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"But without gaining security in the Upper World, there will be no existence in the Lower Does anyone doubt this?"

If they did, they didn’t say so

"So e have peace or ith the Ghioz?" He looked down at the young Firemaiden at the front

"You, you--"

"Takea," Nilrasha supplied

"Takea What do you think the choice should be? Will you speak for the Firemaids?"

The drakka paled, and her tail twitched nervously as she found her voice "I say they’ve not given us a choice"

This one bears watching, the Copper thought

"My thoughts exactly," the Copper said "What is our choice? Life at the pleasure of the Red Queen?"

"Settle it quickly, then One strong blow," HeBellereth said "Unite the Aerial Host, the Drakwatch, the Firemaids and fly to Ghioz and lay waste to their capital"

"No," the Copper said "The Queen tried to provoke us into exactly that es of our eest we return their favor We will attack them on the horsedowns and the savannahs We will closeexcitement NoSohoth moved to put more oliban on the braziers, but the Copper stilled hier

"Dragons of the Lavadome When I became your Tyr I swore an oath to all of you That ould live to see an awakening of dragonkind There’s only one direction for dragons to go, and that is up For years there’s been talk that one day, ere strong enough, we’d return to the surface united and resolved to overcourate a new age for dragons"

He raised hihtly so that all could see him

"Will you follow me back to the surface?"

The Lavadome roared their assent

"In the s, let us strike"

They liked the sound of that

"In the hters, let us strike"

They liked that even better HeBellereth roared Even little Takea hopped up and down, dodging waving necks and tails, growling

"In the lory and in the hope of our hatchlings’ future--let us return! United we resolve United we overcome United we strike!"

They roared so as to shake the Lavadome Even NoSohoth and the thralls joined the chorus

BOOK THREE

Overcome

OH, BATTLE’S THE EASIEST THING IN THE WORLD SMASH ’EM UP THEN

SMASH ’EM SOME MORE, THEN STOMP WHAT’S LEFT IT’S THE BEFORES

AND AFTERS WHAT CAUSE ALL THE TROUBLE

--AuRye, grandsire to AuRon

ate,

As many suitors as stripes, but never to ma

Chapter 17

"In some months it blows out In other months it blows in," Ayafeeia said "The Anklenes told otten All that matters is that you’ll have an easier ti out"

AuRon noticed that she looked at a high rock as she spoke He searched, saw nothing, then glanced over at her

"My sister was mated here," she said "To your brother"

"I’d rather think hih this seems an odd place Is it because of the privacy?"

"Oh, no, it’s not a tradition Mated dragons usually fly to the surface in the south, to the tips at World’s End"

"Then why here?"