Corpus Tamrielicum - The Imperial Library

132 2. THE ELDER SCROLLS CHAPTER 2: DAGGERFALL
first, 'cause he blended with the rest of the gold. Well, we just froze in place. We hadn't seen a
sign of live dragon outside. The place smelled of brimstone, but most mines do. And there
that dragon was, just lying there. And it's gotta be two miles to any kind of shelter."
"'I told you there was a dragon,' Mats whispers."
"'Shhhhh,' Moraelyn says. 'Look what's in front of his nose.'"
"I'd been busy looking at his nose, believe you me. But there was a sword lying right there
naked, sure enough...and the blade was dark metal that looked just like his dagger."
"'You two start back,' Moraelyn says, 'I'm going to try for that blade, anyway. If that's not
ebony, I'm a wood elf. Maybe the dragon's dead, or asleep for the winter, or maybe it's not
alive at all. Just something the dwarves made to guard their treasure. Like the scarecrows the
Nord farmers put in their grain fields. At worst, I'll distract him long enough for you to get
clear.'"
"I'd a mind to take him up on it, but Mats just shook his head, and I was kinda ashamed to go
back alone."
"'Let's all just clear out,' I said. That thing looked real enough to scare me away. But
Moraelyn casts Invisibility and heads on down the stair, not making a sound that even I could
hear. I could see Mats hated letting him go down alone, but Mats couldn't sneak past a blind,
deaf beggar in a fish market. So we strung our bows and figured we could try to get off a
couple of shots and maybe get lucky and take out the eyes if the dragon woke up and went for
Moraelyn. Mats and I move around to where we can get onto a tower stair fast if we have to,
figuring the dragon can't get in there. Then we scrunch down and peer between the railings.
Not that there was anything to see except the dragon lying there. Which really is a lot to see,
at that."
"Then those dragon eyes popped open and my heart gave one big jump and then seemed to
quit entirely."
"'Ahhhhh! Dinner comes to me today,' the dragon says. 'Take a good look at my hoard, dark
elf. You will not steal it nor even view it long, but your bones will keep it
company...forever.'"
"'I don't want your hoard, dragon, just the sword you guard. I'll trade you mine for it; mine's
bigger.' I couldn't see Moraelyn, but his voice was coming from right near where the sword
was. Which was practically in the dragon's mouth!"
"'I get a meal and both swords. Why should I settle for just your poor sword?'"
"'Let me pass and I'll get you more gold from below.'"
"'I have gold enough.' The dragon yawned and I thought he was going to swallow Moraelyn
right then, but he turned his head away, away from us, too. Mats was looking to get a shot, but
it was really dark in there for Nord eyes and he was scared of hitting Moraelyn, since he
couldn't locate him that well by sound. 'Course Moraelyn's too smart to get between us and
the dragon, but Mats wasn't smart enough then to think that far along. Slavery dulls the wits in