"Continuing forward is dangerous."
"Continuing forward is dangerous."
After seven repetitions, the crystal slowly rotated clockwise.
There was danger, but not much.
"Let's go!"
He sent the broom into an accelerating dive, landed two or three hundred meters from where the fire dragon had fallen, and approached on foot.
A few minutes later, they saw the fire dragon lying on the ground, bound in chains and bleeding all over. Its golden eyes were filled with rage, and it kept breathing fire at the dozen or so warlocks trying to approach.
From a distance, it had not seemed all that large. Now that they saw it up close... it really was a good two sizes larger than an ordinary fire dragon.
"Good, very good!"
A short figure stepped out and looked up at the injured fire dragon. He was an ugly goblin holding a leather whip. With a casual flick, the whip lengthened and lashed the dragon, making it cry out in pain.
"Over a month from start to finish, and so much money spent. We've finally caught you."
A warlock stepped forward. "Mr. Griphook, how are you planning to transport it back?"
Both spoke fluent English.
The goblin sounded surprised. "Transport it back? Why would we do that? Just butcher it here and harvest the materials."
The warlock visibly froze. What the goblin had spent capturing the fire dragon over the past month clearly exceeded its value as magical materials.
Griphook lashed his whip again and again, letting out a grating laugh. "We went to all this trouble to find it not because we couldn't bear to lose a fire dragon, but to show everyone that anyone who crosses Gringotts can't escape us, even at the ends of the earth."
He paused, then took out a bag of Galleons