more complicated steps. Climbing onto the cliff, which had seemed so easy in his dragon form, proved more difficult with his human limbs. He couldn’t grip the rock with his claws or compensate for his movements with his wings to any great extent. He also decided to thank Sheth once more for his advice to take off his gloves and rely on the sensitivity of his fingers. Indeed, this helped immensely in finding suitable handholds. Fortunately, he was able to make up for his lack of technique with his strength.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked when he reached the goblin. They were almost at the start of their planned route.
‘Y-y-yes.’ Warren clearly didn’t look as though he really was. ‘I just… need a breather.’
‘Just a little further.’ Sheth appeared on the other side of the goblin, moving along the vertical wall like a spider. It seemed to make no difference to him that he was hanging over the precipice; he instinctively reached out in the right directions. The section of rope connecting him to Warren was longer, making it easier for him to check the wall ahead of them.
‘I know, I know…’ The goblin heaved a sigh and, muttering a prayer under his breath, began to climb down.
Draco looked the troll in the eyes, but he merely shrugged and vanished again at incredible speed. The dragon followed Warren down to the spot where they were to begin. The goblin waited until the reptile had positioned himself behind him and gripped his braided harness firmly. The green-skinned one needed both hands for the next step, so he had to trust the reptile to hold him. For Draco, the cadet’s weight was no problem; the difficulty lay in finding a position from which he could brace himself steadily. When he was sure, he gave the signal and the goblin let go.
‘You’re lighter than you look,’ the dragon joked.
Warren merely gave him a puzzled look and turned towards the rock. He rested both hands on the stone and closed his eyes. For a moment, nothing happened,
