Ch. 3 Page 35

Tenser was exposed. Everyone could see it. Overconfident because of his new wand, or maybe just exhausted from this gauntlet of a dungeon, Tenser stepped out from cover for a clearer shot with his wand.  The command word for the wand was on the tip of his tongue -- but the dragon was one lunge away from biting him in half. 

Fortunately, a lot of things then happened all at once.

Ch. 3 Page 34

The "web" spell entangled the dragon and bought them all a moment of precious time.

Terik had rolled out from under the dragon's claws, his armor gouged and his body sore, but whole and ready to give back with his magic sword as soon as he could draw close enough.

Yrag had freed himself and was on his feet again. He moved to the same flank as Terik.

Serten took the opposite flank and tried to draw the dragon's attention. Tenser seemed vulnerably exposed to him and he knew the magic-user would never survive a blast of the dragon's hoary breath. If only Tenser's new wand had not given him such confidence...

It was only one moment.

Ch. 3, Page 33

Ch. 3 Page 32

Yrag rocked back and forth as much as he could, straining to break the ice that held him fast.

Terik rolled away when the dragon lifted its foot to claw him.  He had his sword in hand again, but was still prone on the cavern floor.

Serten, not the dragon's highest priority, rose slowly back to his feet on the slippery ice.

It was Murlynd the dragon was looking for -- the wizard who had hurt it the most. At last, the dragon spotted Murlynd, holding back furthest from the combat area.

Ch. 3 Page 31

The dragon slowed its descent with its one good wing, but could not stay airborne for long. Now, tactically, it would have been to their advantage to have the fighters waiting to surround it once it landed and then all lay into it together, but the situation was not helping them work to their own advantage.

Yrag had pressed his back hard to the stalagmite he used for cover when the dragon's frost breath gushed all around him, only to find his back frozen to the stalagmite afterwards. He was still working to free himself, but had little leverage.

The cavern floor had refrozen from the coating of dragon breath and, already covered in water from the fireball melting the previous layer, this new coating was extra slick. Terik had lost his balance while dodging and fell to the floor.

Murlynd had retreated to a good hiding place in the shadows, while Serten, still on his feet, was trying to come around behind where the dragon would land.

That left Tenser, behind cover, thinking about the new wand he gripped in his hand...

Ch. 3, Page 30

The dragon glanced around and saw that the humans, seeking cover, were not green adventurers. It was not concerned with the swordsmen, but two of them appeared to magic-users, and magic could be trouble. Perhaps from a better vantage point, like right above them, it would be able to freeze both of them. The dragon spread wings that felt numb from being folded for so long.

Murlynd saw that the danger from the dragon would be greater once it was airborne. He needed to take it down fast. Luckily, though he had squandered his fireball, he was not entirely out of offensive spells...

Ch. 3, Page 29

The hide of the monstrous dragon was as white as snow, standing in stark contrast both to the dark rock behind it and the previous experience of the five adventurers with black-hide dragons. That experience told them that dragons were extremely dangerous, but more specifically, that standing in a tight group in front of a dragon was even more dangerous.

This was no time, though, to shed a tear for lost hirelings. As the dragon spread its giant wings and looked down on them hungrily, Yrag shouted a command that everyone knew to be the right action.