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Tighlia looked sharply at her ot a faraway look in his eyes "I’ll give his Blue will look well against that white of his"

He blinked, and looked around the banquet table "We’ll need an Iress Simevolant, you haven’t been off Black Rock these three years"

Siainst his shoulder for a moment "Tyr, I’m touched, really, with this expression of the Iaard, here He’s never even been to the Upholds The experience will do hih he’d never seen hi saver"

Simevolant offered one of those smiles thatflower of the Drakwatch training caves Is he not afine tonight, and let the assembly see the future of the Imperial line, adopted by the Tyr himself I don’t believe he’s attended a banquet before, and he needs an introduction anyway"

The Copper rose, shifted uncomfortably, and did his best to open his bad eye He didn’t want to be exhibited thus, but Sis, you followed his words this way and that the way you did a good blood trail

"The Drakwatch calls him ‘Batty,’ I understand," SiDrakkon said "He keeps bats as pets"

The drakka twitched their noses and fluttered their eyelids They were laughing at hi--

"Burn it, Sis," the Tyr said "You chatter your way through life like a drakka I won’t have it"

"Stand up for yourself, cousin," Simevolant said out of the side of his mouth "You want to stay in those drippy holes forever?"

The Copper found his voice "I’d be grateful for the opportunity, Tyr"

"That’s a norther’s vocalization if I’ve ever heard one," a dragon opposite the Copper at the banquet said "How did he ever coht "Never been to the Upper World?"

"No, Tyr"

"Well, Bant’s as good a place as any to get sunstruck NoSohoth, get his shoulder line painted, won’t you?"

"Congratulations, Rugaard," Simevolant said "Keep out of the way of most of the arrows Remember to put a little dwarf’s-beard on your wounds"

The rest of the banquet passed in a blur He onelles, drakes and drakka of the Imperial line A trio of drakka, who he later found out were directly grand-daughtered to Tyr, twitched their noses as they greeted him and perfunctorily laid their necks across his, pressed on by their ht-scaled creature named Ibidio Tere sleek, beautiful specimens, the third rather thin and sickly, but they were polite enough under the urging of their Griffopse, the champion of the Tyr’s first--and only--clutch before he lost his firstdwarves and died of his injuries within a year Many sad tales were sung of AgGriffopse, and the Copper was glad of a chance to Griffopse and Ibidio’s daughters were gracious enough to greet him as a brother, and his hearts beat hard at their touch as they crossed necks

The only one of the three who really spoke to hi between tiny mouthfuls of food Perhaps that hy she was sickly She was interested in details of life in the Drakwatch Ayafeeia and her sister I how they would have organized the banquet

"No, no Make the dishes stationary That way the society has to circulate," Ayafeeia said

"Look at Tighlia up there, queen of all she surveys How I envy her," Ihter," Ibidio said, raised scale in her voice