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Ever so slowly, she got up

"Trust," she said, using Drakine Badly, but he understood the world

"Trust," she repeated,toward him She went down on her hands and knees, and put her head below his

"Trust," she said, reaching out ever so gently to tickle him under the chin He stifled an involuntary prruht, I wonder," she said, backing away fro sharp teeth He smelled her fear now--no, it was just tension

"Trust," he said in Parl, as badly as she spoke Drakine He ons she’djust as iainst his bonds, not at her, but at the green He broke free of the wall, trailing chain and eyebolt He clawed at the chains with his bagged sii, then reached an ar tooth in the thick leather He tasted his own blood

"Run! You have no time," Hazeleye hissed, her ear cocked towards sounds of alarm froreen, his claw and three bagged feet e waddle He touched his nose to hers, and her eyes opened in surprise She had bright white-gold eyes, brighter than his mother’s or his sister’s

"What is your naht back

Auron broke contact and scrambled up the wooden steps to the hatchway He thuave way, he heard Hazeleye screaon’s loose!"

Auron cliht-watch running to gather sailcloth and rope He opened hisin over the side of the ship on a welcome breeze The air smelled like freedom--he ran toward it

A skinny sailor, braver or less experienced than the rest, grabbed at the iron links dragging behind hi him on the te the young ht, and scuttled backwards with a speed that gave Auronsince he had been captured He heard water foaainst the side of the ship somewhere below in the darkness, and shot under the rail and over the ship’s side

He tucked his legs to his sides as he dived, plunging into the water like an arrow Without even reading the stars, he felt the ship was heading north, so he was on the wrong side of the vessel He opened his eyes ater-lids lowered, then pivoted under the hull of the ship

The chains dragged at hih the water, and at a pace he’d never be able to keep up for with the behind him He broke the surface at the far side of the ship and chewed his other foreclaw free He could see nothing on the horizon to the east over the gentle swell

The ship was his prison, but it did float He pressed his legs to the side and wiggled his hips, shoulder, and tail to swi would be so easy if it weren’t for the ht of his collars He clung on to the wood of the ship with his good claw as he freed his hind legs, chewing through the leather bags He lost teeth in the process, but they were just hatchling teeth

Spitting blood, he looked at the collar under his arms That wretched human had soet it off But heat hi that steered the ship and curled his spine, bringing his bigger back legs to the loops of the chain He fixed his claws in the convenient holds and called on what reserves of strength he had, pretending he had a dwarf to gut under his hind legs