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Rhea stood and watched through the night, tre, and refused any food or coain, announcing his presence and leaving it to the Ghi men to decide They hters called "sweetdrops," and the Peace of the Sweetdrop was announced
The Copper, though cynical about such arrangeeous to Bant NiThonius hi on the whys and wherefores
No Ghithe king’s permission
The Ghi men would keep their mines and saltworks, but pay over the worth of one burden out of ten extracted frooods or thralls would be deter’s representatives at the mines New mines and works would be opened only with Bant’s permission
As a sop to the Ghi men, the Black River would be considered open to co posts would be kept, along with sufficient garrisons to defend them from bandits
The Copper wasn’t sure that there could be a permanent peace with hominids--either abject submission into thralldom or the peace of a corpse was the only practical alternative--but even the historian Rethothanna chuckled when he said so on his return to the Lavadouments better than any, she said, "We hty--and noly victorious, thanks to the events in Bant--Tyr heard the report in the shadowy gardens of the Is and stories of the returned Drakwatch, the lone Firehters, even in the Lower World, forever after called Ora), and his mate-brother
The march back had been one of the hters sacrificed bullocks to the dragons all along the way, and held bonfires in their honor, where the tribal youths and ’s praise-singers wore out even their iron throats describing the victory, and the Firemaids at the entrance to the loorld bowed at head and tail as their contingent passed
Even SiDrakkon was in a good mood for once He let Rhea, easily the most comely of all the thralls in their party, ride on a strapped-down cushion at the high ridge of his back and wave at the garland-throwing crowds
Though the Copper asked several dragons, none could tell hi up tiny wads from his fire bladder, which when spit would flare after a ht up every drop he could squeeze out It just splattered and gave off a sulfurous, oily s injury to add to the others At least this one wasn’t visible No dragonelle would flutter her eyes in auess that it had so to do with the injury to his fire bladder, fros NeStirrath had a thrall touch a torch to his spew, and it burned brightly enough, but wouldn’t ignite on its own if he brought it up in any quantity
To celebrate the victory in Bant, the Tyr coons of the Ions of the other hills of the Lavadome
The Copper made no effort to color his scale; he just had Rheahis bad eye with a bit of red silk she’d taken off one of the Ghi- an injury, so he told her to keep it
This banquet was ht their own thralls to help attend thes and bone-crusted river fish as long as a drake and wine aged in artisan glass to the Tyr to add to the gorging and es of the banquet this ti himself as Si brought down by HeBellereth’s tailventings rather than stones
Fools! Just because they happen to be safe and well fed now, that does not s will always be so co nibbled at by those tasty fish of the Black River, and all they can do is laugh over jokes about bodily functions
He passed the time with Rethothanna She questioned him closely about conditions in Bant, and especially about the weight and composition of the stones
"They were reddish, some sparkle to them I can’t saytheir walls, homes, and the ford, by the look of it There were cuts in the hillsides to extract it"
"Iron balls would be better I’ve heard of the dwarves using theons They attach theht"
NoSohoth approached and gave the briefest of bows to Rethothanna "Famed historian, beloved of the Tyr for her wisdoaard fro events in Bant"
Rethothanna bowed deeply, not so o then, Rugaard Though personally I’d rather be dropped into a dueling pit"
The Copper approached the great dragons, perched on benches above the banquet pit, braziers all around burning oliban The Tyr and his mate, with SiDrakkon on one side and Nivohters of the Tyr The Copper li bow