The Dragon's Lair by Elizabeth Haydon

Kingston, sprawling and wobbling a little less with each step.
    They were almost to the first row of shops when a rainbow flash caught Ven's eye.
    A blazing streak of shimmering light.
    That he had seen before.
    In the fortune teller's tent.
    Deep inside the Gated City.

5
Madame Sharra

    V EN'S HEAD TURNED TO THE LEFT, FOLLOWING THE FLASH .
    In the light of the morning sun, a long dark shadow clung to the side of a nearby building where the cobblestone streets began. Ven saw the rainbow glimmer again as the shadow took shape and stepped into the cobbled street.
    Standing there in the light was a tall, thin woman with golden skin and eyes that matched. She was watching him with a steady gaze that he remembered from the first time he had seen her, deep within her dark tent in the Gated City.
    "Madame Sharra?" he asked in wonder.
    The golden woman continue to watch him but said nothing.
    Ven turned to Amariel. She was still fascinated by the buildings of Kingston, where the doors were now beginning to open and the streets starting to fill with people.
    "Amariel, wait here, please, and don't move," he said. The merrow nodded distantly, still watching the waking city. He took a few steps closer to the golden woman.
    "How did you get out of the Gated City?" he asked.
    The Reader's eyes narrowed slightly. Ven knew immediately he had asked the wrong question.
    "Why are you here?" he asked, trying again. He looked back at Amariel, who had not moved. Behind her, the people of the town, the farmers' carts, the merchants, even the fountain seemed to be moving very gradually, as if Time had slowed down around them.
    Madame Sharra's gaze remained steady.
    "I came to find you, Ven Polypheme," she said. Her voice had a strange dryness to it, an old, ancient sound that felt like magic in Ven's ears. "I wanted to see if you were still alive."
    "Oh. Well, thank you," Ven said awkwardly. "I'm fine, thank you."
    "For now," Madame Sharra said. She looked deeply into Ven's eyes. "I also came to find out how long that will be true."
    Ven glanced back at Amariel again. She seemed frozen in place, like the rest of the world around him. "Should I be worried?"
    "Look at me," the fortune teller directed. "My time here is short. As yours may be."
    Not knowing what else to do, Ven obeyed.
    Madame Sharra stared down at him. She was more than a head taller than he was, and her golden eyes were hypnotic. Ven found himself staring back, feeling warm and cold at the same time. He had no idea how long he stood there, his gaze locked with Madame Sharra's, but finally she looked away, breaking the lock.
    "What do you see?" Ven asked.
    The Reader of the scales shook her head. "When I look in someone's eyes, I can often see the footprints they will leave in the sands of Time in the course of their lives. Even when they are no longer in my presence, I can occasionally see their paths. Sometimes those paths go on for great distances, into almost endless horizons, because their lives will be very long. Sometimes those paths are very short, because death waits beyond the next hill."
    Ven swallowed. It felt like a cobblestone from the street was lodged in his throat.
    "And? What do you see for me?"
    The golden woman exhaled.
    "From within the Market, when I looked for your path, I could see nothing," she said. "But the Gated City is under a cloud at the moment, a cloud brought about by your actions, I believe." She smiled slightly. "For the first time in a long while, the walls actually hold the residents in."
    Except you , Ven thought.
    "It is the prison it was meant to be, at least for a moment. Many of those who dwell in the deepest recesses of the city are not pleased with this change. Perhaps the cloud of their anger kept me from seeing your future clearly. I wanted to know for myself—so I have come to see if I can get a better look."
    "Why?"
    "Because your destiny, and that of the dragon scale cards, seem to be entwined."
    Ven's face flushed hot. "What does that