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How did ho whelps when they had to cope with such coed!

They turned off the river and followed a suessed their destination from far off He could see the cuts and shapes to one spur of it saa

On the way there they encountered giant winged avians AuRon recognized theh up, in his explorations of the southern jungles during his years as dragon-friend to the blighters of the Bissonian Scarps

"Roc-riders," DharSii said "The Queen’s latest obsession She’s breeding the the"

AuRon suspected he knew the trick, but he said nothing

Three avians, with unnatural bumps of fur-swaddled men on their backs, flew close Their saddles and reins seeht compared to those AuRon was all too well acquainted with from the wizard’s riders As to weapons, they looked like dwarvish crossbows

"The threat’s not the man," DharSii said "It’s those beaks and talons They can outclion"

"And a dive?" AuRon called

DharSii winked "Shhhh"

The riders were satisfied with a brief look at DharSii They took their her, content to observe

They approached the ending of a long-running stretch of the Red Mountains The ridge was rather odd, rocky and sheer-sided, with grass at the top like a green rug running down froly tall stood in athe landscape gray and soft

"That’s the Queen’s Wood, all around that spur," DharSii said "The er than dragons I daresay older, too"

AuRon marked a prominence at the end of the mountain, before it divided into three steep fells

"That’s aIt’s an old place, terribly old Supposedly there was a war fought between elves and dwarves over it long ago It was supposed to depict that dwarf-legend Dith his face coend of theirs Or , to h I don’t quite believe it because the head looks out of proportion Then Anklamere took possession and decided it should be him, and off comes much of the beard--you can see they’ve made sort of a labyrinth beloith bits of it--and the broas reshaped to his noble forain to make it more feminine"

"Where does the Queen live?"

"That terrace built into the back of the sculpted knob It doesn’t look that ireen spine of the ridge to her personal temple, and you can see her sacred flocks in their pens We’ll make for the path There’s a sort of amphitheater where she holds audiences I watched one and she said very little, just swapped her uessed was the amphitheater The palace itself, set at the back of the under-construction face, didn’t look nearly as is of the Dwarves of the Diadem A few little holes, some barred s, a balcony and ay here and there It see down on treetops with only the wind and a few soaring birds to keep you coain

"She seeain?"

"Ghihar"

"Ghihar"

"She doesn’t go a her people much She’s supposed to be able to strike a liness It depends if you talk to a friend or enemy of Ghioz which version of that you’ll hear One of those roc-riders said an expectant "

They landed on the greensward AuRon save hiesture, so different froons did--like a cat from the inn named after Wistala, first the back end, then the front

"What now?"

"Oh, so a report to his captain, ill tell one of the Queen’s servants, ill inform the Queen She should be here She has a winter palace near the coast and a summer palace up in old Dairuss, but she hardly uses them when she’s busy"

"She’s been so occupied lately?"

"Ever since we recovered that crystal she wanted"

AuRon shuddered, but couldn’t have said why he did so

"I think I picked up sos," DharSii said "Do you mind?"