Path of the Magi (Tales of Tiberius) by Richard J Stuart Page A

terrified in his life.  He and Marcus just lay there in the scorched earth of the village green.  His eyes were watering from the smoke in the air.  He didn’t dare do or say anything but push his body deeper into the earth as best he could.  He prayed that Marybeth would have the sense to run now, while she had the chance.  At any instant now he expected to die, to be burnt to death or torn apart by those terrible claws.  But death did not come.   To his utter and complete amazement the dragon had stopped what it was doing, but it wasn’t attacking.  The dragon spun around, crouched down, and put its back against the wall.  It looked about cautiously.  It almost looked frightened.  How could that be?  What could frighten a dragon?  It couldn’t be frightened of him.  Then it spoke. 
    “Where are you, Tiberius?” it said quietly.  “I sense that you are here, though you've cloaked yourself well!  Has our hour come already?  Come and fight if you dare!"
    Tiberius didn’t dare answer.  He didn’t dare to even breathe.  He just froze, staring at the dragon in shock.  Where was he?  He was lying down in plain sight.  Had he turned invisible somehow?  No, Marcus was staring at him.  So was the banker and Marybeth.  What was wrong with this crazy dragon?
    The dragon’s mind was racing.  A trap, a trap, it had all been a trap!  He knew it was too easy, too tempting a target; the omens were bad; he should have known.  Tiberius was here! He knew it!  He felt it in his bones!  Something had been nagging at the dragon all morning long and the moment that boy called out it hit the dragon like a thunderbolt.  The prophesized enemy, his mortal enemy, the wizard Tiberius, he was here!  Tiberius had set a trap for him and he’d walked right into it.  The demons said he’d be a clever one.  Where was he?  Those boys weren’t wizards; where was Tiberius?  The dragon felt his heart racing; he had to force himself to be calm.      
    The dragon cautiously stepped away from the bank and the gold.  Its head darted from left to right as he tried to find the wizard, tried to catch some scent or hint of his presence.  He made an intricate gesture in the air with its claw and lights flashed around its body.  A little extra protection never hurt.    Where was the wizard?  Suddenly it called out in anger. 
    “Where are you, wizard?  Why don’t you show yourself, Tiberius?  I know you are here.  I smell your blood nearby.  I sense you but not your magic.  What trick is this?  Show yourself!”
    Tiberius almost laughed.  This dragon was frightened, terrified, of him!  Tiberius the dragon slayer!  Tiberius, with his useless bow, against the dragon’s iron scales.  Yet there he was, cowering and raising every defensive spell he could think of.  What utter madness.   How was he supposed to hurt it?  He had to fight back a desire to leap up and shout, “I’m over here you daft worm!  I’m Tiberius!  I’m the only Tiberius here!”  Fortunately, he was too terrified to do anything of the sort.  He could only lay there and think.     
    The dragon started a series of additional magical gestures.  There was a sudden rushing wind from the direction of the dragon and a light mist abruptly covered the ground.  The dragon was hiding him in a mist?  Why? 
    The dragon’s mind raced.  He’d hoped the mist would show the wizard’s outline.  He might be invisible, but he’d still see the shadow in the fog.  But no luck.  They warned him!  Oh, the demons warned him he’d be clever, with new defenses never seen before.  He must have some sort of new cloaking shield.  No, not invisible, unnoticeable.  That must be it.  His senses kept going to some teenage kid, but the kid wasn’t the wizard.  Any mortal powerful enough to kill a dragon had a presence.  There was no magic about that kid at all.  Kill him? No that’s what the wizard wanted him to do.  It was