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"The ravens are his eyes," sobbed the homunculus, "but I … I’ave everything away I told him that the professor had two of his scales, and you were looking for the Ri to ask the blue djinn the way, but … but …" He could say no le bound she turned on the ho for him with her sharp claws

"Leave hi her away

"What?" Sorrel’s coat was bristling with rage "You’re not still standing up for him, are you? Even when he tells you hirowled, bared her teeth, and took another step forward "I felt all along there was soht about this little creep But you and Firedrake were so crazy about hiht to bite his head off, that’s what!"

"You’ll do nothing of the kind, Sorrel!" said Ben, putting his hand protectively in front of Twigleg "Stop carrying on like that You can see he’s sorry" Carefully he lifted Twigleg down from his shoulder and set hi down the manikin’s nose Ben took a dusty handkerchief out of his pocket and gently dabbed Twigleg’s face dry

"Nettlebrand was my master," stammered the homunculus "I polished his scales and cut his claws, and I had to tell him a thousand and one tales about his heroic deeds He could never hear enough of theh what I was ain "Maybe I’ pincers myself Who knows? Anyway, the ht o -- and dark, cold, lonely years they’ve been, too I had eleven brothers, and Nettlebrand ate the buried his face in his hands "He ate the ons Every last one of the back her long hair from her forehead, she looked at the homunculus syons?" she asked "He’s a dragon hi, sobbing "He just looks like one He hunts dragons because that’s what he was made to do Like a cat that’s born to catch mice"

"What?" Incredulous, Barnabas Greenblooon? What is he, then?"

"I don’t knohispered Twigleg "I don’t knohat kind of creature the alchemist made him from His armor is some kind of indestructible ave Nettlebrand the appearance of a dragon so that he could get close to theons know it’s best to avoid huon would flee from one of its own kind"

"That’s true" Zubeida Ghalib nodded thoughtfully "But why did the alcheons in the first place?"

"For his experi mopped the tears froifted alche life, and I’m the proof of it But he wanted old Huold, aren’t they?"

Vita Greenbloom stroked Guinevere’s hair and nodded "Yes, so continued in a treredient for ons, a hts to go hunting dragons and bring back their horns for hih He needed more horns for his experiments -- on killer" Twigleg looked at Firedrake "He gave hier and stronger The one thing Nettlebrand couldn’t do was fly, because the alchemist had made his aron-fire couldn’tfell silent for a ently on the water

"He caught them all," the homunculus whispered "He ca out experions suddenly disappeared Nettlebrand searched high and low, until his claere blunt and his li But they were nowhere to be found My ive up his experiments, but he soon discovered that was the least of his worries Nettlebrand began to get bored, and the rew My maker created enchanted ravens to search the world for the e, ate all my brothers He spared ’s eyes closed as he remembered

"And then," he went on quietly, "on a day when yet another raven caons, Nettlebrand, the Golden One, ate our in But," said Twigleg, raising his head and looking at Firedrake, "he’s still searching for dragons The last group he found escaped when two sea serpents and his own impatience robbed him of his prey However, he’s learned his lesson This tions he’s been searching for all these years"

The manikin fell silent, and the others did not speak A fly settled on Twigleg’s thin legs, and he brushed it aearily

"Where is he now?" asked Ben at last "Is Nettlebrand somewhere close?"

Sorrel looked around uneasily None of theht be quite near the shook his head

"No," he said "Nettlebrand is far, far away I did tell hi on his tearstained face, "but I was lying to him For the first time ever" He looked at the, lied to Nettlebrand, the Golden One!"

"You did, did you?" inquired Sorrel suspiciously "And you expect us to believe you? Why would you suddenly lie to hi all of us?"

Twigleg looked crossly at her "Certainly not to save your shaggy skin!" he said nastily "I wouldn’t shed a tear if he ate you!"

"Huh, it’s you he’ll be eating!" Sorrel snapped back furiously "Always supposing you really did lie to hi "I sent him off to the Great Desert, far, far away, because … because …"he added, clearing his throat and glancing shyly at Ben, "because he was going to eat the little hu master was kind to me For no reason at all He was kind and friendly, just like that No one was ever friendly tosniffed, rubbed his nose, and looked down at his sharp, bony knees Very quietly, he said, "So I decided he can be my master from now on If he likes" The homunculus looked anxiously at the boy