Now…

Enetri, the king of the dwarves, sat on his stone throne, listening to the man who had come to talk to him. The dwarves lived many feet underground, so the face of the man who was kneeling at his feet was illuminated only by the lava.

“My lord,” the man—who Enetri recognized as Eneten, a chief designer—said. “I have found something you might find disturbing.”

“What is it?” Enetri asked.

“It’s a dragon.”

“So? Dragons live in these parts.”

“This dragon is dead and has a sword in its skull. A sword of bone. That’s not normal.”

Enetri rose in disbelief, his chestplate clinking against his chainmail. “Take me there,” he demanded, his voice firm and commanding.

Eneten led as the group (Eneten, Enetri, and an escort of guards) made their way out of the throne room. They made their way through lava-lit tunnels, passing forges, classrooms, and houses until they reached the underground market.

“This way,” Eneten said, leading them behind a food cart to a large hole in the wall. The tunnel behind it was decently sized, albeit with no lighting (dwarves developed the ability to see in the dark upon reaching puberty). It rose steadily upward, and the group walked through it for many minutes until they hit a large trapdoor.

Eneten pulled on the trapdoor, letting Enetri and his guards out first. Leaving the trapdoor open as he climbed out, Eneten stepped into the dim red light of the Lavafields.

Enetri stood, royal staff in hand, looking out at the deep red rocks around him. Spotting the outline of a dragon in the distance, he squinted. This cannot be true, he thought. Such an act would break our vows with the dragons, but I shall humour Eneten. We all deserve a good joke now and then.

Eneten led the group over several hills until he stopped. They were less than thirty feet away from the dragon now, and Enetri could see that Eneten had been telling the truth.

Unfortunately.

Chunks of the dragon’s flesh were removed, and it looked like its claws and horns had been ripped off too. It was bound to the ground by orange ropes, and as Eneten had said, a bone sword was driven right through its skull.

Enetri sighed, his beard rippling with the exhale. What a horrible end for such a beautiful creature, he thought.

Enetri nodded at Eneten, and the group walked right up to the dragon. The glow in its chest was gone—the fires of the heart had been extinguished.

Enetri turned to a guard. “When we get back, fetch a goblin.”

“For what?” One of the guards asked, shifting nervously.

“I need to call a council. Maybe this has happened elsewhere. Either way, we need to identify the species at fault…and determine the consequences.”

The group turned back toward the tunnel, but Enetri lingered just a little longer with the dragon.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “You will be avenged.”