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"Not to me, it doesn’t," Red-Beard objected "Do you have any idea of how stuffy and tedious the life of a chief must be? I don’t think I could stand that"

"Be brave, Chief Red-Beard," Longbow said with ood of your tribe, you can’t just turn your back on it, can you?"

"You had to go and say that, didn’t you?" Red-Beard grued "It’s time for you to face reality, my friend Sooner or later you will have to assuer function Thisstuffy Right now, though, we’ve got a , oodly number of unhappy people in those ships out in the bay In her infinite wisdoe without bothering to pay Sorgan Hook-Beak and the other Maags for their services during the recent unpleasantness"

"The gold’s stacked up in that cave of hers just outside the village," Red-Beard reminded his friend "Why don’t they just walk into the cave and pay theet into the tunnel where the gold’s piled up"

"What did Zelana do?--?"

"No, it’s co off the tunnel that’s filled with all those pretty yellow blocks It’s a very unusual sort of wall The Maags can see through it, but it’s harder than any stone That old as much as they want, but they can’t reach it Ox took his axe into the cave and chopped at the wall for the better part of a day, but he didn’t so e to destroy his axe, though Now Sorgan’s absolutely positive that our Zelana’s trying to cheat him"

"She wouldn’t do that"

"You and I know that, but Hook-Beak doesn’t know her as well as we do Lying, cheating, and stealing are part of the Maag culture, so honesty’s an alien concept for theht just have another war on our hands before long"

"Now I’ve got so else to worry about" Then Red-Beard re "Rabbit told me that you and Zelana can speak with each other withouta sound He said you two did that back in the Land of Maag when trouble broke out in the harbor at Kweta Could you possibly reach out to her from here?"

"I’ve already tried it a few times Either she’s too far away, or she refuses to listen to me"

"Do you think thatZelana to her senses, it’d be Eleria If nothing else, the little girl could probably kiss Zelana into subite, Keselo, wrapped around her little finger in no tibow said Then he squinted at his friend "She never tried that on you, did she?"

Red-Beard shrugged "I probably don’t have anything she wants," he replied