Cedric was making good progress.
He faced a Swedish Short-Snout, a dangerous dragon. The Golden Egg lay beside it, gleaming.
Cedric took a deep breath and waved his wand.
Several rocks in the distance twisted and swelled, quickly turning into lively sheep.
The sheep stood bewildered among the trees, bleating. The noise caught the Short-Snout's attention, and its eyes lit up. It loved eating sheep.
The dragon rose and headed toward them.
Cedric held his breath and stayed perfectly still.
The dragon lowered its head and sniffed the nearest sheep.
The sheep trembled all over, but the dragon seemed pleased. It opened its mouth to swallow the sheep whole, only for the sheep to bolt out of reach.
As the Short-Snout lunged, Cedric cast a spell on the other sheep. They scattered, each fleeing in a different direction.
The Short-Snout hesitated, plainly unsure which one to chase, then picked one at random and went after it.
The moment the Swedish Short-Snout ran off, Cedric burst from behind the tree and raced for its nest.
He moved like the wind, kicking fallen leaves into the air. The Short-Snout sensed something and whipped its head around, but it was too late. Cedric's hand had already touched the Golden Egg.
He snatched it up and ran.
The Swedish Short-Snout roared and gave chase, but more sheep appeared around Cedric. They scattered in every direction, and one ran straight into the dragon and was swallowed whole. That bought Cedric a precious few seconds.
He plunged deep into the woods, weaving between the trees until he had shaken off the greedy Short-Snout.
Cedric leaned against a large tree, gasping for breath, but he couldn't stop smiling. He had barely been in danger at all. Thank goodness that Swedish Short-Snout was such a glutton.
"Brilliant!" Bagman's