"It's an inhospitable place," said Chani, looking at the steep black cliffs that descended to the sea.
"Dragon Island," the princess sighed. "This is where the Ten-Winged One lives."
"The island was made just for him," Chani agreed.
The galley glided slowly past the shore, but nowhere was there even the tiniest crack in the monolithic black wall to which one could land. Razor-sharp stones jutted out of the water everywhere, growing out of nowhere literally right under the Galley's nose. An ordinary ship would have long since shattered into pieces, but the Golden Galley turned away from these stone fangs in time and again went along the cliffs, the tops of which were enveloped in a dark, dirty cloud, illuminated from within with a red glow, like smoke in a forge. Only the roar of the surf reached the travelers; the usual cries of seagulls and petrels, which so love to nest there, were not heard on the rocky shores. Not a single bird circled over the island.
Chani gradually began to become anxious.
- How do we get to the dragon? The island is right there, but we might as well be sitting at home, the dragon is still just as far away.
"Don't be afraid," the princess reassured him. "If you don't get to the dragon, sooner or later he will get to you."
"That's the only consolation," Chani muttered under his breath.
Hour after hour passed, the Golden Galley measured out mile after mile, but no landing place was found.
"Look, there!" shouted Khani, who was standing on the bow of the Galley.
Against the black rocks he saw a tiny green spot. The galley slowed and soon bumped into a wave-worn rock. And high above them, a tiny green bush clung to the rock, lonely and pitiful.
"It's strange that Ten-Winged didn't burn it," Toril was surprised. She looked more closely and suddenly shouted something in the Witch Language. In response, the quiet, melodic ringing of the Language of Flowers was heard. Toril asked something again, and the bush answered. Finally, Toril turned to it with a request, although the brothers did not know the language, the meaning of the conversation was clear to them.
In response, the bush shot down a small green arrow. It grew, lengthened, and descended toward the Galley, clinging to every stone it came across. Soon, a thin green shoot, hanging from a massive black-gray block, swayed above the deck.
"We are invited to come up," said the princess. "If we risk trusting in the strength of this stalk, we will have a chance to get to the island. We just need to decide who will go with me. There must be a person left in this place on the Galley."
"What do you mean, 'with you'?" Chani asked anxiously. "You don't mean to tell me you're going to fight the dragon?"
"What, we'll let you in?" Khani picked up.
- My devoted friends! I appreciate your concern, but you have just seen for yourself: without me you will not be able to climb these rocks. And who knows what we will encounter up there. Not to mention that the Black Sword is beyond the strength of any of you.
"Then I'll go," Chani stepped forward. "Don't interrupt your elders," he stopped his brother, who had started to stir. "You have business with the Sea King, so you shouldn't take risks ahead of time. It will be dangerous, and you must take revenge. You must."
Khani hesitated, but then nodded.
- Good luck to you.
Chani smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.
The princess was the first to climb up the stalk, hanging the scabbard with the Black Sword on her neck. The dragon eyes on the golden hilt somehow sparkled peacefully with a matte green. The princess, clinging to the stalk, rested her feet on the rock and crawled up. Her feet slipped and fell, upturned stones fell down, but she did not stop. Chani crawled after her. When he climbed up, he was completely wet, as if he had fallen into the sea with his clothes on, his hands were shaking, his legs were buckling. He sank down onto the rock with a heavy sigh.
- I think we need to rest a little.
- We don't have time. The dragon might smell us, and then we'll be in trouble.
- But I can't take a single step.
- Then I'll go alone.
Chani shook his head, stood up, although it seemed to him that all his joints were cracking, and looked down carelessly. Somewhere there, in the inaccessible depths, on the gray-blue silk of the sea, a tiny golden splinter glittered - the Galera. But how far away it was! His head spun from surprise, everything swam before his eyes. Chani staggered and would certainly have fallen off the cliff if Toril's small but strong hand had not pulled him away.
From above, the dragon island looked no better than from the sea. The same gloomy, lifeless gray-black rocks, cracked with time, were covered with a thick layer of black dust or very fine sand. It was difficult to breathe and look. And - not a single tree, not a single blade of grass, not a bird, not a beast. The plain would have been completely motionless if not for the tiny swirls of dust constantly swirling in the air. The entire plain was strewn with randomly scattered boulders and rock fragments. All this suggested a fierce flame that had once raged here and had not yet died out completely. Here and there, from the gaps between the stones, yellow streams of sulfurous smoke rose. The entire island trembled and swayed slightly when a drawn-out, rolling roar arose in its bottomless depths; apparently, a fire was raging there.
Toril and Chani moved with difficulty, now and then falling knee-deep into the ash. The ash was hot.
Suddenly they heard someone's muttering. Toril raised her hand in warning, and they went to a large granite boulder, as if split by an axe blow - such a narrow and even crack was in it. They hid. It was possible to understand what the two were saying, but it was impossible to make out what they were saying.
"The wind is in our direction," Toril whispered in Chani's ear, "that's why we hear something."
"We need to find out who it is," Chani replied. "Let's try to get closer."
