“Trial and error.”
If that wasn’t chilling, I didn’t know what was. “How many died?”
“Figuring out the path? Sixteen. The sand mermaids were… quite vicious.”
“Why doesn’t Kevin just fly us across?” Ryan asked. “He’s got wings. One at a time, and we wouldn’t even have to worry about them.”
“Hey! I’m not some kind of pack mule—”
“The vibrations from the wings,” Ruv said. “They’ll move across the surface of the sand. The creatures can sense them. And they can jump out of the sand higher than one would think. Kevin will have to stay here. Tiggy and Gary too. We must move with lightness under our feet.”
“Did he just call me fat?” Gary said, sounding outraged. “Bitch, I ain’t fat. I am motherfucking jolly—”
“And you know the path?” I asked, looking out at the sand. Tiggy had been spot-on. I had a bad feeling about this.
Ruv nodded.
“Shit,” I said. “This isn’t going to go well, is it?”
“Sam,” Gary said. “You can’t possibly be considering listening to him. We can’t trust him.”
“Gary’s right,” Kevin said. “There has to be another way. Can’t I just roar like the manly dragon I am and call him out?”
“And risk the sand mermaids?” Ruv said.
“Everything risks sand mermaids,” Tiggy said.
“He’s got a point,” Ryan said. “We have Sam’s magic. He can just, you know. Do his finger-zappy thing and turn them to stone or something.”
“My finger-zappy thing,” I repeated. “Gosh, babe. Way to make me sound so awesome.”
He flushed. “You know….” He glanced at the others and flushed deeper before continuing. “You know what I meant. And you know how I feel about the… finger. Zappy thing.”
“Damn right I do.” I leered at him.
“Ryan gets a boner when Sam does magic,” Gary told Ruv. “It’s sweet. And really fucking awful for the rest of us.”
“How lovely for him,” Ruv said wryly. “And magic wouldn’t be the best idea. They’re drawn to it. Like bugs to firelight. It
calls to them. It’s why they stay here, around the dragon.”
“So what you’re saying is that I’m effectively neutered,” I said. “This… isn’t going to go very well, is it?”
Ryan scowled. “What happens when we get over to the island or whatever it is? Will the dragon wake? What then?”
“It’s why I’m here,” Ruv said. “I’m the distraction.”
“What?” That wasn’t what I expected to hear. “Vadoma sent you here to be the bait?”
“Oh no,” Ryan said. “That’s so sad. Gods, I really hope nothing happens to you.”
“I forget how bitchy Knight Delicious Face can be sometimes,” Gary whispered to Tiggy. “Makes me want to lick his face.”
“We lick him later,” Tiggy said.
“Oooh,” Gary said. “Deal.”
“I could get in on that,” Kevin agreed. “Have him spread out like some big ol’ knight buffet and just gorge ourselves—”