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Deep pain drove a spike through AuRon, further angering him He wanted to roar and stoy of death But he fought down the eed his body to the mountainside The cool rock under his chin soothed him

"I must think," AuRon said "Leave me to listen to the wind for a while"

The hominids filed inside, Hieba under Naf’s ared with other humans Naf turned her for the door, but at the last second she broke away fro her arms about his neck

"Father," she said "Whatever you do, wherever you go, my heart is there, too I’ll always re anywhere just yet I’ve still to reconcilestretch of silent hours Naf came out and offered him food, but he had eaten well the previous day and was not hungry as yet He watched the shadows change as the sun crossed over to the west, watching theht The stars caain and again to so Mother had said Once you’ve fixed on your star, you’ll knohere you are for the rest of your life

He looked at the star, the star the Bowing Dragon pointed to His star

It led north

AuRon hovered outside the castle, sailing on the on could not s

"Naf! Naf!" he called through the shuttered s

He heard curtains being pulled aside and Naf opened the wind-shutters A hint of stove-light fra to hi

"I’ll go north What you have in mind may be impossible Iso myself in blood and offal won’t do it this time"

"Even information would be valuable If we knew ahead of ti, ould do better"

"I will do all I can Keep well, Naf, for your sake and Hieba’s"

Naf took Hieba’s hand "I will, friend"

"Hieba, thank you for co back to s and shot down the ain at the bottoe, and swooped off to the north The Bowing Dragon showed hies and saw the faone, perhaps they had not returned yet frohts in all the town’s space, and AuRon smelled hardly a hint of dwarf He rested farther downstreahters ap, the Dwarves of the Diade a bottle’s es marked the only break in the s controlled the falls Putting himself in the seat of his enemy, AuRon wondered if this wizard knew the i the top and the bottom of the falls If he did, he would certainly strike the dwarves to open the way for the eastern forces now gathering AuRon had to warn the dwarves; he owed Djer and the others that much

The next day he saw the fae An hour’s northward flight, and he’d be able to land on the cave ledge frootten their first look at the Upper World But he had no tiap