Belmardina was distraught that she would have to wait for her new clothes. Her husband’s plan was to take them through the desert to Elf Port, which was north of the sea of Dru. She did not relish the idea of spending the next week on the dunes, but knowing rich clothes were waiting for her on the other side kept her spirits up.

While the kraat were excellent at walking on the sand with their long toes, Belmardina, who already had trouble keeping up, found it impossible to stay in sight of the line of soldiers. Finally, she saw Blutgang trot back to meet her.

“Before you say anything,” she said, squaring her shoulders and standing strong and tall, “I know I’m slow, but look! My feet sink right in! What am I supposed to do about it?”

“Then fly as a dragon.” He suggested.

“Oh, no. I’ve never been able to fly. This tiny body doesn’t create enough heat... I think.” She said sadly, another reason her second form was useless. “I can glide well enough, but that’s about it.”

“Okay.” He said, “Then I’ll carry you.”

“You couldn’t possibly carry me all the way to Elf Port.” She shook her head. She was about to request a camel when Blutgang interrupted her.

“As a dragon. Transform.” He said in his simple way.

Though she did not like transforming into a tiny dragon (it was embarrassing to have such a silly little power, even though it had been of use at the cave of gold), she had to admit his idea was good. So, she clapped her hands together above her head and transformed into a one-foot dragon (until recently she had only been a two-inch dragon, but she had yet to notice her growth). He then picked her out of her dress that was now deflated on the sands and placed her on the pauldron on his right shoulder.

He began to trot away to catch up with the other kraat soldiers when she let out a cry, “You left my dress back there!”

He looked over at her with one gold and green eye. “You don’t need it. We’ll be there in a week.”

She looked as indignant as she could muster on her tiny face. “Do you really expect me to stay like this for a week?”

“Do what you want.” Was all he said.

She knew by now that once he decided something, his mind would not be changed. So, she clung to his shoulder armor and took a nap—the sun felt great on her scales.

A few days later, Blutgang reached over and tapped her snout, waking her from another nap. “Have you seen The Pit before?”

She looked about. “The Pit?” Everyone in the land of Dru knew of The Pit—it is an unending cavern in the Umohaw desert.

“Over there.” He pointed to his right. Her eyes became wide with wonder; The Pit was miles wide in any direction and pitch black, especially compared to the reflective sand that surrounded it.

“Can we get closer?” She asked politely.

Blutgang changed direction and his soldiers immediately followed him. They came close to the edge and she marvelled at the nothingness within. “It’s like space but with no stars.” She mused. Blutgang nodded silently.

Without warning, Belmardina felt a whoosh of wind and something vice-like grabbed her about her midsection and her neck. She was torn from her husband’s shoulder and lifted high into the air—it was a hawk. She cried desperately and writhed about, but the hawk’s claws were held firm to her body. She tried to blow fire at the beast, but it held her head pointed towards the ground. She could not see her husband and she began to panic.

Just as she was about to lose hope, she felt another gasp of air and the claws released her. She immediately and instinctively stretched her wings to catch the wind. She saw The Pit yawning terrifyingly below her. The hawk had been struck by something that fell, glittering in the sun until it fell into the black stomach where it lost all form. The hawk tumbled in afterward, dead.

Belmardina finally caught sight of the king and the rest of the kraat and glided toward them.

Blutgang stretched out his hands and caught her before she could hit the ground. She was shaking and could not say a thing. She held tight to his claws, as if by letting go she would be swept into The Pit. Blutgang held her up and glanced over her body. “You’re not wounded,” he stated, “but we should keep you out of sight until we get to Elf Port in case there are more hawks about. You can ride on the armor under my cape for now.”

She nodded and carefully clambered to his back. In a state of shock, she could only barely hear the soldiers talking as they began their unending march again. “Well sir, you’re never getting that back.”

“I know. But there was little else I could do.”

“I hope it was worth it.”