Stealthily, pressing themselves against the stones, they approached the voices, cautiously and slowly. Finally they settled down in a deep crevice, covered from above by a heavy stone slab, and decided to rest a little. Suddenly, above, right above the stone, something boomed, and a creaky voice said grumpily:
- How long do you intend to sleep?
"I intend to do as much as I intend," answered another, howling bass. "You don't dictate to me."
The princess and Chani jumped up - the voices were so clear and pure. They seemed to be talking literally two steps away, but there was no one in the crevice. Chani carefully looked out. He saw no one outside either.
"But my mighty lord demands that you fly to Acanton immediately," the voice creaked again above. "The city must be punished for the fact that these boys dared to help the outcasts of Tan-Khorez."
The only response was a deep yawn.
The princess, still pale with fear, whispered to Chani:
- It's Ten-Winged talking to someone, and we can hear it. Why, I don't know, maybe there are some cracks in the stone through which the sound comes.
"Can't he hear us?" Chani asked warily.
- Probably not, otherwise there would have been such a fuss...
They froze again.
- Will you follow the orders of our most merciful master or not?! - screeched above.
- Dry up, Tailless, - the bass answered. - I'm sick of you all. You woke me up last time, I didn't finish such an interesting dream because of you. And for what? To crack some kind of stone. And my teeth still hurt from it, - the dragon complained. - And I want to sleep.
- Yes, we will...
- Listen, Krysyuk, you probably haven't been bathed for a long time, so you're acting so impudently. Look, it won't take me long to do this!
- Now, now, don't forget yourself, - squealed Krysyuk. - Who are you talking to?!
- And really, what are you?
- I am the plenipotentiary representative of His Majesty.
There was an indignant squeak. Chani and the princess laughed quietly.
"There's no escape from that rat," Chani noted. "Wherever you go, you run into him. He's omnipresent."
The bass sounded again:
- Get out of here, you bastard! I want to sleep.
- Well, listen, my dear little dragon, - Krysyuk changed his tone, squealing ingratiatingly. - You are so big, so powerful, so strong. And it was the most merciful ruler who made you this way. After all, it was he who gave you golden wings.
- So what?
- Will you really be so ungrateful that you won't respond to a request for help?
Someone yawned loudly again.
- But I'll just go and not respond.
- No, of course I'm not threatening. But then I'll tell our dear King everything. And then we'll see...
- Absolutely right, you were bathed a long time ago...
Krysyuk apparently got angry and moved on to direct threats:
- Well, look. It's the owner's business, but you shouldn't regret it. They'll cut off your wings, and you'll crawl around like a turtle for the rest of your days.
"Me?" the dragon laughed hollowly.
- Look, the Black Sword has been released.
- So what? I can smell any wizard before he approaches me, with or without this sword. And then we'll see. By the way, there's someone on the island right now. I could go and devour him... Why are you shaking? He's far away, he's not going to pinch your tattered skin...
- Go and eat if you can.
- I don't feel like it. They don't touch me, so I won't touch them.
- You will end badly.
- Go for a walk, go for a walk... And I'll take a little nap.
— The King will take the Golden Talisman...
But Krysyuk's answer was a powerful snore.
Toril rubbed her cheek with concern.
- Interesting!..
"What's interesting about that?" Chani said lazily. "Give me the sword, I'll go. You heard yourself that he won't let any wizard near him, and I'm a simple person, he won't smell me."
- You can't handle the sword.
Without answering, Chani took the sword from her hands and jerked it out of its sheath. A chill blew in their faces, and an unknown black shadow filled the crevice. Black runes began to writhe along the blade of the sword, and the stones on the hilt lit up with a dark, blood-red glow.
"Can't cope?" Chani asked sullenly.
The princess looked at him for a long time.
- And yet I'm afraid, I'm afraid for you...
Chani smiled reassuringly, sheathed his sword, and headed towards the exit of the crevasse.
"Sun and happiness to you," whispered Toril.
The path was difficult. The vapors rising from under the stones mixed with the black smoke and formed a swaying curtain that had to be literally pushed apart by hand - it was so dense and heavy. The scorching heat involuntarily brought to mind the idea of water, and indeed, from time to time there were motionless malachite-green puddles. But when Chani, succumbing to temptation, stuck his hand into such a puddle, he immediately pulled it back, barely holding back a scream - the water burned like acid, and for a long time afterwards his reddened hand itched. His head was spinning, multi-colored wheels were spinning before his eyes, but Chani stubbornly walked on.
At first he thought he had stumbled upon the remains of some ancient wall, built in the days when dragons were unheard of. The large black and green bricks looked strange, but Chani had already gotten used to the unusual. Only when he noticed the wall shaking and swaying slightly did he realize it was not a wall. It was a sleeping dragon.
There were peals of monstrous snoring and roaring. Chani couldn't help but shudder. What would happen when the dragon woke up? But he overcame his fear and carefully touched the dull, gleaming scales and immediately pulled his hand back, as if he had been burned, although the dragon's side was not at all hot. Stone and stone.
Nothing happened. The monster continued to sleep peacefully, not noticing the touch.
