A cure for magic
an excerpt

An alarm went off somewhere in the dark and at least one of the campers experienced some confusion as to where exaclty they were. Clarence was apparently the first to remember because he groaned and swore about the absurdity of infinite lakes before lighting a light and sitting up. Lydia hit him with her pillow for doing so and Samantha hid her head under hers.
"Let's wait until it's light at least," James muttered. Clarence stumbled out of the tend and Lydia took it upon herself to attack James instead. Realising that everyone else was for the most part awake Jek spreed the light from the lamp around him without opening his own eyes, it grew brighter and brighter until he was forced to. The guys were sent out of the tent so that Samantha and Lydia could get dressed, as if Jek wanted to sit on an underground beach in his pajamas. He put on his coat and wandered up the beach to the left, it seemed to go on for quite a while, and squeezing through a tight place he found a tunnel sloping upward. Killing his own light he squinted up, and thought he saw, dim and unfounded, the light of day above him.
He returned and changed into day clothes, and partook in a wonderfully hot breakfast of oatmeal which Lydia had prepared. She acquired much gratitude from this and was even deemed superior to the packing crew, permitted instead to sit near the fire and warm her hands. The camp was packed quickly even without a fifth hand, the fire put out as much as possible and the group off.
Jek tried to slide through the crack in the wall but realised that he would not fit through with his pack, taking it off he went sideways and pulled it through behind him. Once James was through and the group was together he killed the light.
"Stay still, do you see any light at all?"
"I'm not sure," said Clarence.
"Yeah, I can't really tell. It sort of seems that way doesn't it?" said Samantha.
"I think there is," said James, scratching his ear.
Lydia kept silent, Jek turned the light back on and the scrambling up the rock in single file. The air seemed to be growing cooler and more wintery but no one could be sure of that either, until they came to the mouth of the cavern. Clarence pulled himself up through the mouth and stayed utterly silent for a moment before helping Jek through. Clarence was helping Samantha up, but Jek forgot to do the same for Lydia or James because he was staring out across the vastness of what could be nothing but the rocky mountains, below him the mountains fell onwards, snow capped and silent, it was a grey but snowless day, and the three rivers that ran down from the mountains and away looked motionless in reflecting the motionless sky. There was one shadow on the river and looking up Jek could see it, a grey thing flipping through the clouds, it was the dragon. Winging and soaring in the clouds it was truly a vicious sort of creatures, tail and horns and wings two thirds the size of it's body which made it more a horror than a dream.
Lydia gasped, and pulling herself out of the hole in the rock scrambling past Jek and hunched down at the edge of the cliff. "Oh, I have never seen a thing more magnificent," she said.
"Can it see us?" asked James, joining her at the edge.
"No, I doubt it can, or it wouldn't care if it could. This dragon doesn't even eat flesh, it feeds on rock. See, you can tell by the colour. Fire dragon's are vain creatures, and like to contrast with their fire, that's why they are green. A red dragon is a very angry dragon. Grey, grey dragons aren't dangerous."
Jek didn't think he quite believed her, but who could know better? Samantha and Clarence were still near the cavern exit, so he ducked back into the overhang to talk to them, and sadly broke up their little fit of whispering.
"Do you guys want to camp up here or do you think it would be better to go back into the caves when we sleep?"
"Probably into the caves," said Samantha, "I think it can get very cold in the mountains."
"That was my thought exacting," said Jek, "it isn't far back to the beach actually, I'll go set up there. Sam, why don' you help."
Sam looked at Jek, to Clarence, and back to Jek, "fine, I'm coming," she said. The trek down did not seem quite so long as it had coming up, and checking his watch Jek realised that it was only fifteen minutes. The tent was struck and Samantha had just started to gather arrange the stones for a fire when Lydia joined them.
"Oh, hey Lyd, how are the other two?"
"Good," said Lydia, distracted. She paced up the beach to the other side and then came back, staring intently at her feet, she went back towards the tunnel. Headed up to the wall and back down, and came running back.
"We can't stay here, the dragon stays here. Come quick." she dragged Jek by the arm up to the back wall nearest the tunnel, there in the sand was a massive indentation which Jek had not thought anything of, now he realised it fit exactly as a nest. Sliding down the edge he stepped on something, a gold coin.
"Samantha, Lydia, help me up. We have to go right now." He tossed the gold to Lydia, who stared at it with something crossing joy and awe. Samantha helped him pack, and in five minutes the camp was repacked and tucked away in the hiking packs.
"Well, that explains why the tunnel led to the dragon, but where do we go now?" Asked Jek, somewhat hopeless for an answer. His hopelessness was validated in the silence of both Lydia and Samantha. Clarence and James were still watching the dragon. The light in the sky was dimming and it would be dark soon.
"There isn't a way down," said Clarence, staring off the edge. "well, there is, but it isn't really a way that we can take without the proper gear."
"Lydia!" called Jek, "when will the dragon go home?"
"At dusk of course, when else?" said Lydia, sounding upset.
"Okay, I know you say it is harmless but--"
"Actually I didn't, I just said it doesn't EAT humans."
"All the more reason, everyone back down to the beach. Go to the bathroom now. We have to get back into the boats and out on the lake in half an hour. Someone else take my pack, come down as fast as you come. I'm going first and I'll prep the boats as fast as possible." Dropping his pack on the ground Jek scrambled down the hole, hurting his hand on the cold rock, and stumbled down the tunnel as quickly as he could. He was out of breath by the time he reached the beach but adreniline kept him moving. He emptied the boats out and tied them together, found the paddles and hooked them on. The others joined him as he was finishing; Lydia had slipped at the entrence and fallen, and her brother was half-carrying her. James and Samantha took the second boat, and Clarence took his sister in the third. Jek got in the first boat and paddles for all he could, there was a pull behind him which then slackened as Clarence, Samantha, and James started to paddle. Five minutes passed before any sound but paddles could be heard. No one could see the beach but that likely had to do with being with backs to it. Then there was a shaking sound, a rumbling groan.
"Everyone, stop and cover your heads," whispered Jek. He could here Clarence repeat the message. The boats fluted to a standstill and he killed all light. The smell of wet rock filled the air. It was like an incense, overpowering and intoxicating even in the huge lake where they sat. Something growled. Jek dozed, Monster nearbye. Something chomped loudly on what sounded like acorns or hazelnuts. It was cold and dark and there was no way to warm the others. There was a growl in the dark. Jek felt more alone now and reached out to touch Monster for reassurance. Monster curled around him in shadowy strangeness, Monster stank but that didn't really matter.
"Or that, but I fear it might be dangerous, these creatures are easily startled."