.

  “Do not touch things in the forest unless you know exactly what they are,” Emberion said. “That was burning ivy, but there are many worse things. Things that are not so easily fixed.”

  Theo swallowed and nodded, feeling pale and shaky. He just sat there, taking deep breaths and watching as the redness of his palm faded from furious to just a blush, where it settled for the time being.

  “Being a dragon seems easier,” he mumbled.

  Emberion chuckled. “Indeed. My scales protect me from most dangers.”

  “And you have claws,” Theo said. “And sharp teeth. And spikes. I have just… this.”

  And ‘this’ was a soft body with too little muscle to be of much use in a fight—Freya had told him that much often enough—and too many parts that could be injured.

  “You cannot help what you were born with,” Emberion said. “But it is your responsibility to do the most you can with what you have.”

  Theo sighed. Yeah, when he got back home, he would start taking his training with Freya more seriously. She was a good teacher, if only he would try to be a good student.

  He needed to be a good prince.

  “Will you tell me more about the amulet while I just… sit here?” he asked, wanting to focus on something other than his own weakness.

  Emberion cocked his head to the side. “Of course. Where were we? Well, if the amulet was taken, it would start with us—it was made to affect us, after all. But if the dwarves are affected… then it has been used for a while. The dwarves are connected to the earth—living in it, using it, working it—and the amulet draws part of its power from the earth. It makes the earth is sick, which in turn contaminates the dwarves.”

  Theo swallowed. “Sounds like fun.” He took a breath. “What will happen next?”

  Emberion’s eyes darkened with worry. “Next? The disruption spreads, little by little. The stone giants must be affected already, if the dwarves have fallen ill. Then the animals living beneath the ground. If it is allowed to continue—if the amulet is not destroyed or shielded—then the earth it reaches will grow barren, the plants will wither, and animals fall ill. These lands will suffer.”

  Theo felt a chill that had nothing to do with the late afternoon breeze. “So it could affect everyone… everywhere?”

  “Not everywhere, it does not have that reach,” Emberion said. “But all the parts you hold dear, for sure.” His frown deepened. “If the amulet has been found, it’s imperative we locate it and destroy it. The balance must be restored, or the earth itself might fail us.”

  Theo swallowed. The quest his father had sent him on suddenly felt even more impossible than before. “How do we even begin to find an amulet? I mean, if it’s as important as you say, wouldn’t it be hidden? Guarded?”

  Emberion shifted, his massive form making the ground beneath him crunch. “It was hidden, but not guarded.”

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  Theo stopped and stared at him. “Are you kidding me? It can destroy everything, but you didn’t guard them?”

  “The secret of its location is supposed to be lost to time,” Emberion said, sounding just a little affronted.

  “So anyone could just stumble over it?” Theo asked, his voice rising to a higher pitch as irritation and, yes, panic, infused it.

  Emberion gave him a long look. “It is not like my ancestors left the amulet out in the open. It would be well hidden. And like I said, the secret lost.”

  Theo shook his head and said in a sour tone, “You know what they say about secrets—it’s only a secret if two or less knew it. How many knew the location of the amulet?”

  He was questioning a dragon—what had the world come to?

  “I did not know that was a saying,” Emberion said.

  “Well, it is.”

  The dragon looked thoughtful. “You… may have a point.”

  Theo’s eyebrows rose of their own volition. Emberion hadn’t eaten him for questioning him—he had taken what Theo had said into consideration. He sighed. “Are there any other possible explanations for what’s happening to you dragons and the dwarves?”

  The pensive expression on Emberion’s face—how could a dragon have such an expressive face, anyway?—grew more pronounced. “I suppose there could be. The tale of the amulet is one every dragon knows, as it is something of a bedtime story for our younglings, but there are many other magical artifacts in the world that I do not know about.”

  “So it’s our best bet,” Theo said.

  Emberion frowned. “Bet? I do not understand.”

  Theo cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

  “How does one bet on information?” Emberion asked. “Is it a human custom for decision-making?”

  Theo chuckled. “No, it’s just a saying. That it’s the best idea we have. Unfortunately.”

  “Oh,” Emberion said, nodding slowly. “Finding and putting it back is no small task. We need to find out who has it, and where they have it.”

  Theo winced. He knew he was hardly the one who should shoulder such a responsibility—Freya, or his father, or indeed almost anyone else, was better suited. “I know. I’ll ask my father for help.”

  Emberion regarded him in silence for a moment. “Why would you do that? Did you not say you were sent on this quest to settle the disruptions among the dragons?”

