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I shook my head. “But they didn’t kill the last dragon, did they?”
“No,” she whispered. “They saved him. He was just a baby, and the Graykey family was intent to destroy him. To destroy all of them. They wanted the dragons’ powers.”
I gulped, returning my attention to the doorway, realizing who—or rather what—Elliott was.
“Show me,” I said.
Chapter 36
Vienne
Urban’s blue eyes were wide with equal parts excitement and apprehension. I took his hand, and his fingers latched immediately around mine.
“He’s really quite tame,” I assured. “But it’s best to stay behind the wall Grandfather built just to be safe. Elliott’s been having accidents lately. We never know where he’ll spray his fire. We think it’s because he’s getting old.”
Urban nodded mutely, his eyes still huge with shock.
We started to step through the doorway, only for a group of the same four men from before to meet us in the entrance, carrying another sheet of glass.
“Watch out,” they called cheerfully.
Urban and I ducked out of the way, and he twisted at the waist to watch the men gently lay the sheet down on top of the pile.
“So, that’s how they get fire hot enough to melt the sand in order to make clear rock,” he murmured to himself. “From fucking dragon’s breath.”
“Yes,” I said. “It’s also possible to make glass from normal fire heated hot enough, but the glass never comes out quite as clear as this. Still… Grandfather’s been working on that, because we don’t know how much time Elliott has left.” I glanced up at him sadly. “When he dies, so will the kingdom’s main source of commerce.”
He nodded and returned his attention to the main antechamber under the mountain that we still hadn’t quite entered yet. So I took him inside.
The ceiling was high, but it needed to be in order to house a chained dragon that spanned the height of at least three Urbans, one on top of the other. More than twenty other people milled about, working to produce clear rock in dogged determination.
“My God,” Urban murmured, his gaze fixed on the beast that sat, thumping his scaly tail in appreciation as Grandfather scratched an itch on his neck. Then Elliott shook his head contentedly and snorted out a happy cough, smoke hissing from his nostrils, before nuzzling his face to Grandfather’s beard.
Black with a sheen of green when the light hit him, I knew Elliott’s skin felt much like the pelt of an elephant, save for the parts where his scales and the spikes on his back covered him. Those resembled turtle shells.
“But how… How… How is he so docile? I thought only—”
“Only the people of Lowden could handle dragons?” I finished the question for him, a smile wavering across my lips. “Grandfather is a man of Lowden, remember? He was born there.”
“Right.” Urban glanced at me, nodding, only to turn back so he could continue to study Elliott. “Incredible,” he murmured. “Now I understand your dragon sex dream.”
“Urban!” I hissed, smacking his arm in embarrassed outrage. Then I had to glance around to make sure no one else had heard him.
He merely grinned at me, his eyes sparkling with mischievous delight. But Elliott let out a coughing kind of laugh when Grandfather used his staff to tickle the underside of the dragon’s foot, which stole Urban’s attention from me once more.
Frowning slightly, he asked, “Why has he been kept a secret? Or does everyone know about him except Allera and me?” When he looked at me, a troubled, betrayed expression flitted across his face.
I touched his arm soothingly. “No one else knows about him. Like I said, not even Caulder or anyone from the castle. We wanted to keep him safe.”
Urban tipped his head to the side, frowning out his confusion. “Safe?”
“Yes. At first, Grandfather and Terran Donnelly didn’t want the Graykey family to find him and destroy him for his powers. But then, over time… Well, just look at him.” I motioned toward Elliott. “Do you not see a weapon? A source of fire to win any war you wanted? He could, you know, but that would put a target on his back, and he’s much too valuable for that. If any other kingdom knew about him, they’d invade, intent to kill him if they didn’t outright s
teal him for his glass-making abilities. Back when there were many dragons, people invented catapults with huge arrows and all manner of torture devices, just to hurt them. They’d do that for Elliott too. But he suits us better down here, making us a profit.”
Urban drew out a long sigh, frowning. “That makes sense, I suppose, but—”
“We couldn’t simply just trust whatever king was on the throne to always share our viewpoints,” I murmured. “So we kept him hidden.”
