He looked at his two friends. Now he remembered why he never used the blanket in the way they had. Overnight it had shrunk back to its original size. When you were rolled up in it, the body's movements in the night kept it stretched. Instead, the blanket had slowly disappeared beneath them and they were covered in sweat and dirt.

The knight didn't want to wake the others. He crept quietly to the mouth of the cave to check on Fleetfire and to get the berries they'd picked by the roadside the day before. Food was scarcer this far in the mountains. The berries would need to be washed, but finding water would not be a problem. He stood there, naked, the warm air venting past his back, and the cool rain running down his arms as he held out a handful of berries to be rinsed.

Two fingers poked Madoc just below the ribs. Madoc pulled down his arms and spun around. He saw a stranger there, and Madoc realized he couldn't protect himself. He still had his hands full of berries. Then he took in the facts that the stranger was smiling, naked, and dirty, and that Thom could be heard laughing himself silly inside the cave.

"Gods, Lennox," he said, "don't do that."

"And good morning to you, too."

"Oh, that's right," Thom said, in between guffaws, "Madoc's not laid eyes on you till just now. I'm sorry, Madoc, that was a mean trick. I put him up to it."

Madoc stepped past Lennox into the darkness of the cave. "You two are just lucky I didn't crush our breakfast when you played your trick. Here you are," he said as he moved to transfer some of the berries to Thom's hands. But they were dirty.

"I'll want to wash my hands a little first." He reached around and pinched Madoc's butt while his hands were still occupied. Madoc continued to stand there, hands cupped together until he could find somewhere to put the food down. There wasn't anywhere to put the food down.

Lennox joined Thom at the mouth of the cave to make use of the rain to try to wash up. "He knows who you are," Lennox stated. Thom nodded. "He's going to hand you over to King Dunstan for trial?" Thom looked down and nodded again. "Not to wish ill on your good fortune, but why are you going the wrong way?"

Thom told the story of their quests to find the items Eleazar needed to end the plague afflicting Cairncross. When they came back into the cave, Lennox picked up a sack that was tucked in a niche by the door. Even Thom had missed it. From it, Lennox took out some cheese and dried meat.

"Where did you...?" Madoc started to ask.

"From Kraid's stores," he said as he passed Thom the cheese. "He'll never miss them."

Madoc interpreted this to mean, `He's got so much, Kraid provided me with a little something.' Thom interpreted it to mean, `Kraid will be so busy relocating himself now that his lair isn't secure, he'll never notice I've stolen some of the food.'

They sat. Lennox added some of the berries to his sack as Thom continued the story. "We've got most of the items already. We're looking for horsephlox grown in obsidian soil."

"Would you be able to help us look?" Madoc asked.

"I would like to, but I need to keep moving. I don't want Kraid to find me again." Madoc nodded. "But if I do find any, I'll leave a marker just before I leave the spot."

"Thank you," Madoc said.

Once breakfast was over, Thom stood up and stretched. "Before we continue onward, I'd like to get cleaned up, but I don't like the prospect of bathing in the cold rain."

"Don't worry," Lennox told him. "I found the perfect spot yesterday. Come on." Lennox boldly walked out into the rain nude. Thom and Madoc just looked at each other. "Well?" Lennox called back. Thom went out to join him. Madoc looked through his own sacks, finding soap and his washcloth. He also snatched up his sword and belt.

It was freezing outside in the rain. Madoc had to jog a little along the rough stone pathway to catch up with the others. He took his first good look at Lennox.

He had short red hair, green eyes and just now, a wide grin. His skin was quite pale. He had the same lean build as Thom, not built for strength but for flexibility and speed. Madoc's own hair and complexion were darker, and he was much more muscular, more inclined to brute force than dexterity. Lennox's legs were slightly hairy. It looked as though his cock was lengthening to erection, jutting out from coppery curls. He walked with confidence along the treacherous path, while Madoc was constantly checking for small pebbles.

All three of them were completely soaked, but no less dirty. Madoc was beginning to shiver and wished that he'd brought the blanket, wherever that had gone, when Lennox abandoned the path and climbed the gradual slope up the mountain. Thom and Madoc felt compelled to look at each other again. Suddenly the pair was splashed with warm water from above.

They looked up and saw Lennox on all fours, leaning over the edge of a plateau above them. "It's even more full than it was yesterday! Come on up!"

Thom started up the mountainside, taking care not to slip on the bare rock. The incline was just steep enough to make him lean over onto his hands to steady himself. When he reached the top, he saw where some of the rainwater had collected in a deep pit. Water trickled in from higher up the mountain and overflowed and continued to flow down the other side. When he tested the water, it was warm. When Thom looked at Lennox with a puzzled look on his face, Lennox pointed up the mountain. Thom could see steam rise from somewhere above them. "I'd say that the same heat that kept us sweating all last night keeps the water hot too."

