“Tiamat’s minions trying to stop our escape,” he muttered.
Before I could formulate any reply, a Red Cap plastered itself to the window and began pounding it with a fist.
My wide-eyed, mouth-open, shaking self couldn’t even muster the breath to squeak as the submersible lurched into motion.The Red Cap continued to smack the glass, which, to my relief, didn’t crack.
Plook.
The submersible plunged through the barrier holding back the water.The darkness that suddenly enveloped made it hard to see the Red Cap.
Click.Malone flicked a switch, and suddenly there was light, and I could see the monster, twitching and jerking and flailing.Guess it couldn’t breathe water or swim.It didn’t struggle for long before drifting off.
“How long to get to land?”I asked as the submersible chugged away from Nessie’s underwater palace.
“Given we weren’t down there too long, about twenty minutes,” he muttered.
“Don’t we need to decompress at intervals given the depth?”
“Under normal circumstances, yes, however, Nessie had something done to the loch to minimize the ill effects on living tissue.Technically, we could reach the surface in under five minutes, but I’ve found even with the magic protecting us from decompression sickness, rising too fast can be uncomfortable.”
It surprised me that he answered my question instead of telling me to shut up.Might be that conversation helped with his anxiety.Sweat beaded his brow.His hands shook slightly as he guided the mini sub.
Talking helped me, too, so until he told me to zip it, I kept asking questions.“Why do you wear a mask?”
He stiffened before growling, “Because a little orange fucker spat acid in my face.”
“One of the baby dragons?”I guessed.
“Yes.”
“Why does Tiamat want them?”
“For power, of course.Each heart she takes increases her strength and gives her new abilities.”
“She wants to cannibalize the hatchlings?”
“Very much so.”
“But aren’t they her babies?”
“Yes, but that won’t stop her.She doesn’t have a maternal bone in her body.On the contrary, she explicitly created a clutch of eggs that she might use them to become stronger.”
“That’s sick.”
“Not to Tiamat.”
“Who’s their daddy?”I asked.
“As if you don’t know.”
“Alistair claimed it wasn’t him.”
“Alistair likely doesn’t remember because Tiamat had him completely under her control.”
“No, that can’t be right.He says he saw through her mind tricks and left.”
“Not before Tiamat got what she needed.He’s lucky to be alive, seeing as how she’d planned to take his heart once she stole his seed.Only he roused before she could tear it from his chest.”
“Alistair has no idea those babies are his,” I murmured.