  “I was,” Theo said. “But he told me to go talk to you guys. Not to find some ancient, dangerous relic.”

  “And you have talked to me,” Emberion said. “Yet your quest is not yet finished, because unfortunately, talking will not be enough.”

  Theo sighed. “But I’m just… me. I’m not a warrior or a mage. I’m barely even a decent prince.”

  Then he slapped his hand over his mouth, because he wasn’t supposed to go around announcing his position—Freya would yell at him if she found out.

  Emberion looked entirely unsurprised at his admission. “It is no surprise that you are royalty, Prince Theodore. There is the ancient decree, after all, and humans tend to hold to decrees. Or they simply come to kill us, in which case they do not stop to talk.”

  “You know about that? The degree, I mean?” Theo asked. “And you talked to me even though you didn’t know for sure?”

  Emberion shrugged. “That decree is centuries old, and there is no law against me speaking to any human I wish. The decree is just about which humans can seek us out.”

  “Then why was there a decree?” If the decree wasn’t in play, he would never have needed to go with Freya on this quest.

  “Because too many humans sought us out,” Emberion said. “We grew tired of it.”

  Theo stared at him. Had he not just said that the decree was centuries old? Yet it sounded like he had been around back then.

  He shook his head, trying to clear it.

  Emberion frowned at him. “But this is the second time in just this conversation where you seem to be suggesting you are not enough.”

  Theo shrugged. “Well, I’m not.”

  “But you need not be a prince, a warrior, or a mage to make a difference, Prince Theodore,” Emberion said. “Sometimes, what is needed is a heart willing to understand and unite. You have already shown you possess these qualities.”

  “What, in my amazing friendship with Bruni?” Theo asked in a mocking tone. “Or the way Freya really respects me?”

  Nibblet squeaked in protest.

  Emberion looked with amusement at the little glint and then turned his gaze to Theo. “I respect you. That should count for something.” He plucked a small, iridescent stone from the ground, so tiny it disappeared in his huge claws.

  Theo stared at him. “You don’t know me.”

  “I am a dragon,” Emberion said. “And I am older than you think. I see more than you, I can promise you that.”

  Theo sighed and bowed his head. “Your respect means a lot. I’m not sure it’s deserved, but thank you. It’s good to hear that from someone.”

  “You should put less emphasis on what others think, Prince Theodore,” Emberion said. “Your worth is not defined by anyone else.”

  Theo nodded, though he wasn’t convinced. Surely what others thought of him was of the utmost importance? Wasn’t that why his father had sent him off on this crazy quest—to prove to the people of the kingdom that he was good enough for them? That he was strong enough to be their king?

  But he met Emberion’s gaze, trying to find resolve in the recesses of his person. “Okay then. If we need to find the amulet, where do we start?”

  “That is the spirit,” said Emberion. “We should start by checking in on the stone giants. If they are affected too, I believe we can safely say the amulet is the culprit.”

  “And then we need to find who took it,” Theo said.

  An amulet’s power with hers aligns

  A single line in the prophecy came back to Theo.

  The wicked witch. It fit a little too well. “Do you know something about the wicked witch?”

  “The wicked witch?” Emberion asked. “Of the Empty Plains?”

  Theo frowned. “I—I don’t know. She disappeared half a century ago. I don’t know where she went. But the people in the tavern where Freya and I stopped thought the wicked witch was behind the dragon attacks, and Duchess Rosewick—one of the ladies of the court—said the same. But I don’t know. I’m not… I don’t have much experience of the world. I’m sure there are others than the wicked witch.”

  “It is as good a theory as any,” Emberion said. “After all, I have no theories. Until you mentioned the bells, I had not even thought to consider the amulet.”

  Theo began walking back toward the camp. “Perhaps I really should tell my father.”

  “Do you think he will add something of value?”

  Theo snorted a laugh. “You’re asking if the king of Astoria can add something of value?” He shook his head. “No one has ever questioned his value before.”

  “Just because someone is a king does not mean they add value, Prince Theodore,” Emberion said. “In fact, we run the risk of him adding pressure we have no need of—such as informing military men about a threat they can do nothing against.”

  Theo glanced at Emberion. “So you’re saying…”

  “Let us see how far we can get on our own,” Emberion said. “Without the interference of men who want war.”

  Theo nodded, hoping he was making the right decision. “So, do you think the wicked witch is a good way to go?”

  “I think it’s a place to start.”

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