Thom didn't say that he'd thought he knew what had kept them sweating last night.

When Thom stopped to inquire about the water, Madoc had had to stop his ascent as well. This put him in an excellent position to get a look at Thom's ass. It was nice and tight, no fat at all. Thom's semi-regular running and climbing in his own profession had kept it trim. Small trickles of clear water ran down two tantalizingly round globes of flesh. He could almost see why Lennox had shown interest in it last night. He began to reach forward... but Thom moved on, joining Lennox in the water. Well, maybe later. Madoc climbed up the rest of the way.

The water was only just deep enough to sit in. Thom found he could even lie down if he raised his head enough to breathe. It was a really odd sensation to have his body immersed in warm, almost hot, water while the cool rain came down on his face and hair.

Madoc applied soap to his body, allowing the rain to rinse him off naturally. When he was done with his upper body, he lathered up his hands and passed the soap to Lennox. Thom was keeping himself amused by pushing his floating body along the surface of the water by walking his hands across the pool's bottom.

Lennox scrubbed himself all over and passed the soap to Thom, who reluctantly sat up. He began to wash himself and noticed what Madoc was doing.

His black hair was plastered back, and he was staring out away from the mountains, looking at the entire countryside as it was thoroughly cleansed by the weather. He'd never gotten the chance to see so much of it at once. The forests, the fields, the lakes, rivers and towns. The whole of it was in one way his, and in another way he was its servant. At that moment he felt immense pride in his calling. This was a Moment.

Thom saw parts of Madoc's back where there was still dirt. He came over and took care of them. Madoc looked back, allowing himself to be distracted, smiled at Thom and returned to his thoughts. Lennox came over and helped both Madoc and Thom to make sure they were clean all over.

Soon the water was cloudy with the soil and soap from their bodies, though it hadn't been clear to start with. When they were done they all sat there enjoying the view. It really was a beautiful place, despite the cloud cover. None of them spoke. Anything so complicated as words would ruin the feeling.

Lennox tried to stand up, but lost his balance and fell over into the pool, making a big splash. Thom chuckled. Lennox splashed him. Thom splashed back. Lennox tackled the blonde thief playfully. They wrestled for a while in the water until Thom noticed Madoc was still gazing at the view. The thief shook his head in Madoc's direction, while looking at Lennox. They both splashed the knight simultaneously.

Now Madoc noticed his companions and joined in the fun.

It was as though they were regressing into childhood, back to before sex had come into their lives, to when little boys would play with their friends without a care in the world. They felt an unsophisticated kind of joy that few adults get to feel: pure happiness. They splashed, wrestled, drank rainwater and splashed some more. They played.

All too soon, reality crept back in, and even the warm pool water wasn't enough to fight the chill of the ceaseless rain. They climbed down again to the pathway and ran back to the cave, great grins on their faces and teeth chattering.

"You know you're welcome to accompany us. You'll be safer from Kraid that way," Madoc offered.

"No, but thank you. You'll be leaving the mountains, and for right now, this is the only place I feel safe. If I come across any horsephlox, I'll just mark the spot before I move on."

"You've said that already," Thom teased.

"I suppose I have. Then I'll say this: if you're not back by the time I've dried out, I hope I meet up with you again. I had a lot of fun."

"Good luck to you, Lennox," Madoc said, extending his hand, which Lennox shook. He pulled the knight closer and hugged him.

Thom gave his farewell in a more relevant way, saying simply, "Stay clear," which Lennox recognized as thieves' argot, meaning that he hoped the guards wouldn't catch up to him. Ironic, Lennox thought, that he ended up using it in hopes that the criminals wouldn't catch him.

Madoc and Thom decided to investigate the natural vent which was the source of the hot air that filled the cave. The odd thing about it was that they could see daylight down there.

Madoc fetched the rope from Fleetfire and his sword again. Thom looked at him quizzically. Madoc explained that it was too valuable to be left behind.

They began to descend down the vent. It would be easy enough to climb back if the vent suddenly closed up, so they weren't worried. The vent continued downwards, but then took a sharp downward turn and widened up. Madoc was just about to suggest going back when Thom slipped on some loose pebbles and fell into the shaft, sliding all the way down.

Madoc groped around in the now-shadowy passage for a fixed stone to tie the rope to so he could climb down after him. "Hang on, Thom," he called down. He tied his knot and gave the rope a tug to ensure that was secure enough to bear his weight. He dropped the rope down the shaft and started down.

Thom, on the other hand, was examining his surroundings. The daylight they'd seen came through a sinkhole in the high roof of the cave Thom found himself in, which was easily three times the size of the one in which they'd slept. The sinkhole illuminated a patch of dirt in the center of the cavern in which there grew pale flowers. Horsephlox. Exactly what they were looking for. Thom picked a stalk, which was more likely to survive a climb up than individual flowers would. He rushed back to the vent that he'd slid down and saw the rope. He called up excitedly, "I have it! I'm coming up!"

