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"You mean you don’t knohat a zoo is? Oh, I’ll explain later," h come to think of it, they’reto take me hours to wash this filth off your scales"

Firedrake ies, past the gray walls of buildings Sorrel kept glancing uneasily at the sky, but there was no sign yet of the treacherous sun

"There!" the brownie suddenly whispered, pointing to a tall building The water of the canal lapped its less brick walls "See that hatch? If you h Swion cautiously let hi hatch just above water level gaped open Its decaying wooden door hung loose froes With one bound Sorrel juhcast wall, and put her head through the opening, snuffling

"See in here for years Nothing but s and spiders Come on"

In a flash, she had disappeared into the dark Firedrake hauled himself out of the water, shook his scaly body, and forced it through the hatch He looked curiously around him at this structure, the work of hu before, and he didn’t like it Large wooden crates and rotting cardboard cartons were stacked by the da with interest, but she couldn’t pick up the scent of anything edible

Wearily Firedrake dropped to the floor in front of the hatch and looked out This was the first tis ached, and the city was full of frightening sounds and shed

"What’s the matter?" Sorrel sat down between his paws "Oh, I see Who’s homesick now, then?" She opened her backpack, took out a handful of et a noseful of these They’ll drive the stink of this place out of your nostrils I expect our friend the rat would like it just fine here, but you and I had better get out as soon as we can" She patted Firedrake’s dirty scales coly "Get some sleep now I’ll have a bit of a nap, too, and then I’ll be off to look for Rat’s cousin"

Firedrake nodded His eyes closed When he heard Sorrel singing softly to herself, it was al back in his cave His tired liers on him … when Sorrel suddenly jumped up

"There’s so in here!" she hissed

Firedrake raised his head and looked around "Where?" he asked

"Behind those crates!" whispered Sorrel "You stay here" She crept toward a stack of crates that towered to the ceiling Firedrake pricked up his ears Now he could hear it, too: a rustling, a scraping of feet The dragon raised himself

"Come on out!" said Sorrel "Come out, whatever you are!"

For a moment all was quiet Very quiet Except for the noises of the big city drifting in froain "Or do I have to co, and then a hu the crates Sorrel retreated in alarood deal taller than she was He stared incredulously at the brownie girl And then he saw the dragon

Firedrake’s scales still shone like silver in spite of the canal water, and in this s down at the boy in astonish at close quarters before Froined the different -- very different

"He doesn’t srowled She had recovered froh from a safe distance "He stinks of mice," she added "That’s why I didn’t smell him Yes, that’ll be it"

The boy took no notice of her He raised his hand -- a bare hand with no fur growing on it -- and pointed at Firedrake "It’s a dragon!" he whispered "A real, live dragon"

He gave Firedrake an uncertain s neck toward the boy and sniffed Sorrel was right He did s else as well A strange s in the air outside -- the son," said Sorrel crossly "And what are you?"