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Nettlebrand straightened up and stood ’s direction, but he was looking right through him Gravelbeard knocked the dent out of his hat and cli

The homunculus cleared his throat "Er -- do you knohere that is,straight through hirowled at last "Except the dragons who have been hiding there for more than a hundred years, ever since they escaped me I searched for the Ri Soht I could sons, and that was the end of h!" Gravelbeard called froh to land in front of your nose"

"Huh!" Nettlebrand said scornfully, slapping a pan on a passing rat "And then what? No, the fun would be over too soon, before I’d even discovered where he comes from I’d never find out where the others are, either No, I have a better idea, a !"

The homunculus jurunted Nettlebrand "You must follow hions he’s looking for or the dragons he left behind"

"Me?" Twigleg beat his thin chest pitifully "But why , too?"

Nettlebrand hissed "I’ain You’ll report towithout fail, do you hear? And when he’s found the Rileg

"I have powers at which you cannot even guess Go away now and get to work" And Nettlebrand’s ian to blur

"Wait! Wait, rew clearer and clearer until Twigleg was looking into the eyes of his own reflection

"Oh, no!" he whispered "Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no!"

Then, with a heavy sigh, he turned and went in search of the raven

11 The Stor since fallen asleep in their caves when Firedrake prepared to set off This ti his co every detail: the mountains around which they would fly, the rivers they should follow, the cities they had better avoid First they had to go several hundred kilometers farther south, and head toward the Mediterranean If they were in luck they’d land on its shores before dawn

With a feerful wing-beats the dragon rose into the air The sky was clear above thea thousand stars, and only a light wind bleard the a h the cool air

When they had left the mountains behind them Ben turned to take one last look at the black peak For a e bird in the darkness, with a tiny figure sitting on its back