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A rider or tent south; Auron took care to stay doind from the road so the horses would not become alarmed and warn the riders He kept hi ard down from the mountains to the far-off coast Plentiful fat and tasty fish were fighting upstrea the riverbanks, and their red flesh elco a bear do it, he learned to raid honeycoht not keep out arrows, but it was i way: after a few tonguefuls--and soe

It was raining again when he saw the tradesdwarf

Auron was sleeping out the rain with one water-lidded eye open, his belly pressed to pleasantly warold cart and string of ponies going south along the road The cart had two horses drawing it It was an odd theeled construct, too big to be a chariot but too son A beardless dwarf sat at the reins, dry under a canopy that extended fro of ponies walked behind, packs tied to their backs The dwarf grumbled to hi his words

The das not dressed for war There was not so ht He wore si the double-breasted front closed, and leather pants that had boots built in, or perhaps boots that extended high on leather pants A sagging, brimless leather cap, not a helm, sat on his head

Auron could never say for sure what inspired hi, but he was far froer And had he desired murder, he would never have trotted out into the road and reared up on his hind legs

The dwarf pulled up his horses with a cry of "Pogt!" He did not reach for a weapon, but a purse, and flung a handful of coins past Auron and into the woods

Solanced to see where the money landed before he turned back to the tradesdwarf, who now had his whip ready to put his horses into a gallop If only Auron would get out of the onthere! Silver!" the dwarf shouted in Parl "A ue and smelled the horses

The dhipped his horses, and they took a few steps forward, but when they sh whinnies

"Klatta buggak!" the dwarf shouted Auron caught a flash of white eyes from the slits in his mask

Auron dropped back onto all fours and cleaned an ear Couldn’t the dwarf see that the fans weren’t extended down from his crest?

"Well, creature, what is this? Robbery? I carry trade goods, not gold"

Auron extracted a tick from his earhole

The dwarf rose in his seat "Murder? You’ll find e reat Chartered Company of the Diadem" The dwarf pulled a chain fro froht you any wisdom, I’m sure they told you not to cross us"

"Neither," Auron said "I ca a favor"

The dwarfthe cap back on his head "A favor? A favor? What favor can I grant a young dragon? I, a poor dwarf in my company’s service"

Auron hooked the collar in the ear-exploring claw "This souvenir I wish to be rid of it Before I get any bigger andair-starve--and choke" Auron hoped his sloardly phrased Parl got the point across

"Hmmmpfh," the dwarf said He hopped down froot , and haven’t seen much of the world I was apprenticed to a miner, you see It wasn’t a life of new experiences"

Auron lifted his head, watching the dwarf’s hands

The dwarf took up the collar "Man-work Shows all the craftsmanship of a ware ahead--I was going to camp beneath it for a dry fire"