She won’t answer you honestly anyway. Her Majesty, the red-haired Queen Seraphina has always been devilishly cunning.»
«Does the dragon still serve her?»
«Not anymore! Now is your chance to lure him into her service. It won’t be difficult with your outward abilities.»
«You speak of the dragon as if he were a young man.»
Dandy laughed softly. An unpleasant rumbling echo traveled through the hall, flying into every crevice. Rosamunda looked around cautiously. Had any of the counselors heard the laughter? Or else they would think that it was the devil himself laughing, and she, the queen, who had called him, and who should be declared a witch and sent to the stake.
«Listen! Only a witch can control a dragon, right?»
«I thought of it myself!» Dandy grinned slyly.
«Well, I’m not a witch! Then I shouldn’t even look at it. It’s too dangerous.»
She wanted to run away, but the insolent clawed counselor clutched at her hem. He’s so intrusive! He can’t be moved by force! He looks small, but he’s as strong as a giant.
«Stop it! You must go to the mountains and see if the dragon is real. If you don’t check it yourself, everyone will fool you with fairy tales.»
«But you said yourself he’s not fictional.»
«It is not in Fallot! But in the mountains of your kingdom, who knows? I haven’t climbed there and I haven’t checked. I leave that privilege to the ruler of the land, which is you.»
This could be some kind of trap! He’s been luring her into the mountains with too much persistence. On the other hand, what does she have to lose by sneaking up there? And if her hunch is correct, and her anger can make the earth shake and crack, sucking in an entire enemy army, then she has nothing to fear from the conspirators or even the dragon.
«It is all right, you got it!»
Dandy scraped the already cracked marble floor with the claws of his lower paws in joy.
«I’ll go steal a carriage!»
«It’s easier to just borrow one from the stables.»
«No, then everyone will know who’s riding it. And we need to maintain our incognito. I’d rather they think the carriage was stolen.»
«But then we’ll be chased by the guards.»
«With your skills, it wouldn’t be hard for them to fall into the first ravine that cracks in the road.»
«Why should I go to such lengths for a dragon?»
«It is for you first and foremost! You need a fire-breathing protector or you’ll die.»
It was a fire-breathing problem! But Rosamunda remained silent. It would be useless to argue with Dandy, and if she called the guards, he would dash into the first crevice and disappear there, and then appear in her bedroom at night like a bogeyman from a nightmare. It’s better to make a deal with him.
«It’s really interesting to find out if dragons exist.»
«I’m curious, too,» Dandy admitted. «I’ve never seen one up close. Besides, if our plan succeeds, you’ll make me chief minister.»
«I didn’t promise that!»
«If you ride the dragon, you’ll probably want to thank me.»
«I’m a little scared.»
«Don’t be. You’re the ruler of an entire country, not a pussycat. It is for the good of your people, you must always be prepared to sacrifice yourself to dragons and burn alive.»
«That’s not in the king’s oath!»
«But just in case, say it to the people and you will be loved and respected. And when the time comes to burn in the dragon’s flames, you can either be scared and run away, or conspire with the dragon.»
Dandy proved to be a shrewd politician. And what misfortune would come of consorting with him? But she really wanted to see a real dragon from afar. Besides, a trip to the mountains costs nothing. It’s only half a day’s journey. No one at the castle would notice her absence. After all, the queen is unsociable. And when she comes to the council, disasters happen. So it’s best for everyone to assume she never leaves her chambers.
A trip to the mountains
It is quite unusual to steal a carriage from yourself. Rosamunda felt like a stranger in her own carriage. Dandy chose the most luxurious carriage, drawn by six horses, and drove it along an unremarkable bumpy road. The wheels stuck in the mud. The gilded walls with coats of arms were scratched by boulders and iron-sharp branches. The path was very narrow. It was a wonder how the carriage had not yet gotten stuck or crashed on it. There was a cliff below the mountain path on which they had turned. Behind them, the chase was already under way.
Rosamunda turned to the rear window of the carriage and glared at her own guards like a thief. They did not know, of course, that the stolen carriage was carrying the queen herself. So far, Dandy had easily managed to evade the guards. But his luck might change one day.
Rosamunda regretted again that she had not befriended the winged lizard on the column, but the cunning weasel who now sat in the coachman’s seat. How had he ever managed to convince her that she alone could cope with a dragon by the power of her feminine charms? What if he was leading her into a trap? There could be bands of bandits hiding in the mountains besides the dragon. Shouldn’t she call the guards? But something was holding her back. It was a curiosity, perhaps.
«Something tells me that the dragon is not so easy to negotiate with,» Rosamunda thought aloud. Dandy, strangely enough, heard her, despite the rumble of the wheels, and answered:
«And you don’t listen to the promptings of reason! You must be lucky!»
Well said! No speaker of the council could have convinced her of such absurdities as Dandy had already convinced her of. There’s a reason he’s a supernatural being and not a man. His intelligence and cunning are of the highest order! Humans are far from him. They don’t know how to compel others to do whatever they want. But Dandy did. No matter how silly his assurances sounded, she wanted to give in to them.
«How did you persuade the guards to let you into the king’s castle?» Rosamunda wondered.
«I didn’t,» Dandy chuckled softly.
«Then where did you come from? From a secret underground passage that no one knows about.»
«Easier! It was right from under your feet. There was a crevice in the floor. Remember?»
«But it must lead straight down into the earth.»
«I see you’ve never heard of the Underworld and its inhabitants.»
He’s got a point. No one had ever told her anything like that before. Dandy swerved so sharply around corners that Rosamunda was thrown from side to side. It was a blessing that inside the carriage was covered with soft velvet and plenty of cushions. Otherwise the queen would have been bruised. She should have been more careful in choosing a coachman. Or better yet, she should have stayed out of adventures, so she wouldn’t need a coachman today.
«Did that lizard on the column crawl into the castle with you?»
«No,» Dandy’s voice echoed hoarsely from the goat. You could barely make out the words. «The little dragon had crawled out of Rhiannon’s jewelry box. All of her former jewels eventually turn into such creatures.»
«Who’s Rhiannon?»
«Don’t you know?» Dandy was surprised.
«There is no such name among my ladies of the court. Is it the name of some new maid of honor who came from the provinces?»
A snide