“Statue garden,” Ginny said.
Naomi gaped. “Statue garden? And you just say that like it’s the most normal thing in the world to have your own statue garden?”
“You wanna see?” Ginny asked with a grin.
Naomi lightly boxed her shoulder. “Do you even have to ask? Lead the way! There better be some dragon statues!”
“Better,” Ginny promised, her smile widening. “A dragon statue—of Gregory’s grandpa.”
“Ooh,” Naomi crowed in delight. “Yes, please! And tell me all the embarrassing childhood stories he wouldn’t want anyone to know!”
“The fountain?” Ginny teased.
“The fountain!” Naomi replied with deep delight.
She had no idea what the fountain story was about, but Ginny was now the second person to mention it. Whatever Gregory had done as a child, it must have left a deep impression.
Ginny drew her close, her eyes sparkling. She leaned in, as if to whisper into Naomi’s ear—and just at that moment, there was a horrible sound somewhere behind them, something so loud that it felt as if the earth trembled beneath them.
With a shout of horror, they turned around.
It was just in time to see the arrival of the fire dragon.
Out of the blue, he came tumbling down from the sky, terrible and lethal, shrouded in a cloud of smoke. His jaw was wide open. It was his angry roar that had alerted them.
Now, he roared again. As Naomi and Ginny watched with wide, terrified eyes, a pillar of fire streamed from his jaw, engulfing one of the slender towers of Gregory’s mansion.
Even with the garden between them and the house, Naomi felt a wave of heat.
Then there was a horrible sound, a scream of twisting iron and crumbling stone, and a second later, the top of the tower collapsed.
“Run,” Ginny shouted.
Naomi felt hands shove her. From the mansion, a cloud of smoke arose, rapidly expanding.
Terrified, she reached out again, trying to hold on to Ginny—but then the wind picked up as the dragon roared again in fury. It drove ash into her eyes and nose, and as she sputtered, rapidly blinking, everything suddenly seemed to turn dark.
The cloud of smoke and ash had reached them.
“Run,” Ginny shouted again, somewhere in front of her.
Naomi stumbled blindly into her direction, hands held out—but a moment later, she encountered the hedge, rough leaves and twigs brushing against her skin.
“Run!” Ginny’s voice seemed more distant now.
For a moment, panic seemed to overwhelm Naomi.
Gregory, she cried out silently, her heart racing in her chest as she turned and turned, terrified and utterly lost. With the cloud of billowing smoke all around her, all she could make out were dim shades. Her eyes were tearing up from all the ash in the air, and it was hard to breathe.
“Ginny!” she shouted, blindly stumbling forward—but this time, there was no answer.
Then the dragon roared again.
Fear clenched around Naomi’s heart. Had he heard her? Was he looking for her?
Keeping one hand on the hedge so she wouldn’t lose her way, she made her way forward, away from the lake. After what felt like endless minutes, she finally encountered the little alcove they’d seen before. It was too dark to make out the wisteria, but Naomi nearly wept with relief when her hands encountered the bench.
Somewhere above, there was another roar, and then there was once more the sizzle of fire. When Naomi looked up, she could see a large, threatening shadow circling inside the cloud of black smoke that blocked the sun. In her panic, she quickly rolled beneath the bench, praying that the wood and the wisteria would hide her from the dragon’s eyes.