"What?" Madoc asked.

Soon Thom put his weight on the rope. The stone Madoc had used as an anchor came loose. Thom dropped back to the floor and heard Madoc yell. Thom jumped back away from the shaft. When Madoc hit bottom, rope and stone following shortly after, Thom asked, "Why didn't you just let me climb back up and out?"

Madoc looked sheepish sprawled on the floor of this new cave and mumbled something about Thom being hurt.

"It's okay," Thom said, resting his hand on the knight's shoulder, "there ought to be another way out." The thief helped Madoc to his feet. He examined the shaft they had just fallen through. It had a double curve to it; there was no way to loop anything at the top of the shaft and the sides were glassy smooth. "There's no way we can get back out that way. Still, all this hot air isn't coming from that hole in the roof, so there's still another shaft somewhere."

It didn't take long to find it. It held considerably less promise than the other one. It vented hot, dry air out into the chamber, but no daylight was in evidence. That same glassy stone reflected a reddish glow. And Mount Silpin was a dormant volcano.

"I don't like the look of that," Thom said.

"Unfortunately, we don't have any other option. We can't go back the way we came, and we can't climb up to the sinkhole. It's in the middle of the roof; we'd never reach it. The only way out is down."

"Lennox is out there. If we can signal him...."

Madoc just shook his head. "We don't know that he'll ever find that sinkhole. And we've got the only rope."

Thom scowled and had the tact not to mention whose fault this was that they were now venturing closer to the volcano's center.

The second passage was much less steep. If they ever did have any good reason to return the way they had come, they could. The heat became almost unbearable. Both men were sweating buckets. The light broke through ahead, hurting their eyes after so much darkness.

The passage opened up into the very center of the mountain. The glow was emanating from the red-yellow lava that covered much of the floor of the cavern. The only rock that still survived was the ledge the two men were standing on, a few stalagmites and a nest in the very middle of the chamber. In the nest was a red dragon.

Both men stopped dead in their tracks. They both knew the legends about dragons. Different colors of dragons preferred different elements, and red dragons were creatures of fire. This firedrake, like all dragons, was also sensitive to the thoughts of humans. If Thom and Madoc thought too much, they would wake the sleeping beast.

Madoc began to move along the ledge, trying only to put one foot in front of the other and to look around incidentally for any possible exit.

Thom, meanwhile, had, if you'll pardon the pun, no idea how not to think. He remembered that old game, to stand in the corner and not think of a black bear. It wasn't possible not to think of the bear. And while Thom stared at the firedrake's head, a picture of a black bear in his mind, the dragon's eyes opened. Thom gulped.

WHO HAS DARED TO DISTURB MY SLUMBER? The words entered the men's heads directly, projected by the firedrake. I SETTLED IN THIS MOUNTAIN SO THAT THE CONSTANT CHATTERING OF THE MINDS OF MEN WOULD NOT DISTURB ME, AND STILL YOU MUST INTERRUPT MY REST.

Madoc began to speak. "We would like nothing more--"

SILENCE. I ALREADY KNOW WHAT YOU ARE THINKING AND I CARE NOTHING FOR WHAT YOU WANT. I CAME TO THIS PLACE, MY SANCTUARY, TO AVOID HUMANITY. AND STILL YOU INSIST ON INTRUDING. YOU DISTURBED ME, HUMANS. YOU MUST DIE.

The dragon unleashed its fire at them, exhaling white-hot flame. Each man dove to the side, splitting up. Madoc tucked and rolled, and drew his sword when he came to a stop. Thom merely leapt to the ground the other way, skidding gracelessly to a halt, scraping himself on the bare rock. He stayed low, hoping the creature's flame wouldn't find him. Madoc had found some shelter behind a large stone.

The dragon's eyes narrowed. It began to uncoil, its long serpentine body expanding to fill most of its nest, sticking out beyond the island in the lava toward them. It roared as it stretched, flexing long-unused muscles. (How long had it stayed under the mountain, seeking solitude?) It considered its two targets, and craned its neck to incinerate the thief.

Thom stayed flat, facing away from the creature, not wanting to move. Madoc, however, watched, and was prepared. He yelled a battle cry and charged at the dragon's neck.

Madoc knew that, despite what the legends say, in any battle between one dragon and one knight, the dragon will win every time. The dragon is more flexible, is more manoeuvrable, and has a greater range of attack because it need not be in contact with its enemy. Its fiery breath can kill from quite a distance. The knight stands no chance.

Here, however, Sir Madoc realized the dragon had none of these advantages over him. There was nowhere to fly to, no exposed sky to escape to, and it had to stay close to its enemies because of its sheer size and closed-in quarters. In fact, the only way it could possibly have gotten into the cave in the first place was to enter the last time the volcano was active, and seal up the cone behind it. In here, a knight stood a chance of survival. Sir Madoc charged.

