Page 22 (1/2)

NeStirrath drove his drakes hard, delivered bites and bashes as they cli stones intoin evolutions They learned to ignore pain and blood until the objective was achieved, be it a bit of tattered banner on a sharp pile of lava rock or a pumpkin-headed scarecroith a tin crown If they could keep the drakes off the scarecrow-king for a set ti tooth–studded clubs could win a cask of theof beef thrown in for any who ed to draw drakeblood

They learned to take turns volleying flah the Copper’s stream came out thinner and ht properly They hunted boars goaded to savagery by cruel wires twisted into thes fair NeStirrath applied si drake’s sii or saa

It was a toughter, tested bunch that passed out of the first-year caves

There were losses So drakes would simply disappear Others were crippled permanently in duels or skirer drakes fro" trainees in the Black Rock

The Copper didn’t quite feel the equal of the three other trainees Though they bashed him and joked about it afterward, they see their ranks was sort of a stunt, a bit of preening froh cave in the resort Though NeStirrath ordered hiot water spit at him the way the others did around the pool, or received a playful nip as they hurried toward the haht every other day between the other three over who should have the honor of leading the next patrol or running a e froed hi an ore raid on the caves of the Firain, it seeer in his own cave

It took a full season before the Copper could walk the inside of the Lavado upward

When the sun was down and the shining oval at the peak was dark, it was at itsits sides, sohter, sometimes darker

"What holds the world up?" he asked NeStirrath as they rested on one of their "saa-hardeners": a pile of volcanic rock, the slag heap of an old tunnel leading down to the water ring

"The Air Spirit must have made it," Krthonius said "Some battle with the Earth Spirit"

"The Anklenes say it was a hty scale that fell froed deep into the Lower World and expelled a ball of gas"

"The way you do when in the washing pool, Aubalagrave," Nivom, the white drake with the slashed-off lip, said

"Giveas what rave said

"May you choke on your next rave wrestled for afrom a wound or two

"Who are these Anklenes?"

They all looked at hiain," Nivom muttered to the others

"Reoes that the Lavadorasping, conniving sort of fellow, like most ho: dragon, hominid, beast, even the worend and Eternal Guardian of the Sun-Shard, finally got rid of hions and set theers, and they fiddle around with scrolls and books and whatnot Always blendingaround in the bodies of dragons who should be decoons of the lines of Wyrr and Skotl put them in their holes e moved in"

The Copper knew littleabout the Anklenes he decided not to press his ignorance Besides, Krthonius was getting twitchy He had the honor of leading this patrol and wanted to set a taxing pace