"Yes, you're hot." Lith replied to Kamila, making her blush. "Also, yes, it's hot in here but it can't be just because of the volcano."
"Correct" The Fire Dragon nodded. "It's because of us Wyrms. We can't affect our
surroundings like Phoenixes do, but when so many of us gather, our inner fires resonate, releasing lots of heat."
He pointed at the people around them. The magical lighting of the tunnel was poor yet it was as clear as day. Every Dragon emanated a radiance from their skin, not even their enchanted clothes could contain the raw power burning within them.
"This is weird.' Kamila thought. With the baby, I should..."
She tried to shapeshift her hands under the cover of her evening gloves and failed. 'Leegaain awakened the kids' bloodline and suppressed mine! He must have wanted to ensure no one could notice my pregnancy. Thanks, Leegaain.
You are welcome.' An annoyed voice answered in her head.
Shargein had yet to fall asleep, which forced Leegaain and Salaark to delay the "peace talks".
Soon the tunnel came to an end and the group reached Valtak's lair.
The space inside the mountain had been cleared out, creating a room half as wide as Mount Blackfang itself and over 45 meters (150) high, enough for many Wyrms to stand comfortably together and stretch their wings if needed.
Lith had never been inside the lair of a true Dragon. In the past, he had visited Xedros secret lab and Faluel's home but they were just Lesser Dragons.
Even with his status as the Father of All Wyverns and his title as quasi-Dragon, Xedros' secret lab paled in comparison with Valtak's lair as much as their owners would have while standing side by side.
The space inside the mountain was large but far from empty. Piles of gold, platinum, and silver coins formed shiny hills connected by pathways of precious gemstones.
Light came from the walls, reflecting on both metal and jewels.
By bouncing on the coins, the magical lights were equally spread throughout the lair, making it possible to see anywhere across the room and forming a starry sky in the darkness of the ceiling.
By passing through the gemstones, instead, the white light was split into its
components, generating dozens of perennial rainbows that seemed to bridge distant hills of treasures between them.
Lith and Solus gasped in amazement, their jaws almost hitting the floor from marvel and surprise yet they kept walking. As for their companions, they froze like statues in the
middle of the path with their eyes and mouths wide in wonder.
No Dragon said anything, considering admiration toward a fellow Wyrm's treasure the highest form of praise.
"It's too soon to be impressed. Erghak chuckled. "These are... how do you humans call them? Oh, yes. Knick-knacks."
"Knick-knacks?" Lith echoed in disbelief.
There was already more treasure in front of him than Faluel's and Xedros' combined yet the Fire Dragon had just dismissed it like bauble.
"Correct" Erghak nodded. "Few Dragons are art connoisseurs but each one of us can tell how precious and beautiful something is. This is the typical outer rim of a Dragon's lair, filled with precious things."
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