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When he gently set me right again, my feet back on the stone, I leaned in and kissed his cheek. Argen's ruddy cheeks turned scarlet, even his ears.
“What in the Underworld was that fer?” He said, touching his cheek.
“Thank you,” I said, voice still hoarse.
He dipped his chin, touching his cheek. “If that's all it takes—"
“Hello? What the fuck!” Sahlyn growled, still not understanding what had happened.
I sent him a signal. “I'm alright.” I waved the sword. “I had another vision.”
Sahlyn’s features went lax, and he gave me a nod. “Be careful, Autumn. Please.”
“Yes, Father.”
He growled between his teeth. “I'm fucking serious! If I must break—"
But I stopped listening. The dragon allowed us to get the sword from his horde for a reason. Perhaps the sword was somehow related to his curse. So I thoroughly assessed the beautiful sword from a weapon maker's view. My gaze followed the gleaming line of the blade and snagged on the hilt. The dragon wound around the handle in a majestic gold and bronze weave, but there was a part of the tail that looked like it didn’t quite…
The gemstone at the end of the pommel…
It couldn't be.
My eyes stuttered across the chamber to the dragon. He was watching me with green gemstone eyes. Expectant and anticipatory.
Could it be that easy?
I glanced back at Sahlyn. His eyes were wide. I gave him a reassuring smile, and he cocked his head in utter confusion.
I gripped Argen's shoulder and shakily took a few steps. Then, my confidence and strength returned, and I made my way to the dragon.
“Am I to unlock your heart?”
The dragon's head moved.“Ye quick, one of me blood.”
I exhaled, and when my breath released, I yanked the gemstone off the sword's pommel. Shocked I had been right, I slowly looked at the sword pommel where the Emberlite stone had been.
Carved into the naked handle beneath the Emberlite gem was the shape of a stout three-pronged key. It connected the gemstone to the pommel and linked them together.
A fucking key.
I sucked in a breath, and the dragon's eyes were on me.
“Cursebreaker.”
Slowly, the dragon lifted one mighty leather and metal wing and showed me its locked heart. I stepped up to the dragon and pocketed the gemstone so I wouldn't break it. Then I gradually extended the sword hilt toward the creature. I stepped closer and lined up the lock. Gently, I pushed, and it slid inside perfectly. I twisted and heard the mechanism signifying that it was doing something.
But instead of the lock opening anything, the dragon reared up, and a fine purple mist filled the chamber. Golden light shot out of my sword arm and twirled around the purple haze, twining together to dance in the dusty room.
Sahlyn cried out as I fell on my rear when one of the dragon's wings clipped my shoulder. I quickly scrambled out of the way of the metal creature as Argen grabbed my arms and hauled me to my feet. He yanked me away from the beast, and we all watched in fascinated horror as the creature reared again and sent a thrumming, deep, resonating roar through the chamber. I felt it in my bones and blood and knew what I had done.
I broke a curse.
It was all over within moments. The purple and golden swirling mist enveloped the area where the dragon once stood, but there now was no dragon.
It was a dwarf.
The dwarf curled on his knees, his head clutched between his palms, nearly resting on the floor.
