'Are your sure about this?' Doc mutters for the 59th time as we approach the cave. 'You don't know what that dragon is capable of.'

'But we do know what the alternative is. And we don't want to face it.' Martyn snaps back. 'Dragons are fine. Dragons don't hurt you because they enjoy it.'

'Can we stop talking about True?' Cub pleads from the back of the wagon with Scar. 'We know she's bad, we know the dragon's bad, Scar chose to face the dragon so we're facing the dragon.'

'Cave incoming...' Doc warns from the roof. 'Dragon time.'

We decide to abandon the wagon at the entrance, mostly since it doesn't fit and we've got nothing on it, heading into the dark. I know Cub, Scar and Martyn have darkvision and can still see. A mutter, and a fireball appears in Scar's hands. I grab a burnt-out torch from the side, lighting it on the flames, taking the lead. We wind down into the depths in silence. But the path doesn't lead to a dragon. It leads to a door.

'Oh great. Puzzles.' Doc growls, unable to read the writing (is that the tiefling language?) scrawled above it. Martyn can though, squinting to see.

'To make it through this magic door,

What speak in tongues but only roars?

What brings black at its touch but lights the dark?

What feeds on destruction, but what's weight has no mark?

The answer you seek lies trapped in this keep

But seeds sown in freeing disaster reap.'

'It's a riddle. We just need to answer the riddle.'

'Where? How? Do we just say it?'

'Look around. See if you can spot anything.'

I do, quickly spotting a bowl next to the door.

'We need to put the answer in the bowl.' I realise.

'But what is it?!'

'There seem to be 6 clues... It speaks in tongues, it roars, it brings darkness, it... Also brings light, brings destruction and doesn't weight anything.'

'It must be a dragon.' Cub figures. 'We know there's a dragon in here... They roar, but dragonborn speak different languages. Destruction, yep. Light...'

'Fire.' Dragons breathe fire.'

'Not all dragons.'

'This one does.' Growls Doc.

'How do we put a dragon in the bowl though?' But we all know the answer as I say it, turning to Doc.

'Dragon's have weight. The answer doesn't.'

'It doesn't actually say it doesn't weight anything. Just that it doesn't leave a mark.'

'It must mean a dragonborn... Doc, get in the bowl.'

'No! I'm too big! Get a smaller dragonborn.'

'We don't have a smaller dragonborn!' Martyn argues. And all at once the grief I've been avoiding comes back.

'Not any more.' I mutter. It's loud enough to hear and painful enough to silence the room. Grian's face, his laugh, his jokes... I fight down the wave of emotion.

'Just... get in the bowl and check.'

With a reluctant sign, Doc crosses the room, sitting on top of the bowl. Nothing happens.

'Told you.'

'Maybe we need a dragon egg.' I say it without realising. Everyone looks at me with a range of emotion.

'You have realised at this point that we don't have the dragon egg, right?'

'Oh... Yeah.'

'The answer must be something else then.'

'Speaks in tongues and roars makes me feel like it's an actual creature though. Doc... Are you sure you sat in the bowl properly?'

'Yes, I am. Do we have any other ideas?'

'What else is inside here? Doc? Do you remember anything else?'

'Treasures. Bdubs's original clock.'

'We need something we actually have. Or there wouldn't be a place to put it.'

We continue to think, and discuss, and have no ideas for at least an hour, me steading growing more and more aware of the flaming torch growing smaller and smaller until...

I drop it, and it falls into the bowl. But before I can take it out, the fire blazes up again and the door opens.

'The answer was a stick?!'

'Fire. As I suggested half an hour ago.

'Fire can't speak. It doesn't speak in tongues.'

'Yeah, but you get tongues of fire.'

'Ohhh... That's smart.'

'Let's keep going, before we get set on fire by the dragon.' Doc's first forwards, down another corridor until...

A flame bursts out the wall next to him. Doc yells.

'Another puzzle?!'

'Don't move until I figure it out! What did you step on?'

'The GROUND.'

'WHERE on the ground?!'

'The bit below my feet?! I don't know!'

Martyn tries stepping forwards. Nothing happens.

'I reckon if I'm fast enough I can make it through unscathed.'

So he runs forwards, immediately tripping and hitting the ground. Fire burns above him. As he stands, it burn again, setting him on fire. With whatever madness he has left, he sprints headfirst for the other side of the puzzle, setting off basically everything.

'I'm fine!' He calls. Then there's a thud. Doc still doesn't move.

'I think he fainted. He's not on fire any more.'

'Hang on! I'm going to check!'

So I run forwards too, also setting off the bursts of fire, also being set on fire, but at least I don't do as badly as Martyn.

'There's string.'

'WHAT?!'

'Strings! That set off the fire!' Cub yells. 'Don't step on them!'

'If you're so good, get through without setting anything off!'

'Fine!'

Cub begins, a lot slower than me or Martyn, stepping over these strings I barely see. Until halfway when he sets one off. Still, he emerges on our side unhurt.

'Scar, are you coming?'

'There's an off button.'

'What?!'

He presses a button. I try to see what changed, squinting so hard I can't see anything, confused.

'Ren, you're looking the wrong way.' Martyn has to explain eventually. I turn to where Doc should've been a great clue as to the right direction, still unable to see what Scar's button did.

'Nothing's changed!'

'Come on, Doc!' Scar runs through arriving on our side without any difficulty. Doc follows. 'See? Easy!'

'I still can't see what changed.'

But by this point it doesn't matter. We're at another door, this one able to be pushed open effortlessly.

Beyond, the world stretches into an enormous cave, one path leading to a glitter of light I assume is the other exit. I glance into the middle.

Sitting on a huge pile of gold and jewels is the red dragon.