The air in Tiamat's lair tasted of salt and ancient stone, warmed by the deep, patient heat of the earth. She watched me, her massive head tilted, her crimson eyes glowing like embers in the dim light of the cavern. The scales around them were like polished obsidian, each one the size of a shield.
"Are you trying to kill me?" she asked. Her voice was perfectly calm, a low rumble that echoed slightly off the vaulted stone ceiling.
I blinked, the question so far from my intentions that it took a moment to register. "What?"
"I know my training methods were harsh," she continued, her tone as dry as dust. "But they worked, did they not? So I must ask why you are now attempting to end my life."
"I'm not trying to kill you," I said, holding my hands up in a gesture of peace. Far away, a quiet anchor in my mind, I could feel the faint, steady warmth of Luna's bond.
