Now, Collins stared upon a creature that defied every biological tenet. Big as a school bus, it had to weigh tons. Strong hind legs ended in massive, four-clawed feet. The forelimbs had three toes, each with talons that closely resembled curved knives. Leathery appendages near the shoulders clearly represented folded wings. It bore little resemblance to the serpents of the I' Chinese New Year's parades, its body blocky and its snout more I, like that of a Doberman. It bore none of the decorative finery, no streamers, beards, or spinners. The ears stuck up, shaped and proportioned like a horse's, jet black in color. Eyes like emeralds lay recessed deeply into its sockets.
A voice entered Collins' head, seeming to bypass his hearing.*I won't hurt you. Come.*
Collins pawed at his ears, willing them to work properly; his life might depend on it. The reassurance, apparently the dragon's, did not soothe. He found himself incapable of taking a step closer to a creature that could shred him, crush him, or bite him in half without breaking a sweat.
Zylas took several nervous steps, bowed to the dragon, then hurried to Collins. "You're insulting Lady Prinivere," he hissed.
In response, Collins pressed his back more tightly to the wall. Vines tickled his arms, and stone jabbed his spine. He tried to explain, "She's a… she's a… a dragon."
"Yes."
"We… we… don't have… dragons… in my world."
"Neither do we."
The ludicrousness of that statement finally broke the spell. Collins turned his head slowly toward Zylas to grant him a judgmental stare. "I beg to differ."
Zylas took one of Collins' hands in both of his. "Except Lady Prinivere, of course. She's the last."
Collins looked at the hand clamped between Zylas' and hoped the albino did not plan to try to drag him back into the cave. He wiped his other sweating palm on his britches and tried to screw up his courage.
"The others were killed off centuries ago."
"By knights, no doubt." Collins resorted to his usual haven, humor, to orient his failing rationality.
Zylas tugged gently at Collins. "Huh?"
"Never mind." It seemed worse than senseless to try to explain legends at a time when reality had gone beyond them.
"It's all right. Really. Come meet her."
Collins looked at the dragon, still hesitating. Falima faced the dragon, clearly engaged in conversation, arms waving at intervals. If Prinivere responded, she did so without opening her mouth. "She could eat us all in the same bite."
"Eat us?" Zylas rolled his eyes. "She's constrained by the same laws as the rest of us. Can't eat any meat, remember?"
"Who could stop her?" Collins muttered, but he did take a step forward. Prinivere posed no more threat to him than the guardsmen, and she might hold the only key to his escape. He managed another step.
Zylas released Collins' hand. Falima turned, impassively watching her friends approach. As he drew closer, Collins noticed details he had missed on first inspection. The glow that outlined the dragon seemed as feeble and tattered as a dying star. Most of the claws looked jagged, broken beyond repair. Scars marred her scaly hide in several locations, the worst a mottled, irregular patch in the right chest area. She moved with a slowness that suggested long-standing fatigue. Her dragon form had clearly aged along with her human one. *Actually, it's my human form that aged along with the dragon form.* The words whispered into Collins' brain, unspoken.
Collins jumped, heart racing again. *Yes, I read minds. That's how I know every language.*
Collins had not yet recovered enough to ask the question she had already answered. Remembering that he needed her, he forced calm. If she predicts my future thoughts, too, why bother to communicate at all? "Wouldn't it be easier if you just told me how this whole conversation's going to come out?"
Prinivere exhaled a loud snort that Collins interpreted as a laugh.*I don't usually anticipate. It's just, after a few centuries, you figure out what any human would ask. Never met one yet who didn't wonder how I get into his or her head.*
Collins glanced at his regular companions. Zylas and Falima sat on one of the chests, whispering back and forth. He wondered how much of the conversation they could hear. *All of it,* Prinivere said before Collins could formulate the thought into words.*But Falima doesn't understand your side of it, and Zylas has to guess the thoughts I'm responding to.*
Zylas looked up and waved to Collins, apparently to confirm Prinivere's explanation.
Though he knew the question impolite, Collins had to know. "So how old are you anyway?"
"-my lady," Zylas added, teeth clenched in warning.*It's fine, Zylas* Prinivere swung her long neck toward the rat/man.*ln his world, they rarely use titles. He means no disrespect.* She swiveled her head back to Collins.*I'm one thousand seven hundred thirty-six years old.*
Collins blinked, for the first time glad his mind went blank. "One thousand?" *Seven hundred thirty-six.*
"Ah," Collins said, pinching his arm. The mild pain did not reassure him. It seemed equally possible that he had just dreamed it, too.
Zylas cut in, voice soft, words uninterpretable to Collins. If Prinivere responded, he heard none of it.
Finally, the dragon addressed Collins directly.*Come here. I'm going to attempt some magic.*
Hoping she meant the portal, Collins obeyed. He tried to look composed, but his steps turned more mincing the nearer he came to the dragon and he found himself trembling. Falima cleared her throat, and Collins dropped to a startled crouch, glancing wildly toward her. Ialin stood in human form between his other two companions.
Falima made an impatient gesture toward Prinivere. Collins followed the movement to its natural conclusion. He did not know how long it had taken him to move as far as he had. It had seemed only seconds, but Ialin had had time to switch and fully dress. Collins closed his eyes, hoping that would allow him to walk blindly into a dragon, yet its massive presence still pressed vividly against his memory. Opening his lids, he forced himself to step up to Prinivere.
She gave off a not-unpleasant odor that Collins had never smelled before. It might come from something she ate, some nearby plant or fungus, even from something trapped between her claws. But, for Collins, the musky allspice aroma would forever define dragon smell.
One foot stretched toward Collins, slowly, nonthreateningly, and settled firmly on his head. At first, he felt nothing but the presence of that huge appendage, a claw dangling across his left cheek and ear and another tangling in his hair. Then, gradually, he recognized something indefinable flowing into him, like electric current without the jolt. The foot grew heavier over time, and he found himself expending increasing amounts of energy to remain standing. Finally, the strange feeling ended, replaced entirely by the full weight of a massive foot crushing him toward the ground.
Zylas, Falima, and Ialin dashed forward, hefting the dragon's claw and shoving Collins from beneath it. The foot flopped to the cave floor, and the dragon sank to the ground. Pain ached through Collins' neck and shoulders. As he massaged them, rolling his head, he noticed the dragon was lying still, unmoving. "Is she all right?"
Zylas rushed to Prinivere's side.
Falima responded. "She's very old. Even a simple spell like that one leaves her drained."
Collins nodded, still studying the dragon. Then, realization struck, and he jerked his attention to Falima. "Hey, I understood you. I know what you said, and-"