Chapter 19

Coldarra

"Roo--GHAK!"

Molgoby had been making that terrible sound sporadically for the last hour. It wasn't his fault, there wasn't a snow mask large enough to encircle the Tauren's head and protect his face from the blizzard. As a result, snow would clump in the Tauren's mouth, and he had no other choice but to spit the cold substance out. The sound effects were extremely obnoxious, at times convincing Stefan that Molgoby was making them on purpose.

"Roo--GHAK!"

"Damnit, Molgoby! Can you quit that?" shouted Fineus, sitting on a wolf riding alongside Molgoby's. The Tauren turned and batted the Gnome upside the head with an open hand. Fineus cursed in reply, but didn't bother the Tauren further.

Stefan felt Iyana's arms tighten around his waist. He leaned his head back, where Iyana was resting her chin on his right shoulder.

"Everything alright, Iyana?"

Her cheekbones rose in the form of a smile behind the snow mask. "Just a little excited."

"First time on a wolf?" he shouted back.

"Aye. Sabers are much softer. This wolf is bruising my arse!"

"What can I say, they're rough, but they're efficient!" he replied.

"Roo-GHAK!"

"MOLGOBY!"

---

Their Orcish guide led them over the frozen river that separated the Borean Tundra from Coldarra. He let them off on the snow banks, bidding them farewell as he departed with the wolf pack. Now on foot, Stefan and the others continued on into the domain of Malygos, the Blue Dragon Aspect.

"What do we want with the giant lizard, anyway?" quivered Geraldros, staring around at the frozen landscape in quiet observation.

"His knowledge," replied Stefan.

"Are we gonna' cut his tendons and split his stomach open from flank to flank, and take his head as a trophy, after we torture him for information?"

Everyone turned to stare at Fineus as he said this, save for Geraldros, who was too afraid of the snow to hear what the Gnome had said.

"No...we're going to talk to him," said Iyana.

Fineus looked absolutely downtrodden. "Oh."

Molgoby, several feet ahead of the pack along with Lyra, suddenly looked down as something underfoot caught his attention. The snow had been replaced with ice, and as he peered through the gloom ahead, saw that entire landscape was just that: ice. Peaks of glacial spikes, frozen ravines, and crystal paths in a glittering, semi-transparent world.

"Beautiful," the Tauren heard Lyra say next to him. He grunted in reply.

Haydric couldn't take it any longer. Geraldros had been muttering and constantly looking over his shoulder.

"Geraldros!" stammered Haydric, startling the Dwarf and quieting the rest of the group. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Now they stopped as the timid Dwarf moved over to Haydric, and spoke in a low whisper.

"They've been following us since the wolves left us."

"Who?" asked Haydric.

Geraldros pointed behind them. "Them."

Two dragon whelps, their scales the color of azure. They flapped their tiny wings about, spinning around in the air several yards away, silently watching Stefan and the others. It was amusing, and Stefan couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's just a pair of whelps. Let's keep moving," he suggested, turning to initiate their advance. But no one moved.

"That wouldn't be a good idea, Stefan," said Haydric.

Then the bounty hunter noticed the other dragons emerging from the icescape all around them, some much larger than the whelps.

"What're we gonna do?" squealed Geraldros, scuttling up next to Haydric and Stefan in a clamor of metal jingling.

"Cross your legs and hold it in, ya pansy!" said Fineus.