landed below. But she hadn’t seen his body. What if he’d survived? What if his bones had mended? The feeling of foreboding made her want to run and hide. She sniffed the air. It was crisp and clean. The air wasn’t taintedby the sickening smell of uncured hides that always accompanied the dragon hunter, but the lump in her stomach was unmistakable.
The sun went behind a cloud. It was only a small cloud, but it covered the sun completely. The foreboding grew stronger. The hairs on the back of Ping’s neck prickled. Her blood turned to ice. She spun round.
There was a man standing between two rocks. He was wearing a dark, hooded cloak. He was perfectly still, as if he’d been there for some time. He pushed back his hood. Ping stared at the face and all hope drained from her. The man had a bald head and a short beard of orange-coloured bristles. He wore a patch over one eye. On his right cheek was a dark mark. It wasn’t Diao. It was the necromancer.
• chapter eight •
D EEP G REEN
His mouth twisted into an ugly grimace,
exposing stained and chipped teeth. Ping
realised it was supposed to be a smile.
“Where’s that doddering old dragon?”
The necromancer’s voice was harsh and rasping, like a blade scraping across a stone. Ping had been longing to hear another human voice for months, but this was the one voice she had never wanted to hear again. She stared at the necromancer in disbelief. It had never occurred to her that he would be able to track her down.
The mark on his cheek was a tattoo of a monstrous animal with bared teeth and skulls hanging from its mane. Around his waist hung dreadful weapons—a long sword with a curved blade, a saw-toothed knife,a hatchet, a thin double-edged dagger. Their cutting edges were sharp and shiny.
“It doesn’t matter how feeble it is,” the necromancer continued. “As long as it’s still breathing.”
He was talking as if the old dragon was no threat, but his eyes were darting around, keeping an eye out for Danzi.
“And where’s the little one?”
Ping glanced at the cooking pot sitting on the edge of the well. “I don’t know what you mean.” She prayed that Kai didn’t choose that moment to change back to his proper shape.
“I saw it with my own eyes when I was spying on you up on Tai Shan. That dragon stone cost me a lot—in effort and gold—and you stole it from me. Anything that hatched out of it is mine. It won’t fetch as much money as the big one, but it’ll still be worth a bit. Once I get it to Wucheng, I’ll butcher it. Fresh dragon parts are worth a fortune.”
Ping felt anger bubble inside her like water coming to the boil.
Wucheng was the town where sorcerers and magicians purchased ingredients for their spells and potions. The most prized component was the heart of the dragon.
Both Diao and the necromancer had held the dragon stone in their greedy hands. She had stolen it back from the necromancer while he slept. When he came after her, she and Hua had fought him and escaped, leaving himstruggling on a muddy river bank.
His mouth twisted into an ugly grimace, exposing stained and chipped teeth. Ping realised it was supposed to be a smile.
“You got a nasty shock when you found your goat dead, didn’t you?” he cackled. “I enjoyed watching you run like a startled rabbit.”
He would have been a laughing stock in Wucheng when word got around that a young girl had got the better of him. Ping was glad she’d shamed him.
He moved so close that Ping could smell his foul breath. The ugly smile on the necromancer’s face turned into a snarl.
“I need that dragon and its whelp. And I can’t wait any longer.”
He pulled a heavy sword from his belt and dug the point into Ping’s cheek. She felt its sharp point break the skin and blood trickle down her neck.
“Tell me where the old dragon is and I won’t kill you.”
“He’s gone far away where you’ll never reach him. He’s flown to the Isle of the Blest and he’s
The sun went behind a cloud. It was only a small cloud, but it covered the sun completely. The foreboding grew stronger. The hairs on the back of Ping’s neck prickled. Her blood turned to ice. She spun round.
There was a man standing between two rocks. He was wearing a dark, hooded cloak. He was perfectly still, as if he’d been there for some time. He pushed back his hood. Ping stared at the face and all hope drained from her. The man had a bald head and a short beard of orange-coloured bristles. He wore a patch over one eye. On his right cheek was a dark mark. It wasn’t Diao. It was the necromancer.
• chapter eight •
D EEP G REEN
His mouth twisted into an ugly grimace,
exposing stained and chipped teeth. Ping
realised it was supposed to be a smile.
“Where’s that doddering old dragon?”
The necromancer’s voice was harsh and rasping, like a blade scraping across a stone. Ping had been longing to hear another human voice for months, but this was the one voice she had never wanted to hear again. She stared at the necromancer in disbelief. It had never occurred to her that he would be able to track her down.
The mark on his cheek was a tattoo of a monstrous animal with bared teeth and skulls hanging from its mane. Around his waist hung dreadful weapons—a long sword with a curved blade, a saw-toothed knife,a hatchet, a thin double-edged dagger. Their cutting edges were sharp and shiny.
“It doesn’t matter how feeble it is,” the necromancer continued. “As long as it’s still breathing.”
He was talking as if the old dragon was no threat, but his eyes were darting around, keeping an eye out for Danzi.
“And where’s the little one?”
Ping glanced at the cooking pot sitting on the edge of the well. “I don’t know what you mean.” She prayed that Kai didn’t choose that moment to change back to his proper shape.
“I saw it with my own eyes when I was spying on you up on Tai Shan. That dragon stone cost me a lot—in effort and gold—and you stole it from me. Anything that hatched out of it is mine. It won’t fetch as much money as the big one, but it’ll still be worth a bit. Once I get it to Wucheng, I’ll butcher it. Fresh dragon parts are worth a fortune.”
Ping felt anger bubble inside her like water coming to the boil.
Wucheng was the town where sorcerers and magicians purchased ingredients for their spells and potions. The most prized component was the heart of the dragon.
Both Diao and the necromancer had held the dragon stone in their greedy hands. She had stolen it back from the necromancer while he slept. When he came after her, she and Hua had fought him and escaped, leaving himstruggling on a muddy river bank.
His mouth twisted into an ugly grimace, exposing stained and chipped teeth. Ping realised it was supposed to be a smile.
“You got a nasty shock when you found your goat dead, didn’t you?” he cackled. “I enjoyed watching you run like a startled rabbit.”
He would have been a laughing stock in Wucheng when word got around that a young girl had got the better of him. Ping was glad she’d shamed him.
He moved so close that Ping could smell his foul breath. The ugly smile on the necromancer’s face turned into a snarl.
“I need that dragon and its whelp. And I can’t wait any longer.”
He pulled a heavy sword from his belt and dug the point into Ping’s cheek. She felt its sharp point break the skin and blood trickle down her neck.
“Tell me where the old dragon is and I won’t kill you.”
“He’s gone far away where you’ll never reach him. He’s flown to the Isle of the Blest and he’s
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