Dragon Kiss by E. D. Baker Page A

atop an enormous pumpkin and his legs were two little twigs that probably couldn’t have held him up if he had been on dry ground.
    Bending his neck until his eyes were level with the bird’s, the young dragon said, “How are you doing, little fella?”
    “Mama!” said the bird, gazing at Audun with a look of adoration.
    Audun jerked his head back. “I’m not your mother. My name is Audun and I’m going to rescue you.”
    The little bird bobbed its head up and down as if in agreement. “Mama!” it said again.
    Audun was about to protest, but he felt a growing tightness in his chest. The air in his lungs was almost gone. If he didn’t do something soon, he might actually die down here. Glancing up, he saw that the water level had dropped by a third. While the baby bird continued to swell, Audun swam above the water and took a deep breath. The air smelled like fish and seaweed, both of which Audun liked. At least he could breathe while he tried to think, but he still didn’t have long. If they didn’t go soon, the baby bird would be too big to fit through the tunnel even if it wasn’t blocked. And the sea witch was bound to discover that he’d taken the instrument and freed the snakes. He was sure she’d come back then, but if Audun had his way, he and the bird would both be long gone.

Ten
    L eaving the baby desicca bird on the floor of the cave, Audun slipped down the tunnel to see if it was truly blocked. He was able to get past the point where the angle of the tunnel changed direction, but only a few feet farther he ran into a plug made of boulders. Knowing that the sea witch’s word was worthless, he tried to use his magic to move the boulders aside. Try as he might, he couldn’t budge even the smallest pebble. He was still trying to make the boulders move themselves when the sea snakes arrived.
    “What are you doing?” asked the first snake to wriggle through a crack between the boulders.
    “Trying to get out,” said Audun.
    Another snake appeared, and another and another until a mass of squirming bodies filled the water around Audun and he couldn’t see his talons in front of his face. “Why don’t you go between the rocks like we do?” asked one of the snakes.
    There were too many snakes to tell them apart, and the way they kept sliding over and around one another would have made it impossible, so Audun didn’t even try. “I’m too big. Now get out of my way so I can see what I’m doing.”
    “We want to help you,” said a snake.
    “How can you . . .” Audun stopped when he began to feel the tightness in his chest. Knowing that he didn’t have any air to waste, he shuffled backward until he reached the cave behind him. By now the baby bird was nearly as big as he was and the water level was so low that the dragon had only to stretch his neck to breathe. When he dropped his head again, the water around him was once more filled with sea snakes.
    “Why are you here?” he asked them.
    “To help you,” said one.
    “We have to,” said another. “We tried to go home, but the witch’s magic won’t let us.”
    “We have to protect the flute, no matter where it is.”
    “You have the flute, so we have to stay with you.”
    “What can we do to help?”
    Audun sighed. He knew that a magic compulsion could be very strong. Even if his magic was working, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to break it. If he didn’t want the snakes getting in his way, he’d have to give them something to do, although he doubted they could really help him. “Why don’t you go see how many boulders the sea witch put in front of the opening?”
    “We can do that!” said a snake, and they all turned and swam into the tunnel in one apparently solid mass.
    “Are you all right, little one?” Audun asked the baby bird. He couldn’t see its legs at all now under its grossly engorged body.
    “Mama!” cried the baby bird, rocking toward Audun.
    The dragon looked up as the first sea snake returned. “How many