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Twigleg nodded Deep in thought, he stared into the water

"What about you?" asked the dwarf "Where are you now?"

Twigleg opened his mouth, but at the last ot out of the desert ourselves yesterday," he said instead "We didn’t find dragons any more than you did That wretched djinn lied to us"

"Yes, by tin and iron ore, what a villain!" Gravelbeard looked at Twigleg, but the homunculus could scarcely e bri to do now?" asked Gravelbeard "Where will the silver dragon look next?"

Twigleg shrugged his shoulders and looked as indifferent as he could "No idea He seems very depressed Have you seen the raven lately?"

Gravelbeard shook his head "No, why?" He looked around "IMaybe we’ll e of Gravelbeard blurred in the dark water

"Hooray!" Ben ju up onto his head, and danced around the dragon-floith him

"We’re rid of him!" he chanted "Good-bye, Nettlebrand! He sank into the sand in a desert land Not so clever, he’s gone forever! Oh, !" He leaned on the fence, laughing "Hear that? I’ off his head and held hi? You’re not looking too happy, either You weren’t actually fond of that dragon-eater, were you?"

"No!" Twigleg shook his head indignantly "It’s just," he said, rubbing his pointed nose, "that it sounds too good to be true, see? I’ve had such a terrible ti, I’ve been afraid of him for soat the boy -- "now do you think he’s really sunk into the sand, just like that? Not him!" He shook his head "No, I don’t believe it"

"Oh, coer "That dwarf sounded as if he was telling the truth There’s no end of quicksand in the desert I saw so about them once on TV Quicksand can s up a whole caleg nodded "Yes, yes, I’ve heard that, too All the sa the homunculus on his shoulder "You’ve saved us After all, it was you who sent hiine Sorrel’s face e tell her! I can’t wait"

And he ran back down to the beach to tell everyone the good news

33 Face-to-Face

"Good!" growled Nettlebrand "You did really well there, dwarf That pathetic stick-insect creature really believed you"

He raised his antic body up onto the bank, panting and snorting A flock of birds fluttered into the night sky, screeching in loud voices Gravelbeard clung to one of Nettlebrand’s horns and looked down anxiously at the great river, which was black as ink as it lapped around his ested "Give me just one of your scales, Your Goldness!"

"What, for a few little lies? Shut up!" grunted Nettlebrand

Gravelbeardto pick up his scent now," growled Nettlebrand

"Whose scent?"