Thom heard Madoc roar as he attacked the beast and turned to look. He saw the firedrake bearing down on him. He scrambled to get out of the way.

Madoc slashed at the creature's neck.

The dragon did have one advantage left to it: its thick hide. Scales and all.

Madoc slashed again quickly off the rebound. Not that his sword wasn't having any effect; Madoc's blade had the beast's ichor on it. It just wasn't a serious wound.

The dragon contorted its neck to examine this pest. Madoc retreated before the dragon could flame him, though it did try.

Thom got to his feet and examined his surroundings. There were other cave mouths on the far end of the chamber which might lead to the surface. If they could just leave the lair, the dragon wouldn't be able to follow. But they had to move more or less together because of Madoc's ring that kept his prisoner, Thom, within twenty feet. And if the dragon ever caught the humans together, they'd both be dead. Distracting the dragon was the only thing keeping them alive. There weren't any passages to the outside at this end anyway, only the one that led back to the horsephlox and a dead end.

If Thom didn't distract the dragon soon, Sir Madoc would die, and he, Thom, wouldn't last long either. But he was unarmed. He didn't even have a rock to throw. He had to think fast.

Thinking. The dragon could read thoughts. Thom thought of fires: candles, lanterns, torches. The dragon's concentration seemed to be divided, but not enough. Thom tried to concentrate more. Campfires, bonfires, a burning building. The dragon slowed down. Madoc managed to dodge one of its claws. The bigger the fire, the more the dragon reacted to the thought.

Thom remembered a story he'd heard from his uncle about a neighboring king's effort to end his thief problem. He set fire to an entire forest noted for being a refuge for thieves. Thom had always hated the idea and had had nightmares about becoming trapped among burning trees, the smoke in his eyes, choking him, the blaze finally consuming his body. But he pursued the thought, imagining the biggest, most horrific blaze the world had ever seen.

The dragon keened, its eyes glowing. It attacked Madoc ruthlessly. It surged toward him with full flame emerging from its throat. Madoc jumped out of the way, but not in time. His leg was caught in the fire. Madoc ducked back behind the rocks. Once he was no longer in immediate danger, he rolled on the ground to put out his hose.

Thom was amazed at his stupidity. A firedrake would enjoy thoughts of fire. He was helping the dragon. Thom briefly considered just forgetting the fire, but he had a brainstorm: a rainstorm. He put out the fire in his thoughts with the most torrential downpour he could imagine. The trees hissed and smoked and the blaze died.

The dragon screamed. It was working.

Thom continued to conjure images of dying fire. Snuffing candles, pouring water on a campfire. Then he abandoned the fire altogether and focussed on the water. He remembered nearly drowning outside Polyny City, he remembered playing in the rain only an hour before. Oceans, rivers, cataracts, geysers, floods, whirlpools.

Finally the dragon broke off its attack on Sir Madoc and faced the thief. STOP! it commanded. Thom was knocked backward by the sheer weight of the dragon's mind focussed on him. He stumbled and hit the cave wall behind him. He fell to the side just as the wall became scorched black from dragonbreath. Thom hit the ground rolling and fell off the side of the cliff.

Thom managed to grip an outcropping in the side of the ledge but he was exposed and unable to move. The dragon had him.

"No!!" Madoc screamed. He ran toward the two of them.

The firedrake turned to face the knight. It could kill the thinker when it wanted now. Kill the warrior who was rushing headlong toward death, and it would have peace. It opened up its mouth to flame.

But Madoc had anticipated this and instinctively launched his sword straight at the dragon's head. It pierced the roof of the beast's mouth, straight into its brain. Instead of flame, ichor drained from the dragon's mouth as it weakened. Peeeeeeeeeace....

The creature could no longer support the weight of its head and slumped forward and down, tumbling off its nest into the lava below. The smell of charred flesh rose from the pit.

Madoc reached Thom's position a desperate man. He reached down to pull Thom up. Thom reached up and clutched the knight's wrist. As he clambered up to safety, he said, "You said that sword was valuable, and I can't think of a safer place to keep it--" Madoc yanked the thief all the way to the ledge and held him close. "What?" Thom asked, surprised.

"I thought I was going to lose you. I couldn't lose you. It would be my fault...."

Thom hugged back. "It's alright." He smiled. "I'm still here, I'm fine. Oh, but how's your leg? You looked like you were burned pretty bad, and that was my fault."

"How could that have been your fault?" Madoc asked, pulling back out of the embrace just enough to look Thom in the eye. Just then, some piece of the dragon exploded as it was finally exposed to molten rock.

"I'll tell you after we get out of here." He checked the horsephlox stuck in his belt. It was wilting, but alright. The two men sought a way out of the caves.