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"Why do you keep callingthe air in the hope food was on its way

"That’s the old Dwarvish word for ‘dragons,’ in happier times Funny, but I heard it used just the other dayEnjoy the viehile the food is being prepared Excuse me, and Sekyw, as you value your position, don’t let our visitor leave without further negotiations"

The sreat river valley: hills reduced to hurass He and Djer left the balustrade and returned to the office, where platters were being uncovered on an end table

Eot a peek at the tops of the asseures, whitebearded and wrinkled, shuffling into the office supported by canes of carven crystal Djer sucked in his breath and bowed, and Auron had to tear himself away from the food

"Shut the blasted curtains, Emde," one said, a little more red-faced than the other

"We’re not petitioners you need to dazzle," the other said

Dwarves appeared as though by ic and closed off the view, then disappeared as suddenly as they arrived

"Young skyking," E in the two, "it is inal Charter, our senior Partners I told them ould be happy to join the down for a meal and a talk"

"Ach, most pleased," the red-faced one introduced as Zedkay said, in an accent enough like Djer’s for Auron to like him better than the other dwarves he had met today "Don’t stand on cere skyking--there’s an entire roast for you at the end there"

"Or if it wasn’t for you, it is now," Vekay added

Auron and Djer started in to their meal with day-old appetite; Emde and Sekyw ate a polite morsel or two Sekyw ate with more enthusiasm after Vekay elbowed his brother and said, "That’s a hard-working dwarf’s appetite if I ever saw one," pointing to Djer

Djer s down his chin

"There’s a question of a bargain young Djer on is insisting that he’ll keep the bargain with our tradesdwarf alone, and the Partnership rules"

The oldsters ," Zedkay said,I hardly had hair below my ears, and Vekay had but a tuft on his chin The elders treated us as good as any other of the Coh"

Vekay tucked his beard in his belt and buttoned his frazzled woolen vest "Just the other day ere speaking to Emde about the Charter, and hoasbankrupt, but in those days, the Riians had elves,for thereed, before his brother continued

"They had several skykings, the stories go, younga nuisance of themselves otherwise to their families We kept their stomachs full, and they flew as couriers, across the Inland Sea, to the east, to the lost kingdole pouch in hundreds of years, or so they claimed A very lucrative business, courier service"

"Very lucrative," Zedkay rasped "So don’t be so quick to throay the goodwill of a skyking over a niggling matter of procedure"

"But the Charter," Emde said

"The Charter won’t be hurt," Vekay said "There are provisions to add Partners for contingencies in it"

"That takes a Significant Majority in a Quoru like a quoru Partners, as you’ll find in Paragraph Two of Article Nine, methinks," Vekay said

Emde reached into a pocket, retrieved an ivory scroll-tube, and uncapped it

Sekyw pulled at his beard, wincing at the pain