Page 40 (2/2)

Firedrake did not reply but stood there sunk deep in thought

"I really e knehere that rowled Sorrel "I don’t like the way he can appear and disappear, just like that"

The serpent bent her head until her tongue was tickling Sorrel’s pointed ears

"The ue with the powers of the water, brownie," she hissed "All dragons can swih they are creatures of fire, but this one is lord of the water Water is his servant even ain, but soh the depths of the sea, I know that the dragon with golden ar"

Firedrake was still silent "Golden," he olden Sorrel, does that re?"

The brownie looked at him in surprise "No, why should it? Oh, wait a on at hoainst the Golden One before we set out Strange, don’t you think?"

Ben suddenly clapped a hand to his forehead

"Golden!" he cried "That’s it! Golden scales!" He quickly opened his backpack "Sorry, Twigleg," he said, as the hos "Just looking forwith the scale in it"

"The scale?" All at once the homunculus ide-awake

"Yes, I want to show it to the serpent" Ben carefully fished out the golden scale froed anxiously fro out of the backpack -- and then, with a shriek of terror, he dived back into Ben’s clothes

"Here, Twigleg!" Ben pulled hihtened of She’s rather large but perfectly friendly Honest!"

"Friendly?" ain as far as he could go "Anything that size is dangerous, however friendly itcurious "What do you want to showin your bag?"

"Only Twigleg," replied Ben He carefully stood up on Firedrake’s back and held the scale out to the serpent on the palon’s scales?"