Page 61 of The Barbarian King's Assassin (Magic and Kings 1)
Konstantin’s grin turned to a grimace. “Don’t panic, my little Yanna, but there is a dragon behind you.”
I snorted. “Of course, there is.” More hot air puffed past me.
“I’m not lying. You’ve caught the attention of a dragon. It must have been nesting in a cave nearby.”
To play along with the prank, the giants had spread out.
I rolled my eyes. “Please. I know what this is. We used to haze the new mercenaries all the time. I am not falling for it.”
“Ilyana, this isn’t a joke.” He said my full name, not the term he usually used to annoy me. His tone was low and intent.
If he was serious…
I whirled and gaped because I saw my first dragon and it was big!
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
The impossible dragonhovered in the air. The beat of its wings caused the breeze I’d felt. It shouldn’t exist, yet I stared at the proof.
Its body was layered in scales the tan and brown of rock, which rippled with its movement. The beat of its wings proved surprisingly silent. While its eyes were pure black, I had no doubt it saw me, but it didn’t move to attack.
“Is it dangerous?” I stupidly asked.
“Very,” Konstantin said in the same low tone. “You’re going to retreat very slowly.”
“Won’t moving make it act?” I spoke without inflection or motion.
“It smells blood. That’s why it’s here. You’re wounded.”
“Just a tiny scratch.” It no longer dripped, and yet I did recall a few drops plummeting into the abyss.
“Dragons hunt by smell and sight.”
I halted the lift of my foot as the dragon dipped close enough it alit on the edge. Probably not a good thing.
“Does it breathe fire?”
“Not this species. But they are tough.”
And me with my sword across the clearing. Given it could slice through just about anything, I’d left it with the pile of other good weapons in favor of training ones that wouldn’t cause too much damage.
“How do you kill it?” I asked as it moved its head on a sinuous stalk, eyeing me. Sizing me up.
“Sharp object through the eye. Inside the mouth. Those are its only soft entry spots. Everything else takes a strong weapon and muscle.”
Or an elekium sword.
I eyed the cache of weapons. Did I have time to run for it?
Nope. The dragon screeched and dove at me. I had to do some serious dodging. For all that it took its time before, it moved incredibly fast now. It just missed slamming into me. I hit the ground in a roll, bouncing up and throwing myself at the hind end of the dragon. The dagger I stabbed with bounced off the scales of its back.
“You’ll need a better weapon,” Konstantin yelled. Somehow, he held his damned sword even though it had been in the same pile as mine.
“Thanks for not grabbing my blade,” I grumbled, eyeing the pile, still too far away. How did he do that? I swear, that weapon came to him when called, just like a dog.
The dragon whipped around before I could complain some more. I swerved left to avoid the lunging dart of its muzzle. Focused on that, I totally missed the tail that swept my ankles.
I hit the ground hard. Blinked and thought I must have hit my head, because suddenly I saw four dragons. Wait, five.