Several swineherds were so frightened by the Great Dragons charging straight at them that they fell flat on their backsides. In their utter terror, they could only open their mouths in despair, unable to make a sound.
The fat black pigs bolted desperately toward the woods, but the nimble Myracis caught up with them in an instant.
Pinkish-purple dragonfire poured out, roasting a dozen or so of the pigs at the front in one blast. Just as the black pigs prepared to scatter, Little Balerion and the others hemmed them in from three directions.
Three streams of orange dragonfire, each a slightly different shade, swept into the herd from three directions. Amid the pigs' piercing squeals, they were roasted in the blink of an eye. Dreamfyre slowly landed just then, and her blackish-blue dragonfire engulfed every black pig lucky enough to have escaped the first onslaught.
Danyla took out three gold coins and handed them to Walda, saying,
"Give these gold coins to those swineherds as a reward. They should be more than enough to cover their losses."
Under the searing dragonfire, the plump black pigs were roasted crisp on the outside and tender within. A rich aroma instantly spread along the edge of the woods.
Myracis and the others began wolfing down their meal. They clearly preferred fat pigs to goats. Even Myracis, the smallest of them, could swallow an entire pig in just a few bites.
Little Balerion and the others had grown considerably over the past few months, too. They could finish an entire pig in two or three bites, while Dreamfyre could eat one in a single mouthful. She even looked rather dainty as she ate!
By the time Lord Royce Bolton arrived at the edge of the woods with his family and vassals, Dreamfyre and