as had her father. «Once they’d had enough, they’d still fly to scorch the cities they’d sent tribute from. Dragons are dishonorable!»
«But there is one thing they do respect.»
«And what is that?»
«It is treasure!» The skeleton’s eyes gleamed with the empty eyes that held two tiny diamonds. «Offer them gold and jewels, and you will buy their favor.»
«For how long is it?»
«It all depends on the portion of the jewels.»
«And once they decide there’s not enough treasure, how will they break the agreement and attack again? Better to fight them with steel than to offer them gold.»
«An agreement built on gold they will not break.»
«Are they that greedy?»
«When it comes to precious metals, it’s not just their greed that becomes excessive. A hypnotic attraction to gold and jewels awakens in them. Give them more and more precious trinkets, and they go into ecstasy, poring over them and counting to infinity.»
«So they’re attracted to Livellin’s coffers!» Gryamore guessed. «That’s why they come here all the time.»
«It is not only that! There are more treasures in other realms than yours. There is another treasure,» the skeleton became tense and clutched at the armrests of the chair he sat on. «It is you!»
He pointed his bony hand toward Graymore.
«Why is it me?» the princess struggled feverishly to remove her precious rings and bracelets. «Is it because of the abundance of jewelry on me? It is etiquette to wear them, so that all the ambassadors can see how rich Livellin is by my example.»
«Leave the trinkets! Whether you take it off or not won’t make any difference. Dragons will still be drawn to you. It’s as if there’s a vein of gold inside you. Even I can feel the gold shining through your skin. There are creatures with gold blood, you might be one of them.»
Graymore wasn’t about to take a dagger and slash herself to find out.
«And what explains the dragon’s fondness for gold and gems?»
«It is an ancient legend. Legend has it that dragons are servants of a solar deity who rebelled in the heavens. As soon as it fell, the light of the sun fell to earth with it and turned into gold-bearing veins and deposits of precious stones. So gold reminds the dragons of their period of greatness. They were not yet monsters then.»
«It is interesting!» Graymore looked at the magical mirror. It was trying to show something. In it glimpsed dense forests and strange creatures galloping through the thicket. It seemed to be fairies. Graymore had never yet communicated with magical creatures. She ruled the land of humen. Only rarely did she get to see fairies, nymphs, and mermaids from afar. In the old days, there had been more of them in Livellin than there had been people, but now almost the entire population was human.
«If you see a golden statue of a dragon god in the forest or mountains, flee from it! It’s probably alive and bloodthirsty, though very beautiful,» warned the skeleton in an admonishing tone.
«Is it a statue of a dragon? Or of a man covered in scales?»
«It’s a statue of an angel.»
Graymore exhaled in amazement.
«So the appearance of a deity is a trick to trap?»
«You could say that. It is her original form.»
«Did you say hers and not his?»
«Yes, their deity wears a maiden face, but it is deceptive.»
«Does she turn into a dragon?»
«No, but she breathes fire. Her worshippers use the sickle as an instrument of murder and sprinkle the blood of their victims over the withered fields to summon her. Once the blood is spilled over them, black rye will grow in the fields, producing monsters that will point to where her living statue stands.»
«What is all this for?»
«To bring the apocalypse closer and the arrival of her full power over a ruined world. There are many of her admirers in your country.»
«I don’t know about her. They honor the queen of the fairies, whom no one has ever seen, the elf king, who only came to visit my father, and the horned goddess of the looking glass, the sparkling goddess of the moon and stars, the goddess of the rainbow, and the gods of war. I revere the latter the most. War is my calling.»
«It is only with dragons!» stressed the skeleton.
«Only dragons attack in more recent times.»
Many hunters for easy money went to war against Livellin. It’s a rich country. Why do you think there aren’t as many people conquering the country?»
«I don’t know!»
«There’s something evil in the country. It’s black and dark. Even I feel bad about it, though I’m almost a black wizard myself. It is almost… Sometimes I can do good things. I give advice to you. You’re sweet and young and unspoiled. You could easily be seduced by bad advice, but I refrain from it.»
«I carry presents for you.»
«Gifts are worthless. They are only a courtesy. There are many sorcerers who would cheat you and kill you for your own gifts.»
«Are not one of them?» Graymore teased him.
«You are still alive and well and unaffected by evil spells.»
«I feel like I burn alive when a dragon flies near my borders. Many would say that is the spell. I have been bewitched! I have been thrust into a quest to fight monsters in which I may die.»
«You can’t!» The skeleton’s eye was the judge of that. «You have special blood. Golden blood is the symbol of chosen one.»
«Should I go after the special dragon, or should I sit in my castle and wait until he gets here?»
«I told you he’s not coming here.»
«Why is it not? Is that what the mirror says?» Graymore, no matter how hard she looked, all she saw in the mirror was wild woods. There was no writing on the glass which told her fate. Apparently, the skeleton wizard saw more.
«I’m drawn to this strange dragon,» Graymore admitted.
«Is it more than to other dragons?»
«It is much more! Could he be the death to me?»
«You are nineteen years old! It is not yet time to die!»
«There was a queen in my family who drowned when she was nineteen. They say she became a mermaid.»
«More like a mistress of watermen.»
Graymore was embarrassed. The skeleton
