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"Really?" Pleased, the professor sirl says so it must be true Wait a moment, you need some of these fresh mint leaves to sprinkle on it Here you are"

"Mint! M to cook for us, Professor!"

"Oh, I’d love to coo even ated horse, Pegasus Nonetheless, I feel deeply honored by your offer" He made a small bow and then helped himself to a bowl of his delicious soup

"Firedrake told us you think it was his presence that attracted the basilisk," said Ben "Is that right?"

"I’ave Ben a second helping of soup and a piece of pita bread "I a attracts another In ns before is that he always is in the co you, my dear Sorrel But most fabulous creatures start to itch as soon as they come near one another, and curiosity would attract many of them your way"

"A nice prospect, I lance "Thoseby all I’ve heard about that baseltwist …" She shook her head gloomily "Dear lasses had misted up with the stea nose and cleaned them "The fact is, there aren’t so many fabulous creatures left on this planet Most of theo Unfortunately the less friendly speci So you’d better be ready for anything if you have a journey of any length ahead of you"

"Professor?" Ben sed the last of his soup and put the bon in the silver basilisk dust that still covered the cave floor "Have you ever heard of the Ried Ben sharply in the ribs Firedrake raised his head Twigleg pricked up his ears

"Oh, yes," said the professor, wiping out his soup boith a piece of pita bread "The Rie, said to contain the valley froons first came But I don’t know much more about it"

"What else do you know?" asked Firedrake

"Well," said Barnabas Greenblooht to be in the Hi of nine white peaks, alht, surround a fabulous valley My wife, Vita, and I were going to look for it a few years ago, but then we found unicorn tracks Well" He shook his head "Around the sao looking for the Rim, but unfortunately she didn’t find it However, she knows ons than anyone else in the world" The professor looked at Firedrake "Perhaps you ought to visit her She’s in Pakistan at theto the Himalayas that’s on your way"

"H pan, and Barnabas Greenblooain "Firedrake knows all about dragons, anyway I on himself"

The professor smiled "Undoubtedly But Firedrake can’t fly unless the ht?"

Sorrel wrinkled her nose "No dragon can"

"Yes, but was that always the case?" the professor asked "Zubeida wrote to ht could replace the power of the moon, at least for a liey about that And of course she can’t prove it ork because she doesn’t know any dragons to try it out for her"

Firedrake, who had been staring thoughtfully at the silver dust left by the basilisk, raised his head