" I will, If i dont kill him first! " she continued running down the trail.

She dashed through.

There was a door at the end of the tunnel.

She slams the door open and runs through.

she follows Isiea through.

Fire exploded down the tunnel, writhing and twisting in a maelstrom of heat and fury, shooting toward them. Puck and Ironhorse toppled in after them. Then, the door slammed shut, cutting off the fire, and they were plunged into darkness.

She tries to see.

she stopped running, and looked around, letting her eyes adapt to the darkness.

"Well, that was fun," Puck muttered. "I swear, if I ever see those two kids again, we're going to have a little chat. If youre going to steal from a fifty-foot, fire-breathing lizard with the memory of an elephant, you'd better have an impressive riddle, or you wait until it isn't home."

A flashlight clicked on in the shadows, blinding them. There were three silhouettes at the end of the beam. Two were recognizable; the tiny girl with furry ears and the green-skinned boy they'd met in the Briars. The last, the one holding the flashlight, was tall and skinny, with thick dark hair, a scraggly goatee, and two ridged horns curling up from his brow. He held a cross in the other hand, raised in front of his face like he was warding off a vampire.

Puck laughed. "Hate to break it to you, kid, but unless you're a priest, that isn't going to work. Neither is the salt you have poured across the floor. I'm not your average bogey."

"Dang faeries," spit goatee boy, looking pale. "How did you get in here? Youd better leave right now, if you know whats good for you. She'll tear your guts out and make harp strings with them."

"Well, theres a problem with that," Puck continued with mock regret. "See, right outside that door is a very upset reptile who is eager to turn us into shish kebab, because you three were stupid enough to steal from a dragon." He sighed and shook his head in a disappointed manner. "You know dragons never forget a thief, dont you? So, whatd you take?"

"None of your business, faery," goat boy shot back. "And maybe I wasnt clear when I said youre not welcome here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out three iron nails, holding them between white, shaking knuckles. "Maybe a faceful of iron will convince you otherwise."

She steps between them calmly, making sure her knife is within eyesight of the goat boy. ,, Maybe youd like to leave the room? ,,