Klassh circled and swooped down again.
The elf crawled painfully behind a boulder. The dragon warmed to the chase. The doomed elf had proved remarkably resourceful and entertaining so far.
The thief had managed to crawl into an outcropping of boulders that supported a flat rock, forming a protective shield against the dragon’s attacks. Stymied from direct assault, Klassh lit on the shield rock, adding his considerable weight to the precariously balanced stone.
FEAR!
The elf’s terror spiked sharply, but he had nowhere to go. The dragon gave the elf a few minutes to relax, then shifted his weight. The stone ground against its supports, sending showers of pebbles and dust down on the wounded elf.
FEAR!
As Klassh expected, the elf’s fear rose to a crescendo, filling the dragon with sweet music. Just before the shelf collapsed, Klassh lifted off.
As he rose, Klassh was aware that the elf had started to move again, but when the dragon circled around to look, he could not see the thief. Squinting his eyes, scanning the area near the elf’s recent hiding place, the dragon spotted the elf moving toward a sharp drop-off.
Swooping down, the dragon buffeted the area with his wings, stirring up a small dust storm. The elf ran toward the cliff and jumped off.
Startled, the dragon rose into the air and swung around to see what had happened.
A small ledge projected from the face of the cliff, leading to a cave in the cliff face. The cliff blocked the sun, casting its huge shadow across the cliff’s face. The dragon could not readily tell the size of the cave as he flew past, but he would not permit the thief to get away this easily and spoil his fun. Klassh could not land on the thin ledge, so he circled around and dove directly into the cave.
Klassh transformed in midair. He passed through the cave opening, the outspread feathered wings of his griffin form easily slowing his headlong flight. When he landed, a sharp pain lanced up through his rear leg, nearly causing him to lose control. Looking back, he saw that the wound given him by the elf in the great hall had festered.
Returning to his natural form, Klassh licked at the wound, and tasted the residue of magic. The intrinsic curative powers of the dragon’s saliva quickly overcame the remaining traces of magic and the wound began to heal, though it still stung.
Klassh’s eyes adjusted to the gloom and he knew for certain that he had found another dwarven structure, which looked as old as Cobb Hall.
“Twice-damned dwarves! Busy as beavers they are,” Klassh muttered.
Some avian creatures had obviously claimed the place as their nest. Two large eggs sat in the middle of the largest pile of refuse. The dragon gulped the eggs casually as he explored the chamber.
Fortunately, the senseless dwarves liked to build big, as attested to by the huge opening right in front of the dragon, which was just big enough to accommodate his bulk. The elf’s trail was clearly marked in the dust by footprints on the stone floor.
As Klassh moved through the dry corridors, the dust swirled about him, sticking to his wet skin, obscuring his vision, stinging his eyes and choking his breathing. He was no longer enjoying the game as much.
“The thief will pay for this,” Klassh vowed. “When I get my claws on the elf, it will wish it had perished in my first flame blast. I will chew it slowly, savoring its fear and anguish.”
Suddenly, the footprints vanished. Looking closely, Klassh peered through the dust. The footprints started again a few feet away.
Klassh continued.
A pit sprang open beneath him, but it was far too small for his great size.
“Ha! Stupid dwarves!”
The dragon slithered on.
FEAR!
Still unable to penetrate the shield of the elf’s panic, Klassh contented himself with monitoring the creature’s emotions and reading the odd stray thought that slipped through.
Must keep moving . . . dusty . . . following my footprints . . . trap . . . Such were the elf’s terror-ridden thoughts.
Shortly, Klassh came upon another gap in the footprints, but the dragon did not even slow down. He felt something very sharp prick his side. But the pain quickly subsided, so the dragon ignored the wound and kept moving, trying to catch up with the elf.