Page 154 of Shadow Charms

“Getting the wand for the pixies?”

“In this heat?” Dewey rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Sometimes, Paige. Sometimes.”

Paige stared at him, her jaw hanging open. “Sorry, I didn’t know yetis were heat sensitive.”

“Are you kidding? Have you seen any movies at all? They are called snowmen for a reason. They could never take this heat.”

“Maybe it’s their southern cousin, Bigfoot,” Paige said with a snorted laugh.

“Bigfoot isn’t cousins with the yeti,” Dewey said, his brows pinching together. “They’re–“

“Never mind,” Paige said as she flung a hand in the air. “It was just a joke.”

“That’s a terrible joke,” Dewey said. “Doesn’t even make sense. If you look at their genomes–“

“They’re both big and hairy. That’s it. Stop reading into it.”

Paige sucked in a deep breath, flicking her gaze between the two tunnels while she tried to select a direction. The screech broke the silence again, piercing Paige’s eardrums. She clapped her hands over her ears as she sank down lower.

“Are those the pixies? Is that the shrieking you were talking about?”

“No. You heard their shrieks when they attacked you.”

“That little squeaky noise?” Paige questioned, pulling her hands away.

“Yeah, that’s it. Horrible, isn’t it?”

“Not crazy horrible. Okay, so what is that noise, then?”

Dewey wrinkled his nose, his lips rippling as though he’d tasted something rancid.

He set his dark eyes on Paige for a moment before he answered. “A dragon.”

CHAPTER 31

“A what?” Paige asked, her jaw hanging open and her eyes wide.

Dewey offered her a confused glance. “Why are you acting like you’ve never seen a dragon before?”

“I’m not. I’m… It’s not that. Are we talking about like a…you know…a…” Paige stumbled around, trying to carefully choose her words.

“I don’t know what you’re saying.”

“A dragon dragon.”

“What does that even mean?”

Paige leaned closer to him, lowering her voice. “Like a big dragon.”

Dewey’s features turned stony, and he crossed his arms. “Oh, I see. You mean is it a regular-sized dragon, not a pip-squeak like me.”

“Not what I said.”

“You didn’t have to say it. I know what you meant. And to answer your question, I don’t know. This cave is big enough to fit a full-sized dragon, but…”

“But what?”

“It didn’t sound full-sized. Sounds smaller. Not as small as me. I’m teeny. Maybe a dwarf dragon, not a teacup.”