Chani patted him on the side more boldly… But if he was so huge that it was easy to mistake him for a fortress wall, then how could he deal with him? Even if you wanted to cut off his head, you simply couldn't reach him. Chani, out of frustration, forgot himself and hit the dragon with his fist. And again, nothing happened. The snoring did not stop. Chani was surprised a second time, this time deliberately hitting the scales. No result. The ten-winged one did not wake up. It was even offensive. They had come to execute him, and he would not deign to pay attention…
Then Chani brazenly - seven troubles, one answer - grabbed the protruding edge of the scales, pulled himself up and climbed onto the dragon's back. The back was broad and most of all resembled the large-tiled roof of some long building. A bright red crest ran along the spine, each plate of which was taller than Chani.
Chani took a deep breath and drew his sword from its sheath. The eyes of the golden dragon on the hilt were bloodshot, and the sword began to twitch nervously in his hand and hum quietly. Chani, stepping carefully, moved along the ridge, hoping that he was going in the right direction - toward the head.
The dragon still didn't notice anything. The snoring became louder and louder, indicating that the path had been chosen correctly. Each powerful exhalation raised clouds of ash, and soon Chani began to poorly distinguish his surroundings, as numerous black flakes swirled in the air, a real blizzard. Several times he came across dense leathery folds covering the scales. Chani guessed that these were wings. Gradually, he completely forgot about caution, wandered, stumbling and falling. A couple of times he almost fell down, managing at the last moment to grab onto something sticking out of the monster's back. Now Chani dreamed of only one thing - for the dragon to end as soon as possible. But the dragon was not going to do this, it stretched on endlessly.
Suddenly Chani's foot touched something soft, there was a piercing squeal, a screeching sound, and some dark ball rolled down. Chani pressed himself to the cold plate of the comb in fear.
- Help! Alarm! - Krysyuk yelled from below.
The dragon was sleeping.
- Help! They're beating ours! - Tailless screamed.
Chani felt the scales beneath his feet move and tremble, the dragon stopped snoring and boomed in a hoarse, sleepy voice:
— Who is being beaten?
"Me," complained Krysyuk.
- And they are doing the right thing.
- But they can do it to you too! Someone stepped on me.
"Nonsense," the dragon answered confidently. "For them to walk on me and not know about it? Nonsense."
- But I'm telling the truth.
- So you're sick.
- They'll chop off your stupid head...
- If it's stupid, then it's not for me.
- Is this a hint?
- I feel that the wizard is still far away. He does not move from his place.
- This is the princess I told you about. Well, eat her, please. Are you a dragon, after all, or not? You must feed on princesses.
- What a misfortune this is on my head! I'll sleep and then eat. Honest, draconian word.
- And what about the one that goes after you?
— For me?
Chani saw a huge rectangular face emerge from the ashes, smoke pouring from its nostrils. Chani raised his sword, but the dragon made no attempt to attack.
"I don't see anyone," Ten-Winged said, looking him straight in the eyes.
"But someone wanted to run me over," Krysyuk whined.
"I imagined it." The muzzle disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and a dull thud was heard, shaking the earth: the dragon lay down again. "And leave me alone nicely."
Chani, as if spellbound, walked forward, he tripped once again and fell, scraping his knee until it bled. He hissed in pain, but immediately covered his mouth with his hand. In front of him lay a wide plate of bright polished gold, shining even through the dirt that covered it. A golden wing... The very one that gives the dragon such strength...
And almost without realizing what he was doing, Chani swung his sword. A black shadow flashed, the whole world went black for a moment, something whistled, there was a metallic clang, and the wing flew down with a roar and a ringing sound. Chani squeezed between the plates of the crest and with a second blow cut off the other wing.
The dragon jerked and screamed:
- Killed! Stabbed!
A fire blazed through the smoke and ashes.
Chani saw the dragon's face again, its jaws wide open, but the large green eye suddenly winked at him slyly. Then a wave rolled down the dragon's back, the skin twitched feverishly, slipping away from under his feet, and Chani suddenly realized that he was flying, tumbling chaotically. He landed with a thud on a large pile of warm ash, surprised that he was still whole and unharmed.
Meanwhile, the dragon continued to rage:
- Yes, he... Yes, I... Ruined him!
- Aha! I warned you! I told you! - Krysyuk squealed. - You didn't want to listen, now you've seen for yourself! Catch them! Catch them! Kill them!
Chani raised his sword, but the dragon suddenly calmed down.
- Look for a fool somewhere else, - he suggested. - Now I won't go at all. No golden wings, no power, no nothing. I'm not my own enemy. In short, I'm going to bed, and to hell with you all!
"I'll tell the King everything," Krysyuk threatened. "If we can't find a way to deal with you, we'll take it out on the Griffin. Think about it carefully..." He stopped short.
Chani saw a huge paw emerge from the cloud of ash raised by the dragon, holding Krysyuk by the collar with two claws in disgust.
"Go cool off," the dragon advised with calm satisfaction. "You have no power over me now."
The paw spun Krysyuk around better and let him go, he flew off somewhere with a whistle and a squeal, there was a splash and a squelch... But all the sounds were again drowned out by a measured snore.