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Firedrake followed, more hesitantly, for this was only the second ti ht of all the little lamps made his scales shied after hi sound Sorrel kept close to Firedrake, her paws on his warm scales while her ears twitched nervously and her eyes flicked from column to colurow stone trees here"

They stopped in front of the monk, who bowed to them

"May I introduce the venerable lahest-ranking monk here"

The lama spoke in a soft voice

"Welco translated for Ben "We are very glad to see you According to our beliefs, the arrival of a dragon announces a great and happy event And we are equally glad to see a dragon rider under our roof again after so long a time"

Surprised, Ben looked from the monk to the professor

Barnabas Greenblooon rider whose tomb Zubeida showed us visited this place Indeed, he paid it several visits, if I understood my friend the la over there"

Ben turned and went over to the niche in the wall indicated by the professor A large pictorial scroll hanging between two bookshelves showed a dragon in flight with a boy riding it There was another s behind the boy

"Sorrel!" said Ben, excitedly beckoning for the brownie girl to join him "Don’t you think that looks almost like you?"

Firedrake came closer, too, and put his head over Ben’s shoulder curiously "He’s right, Sorrel," said the dragon in surprise "That figure does look like you"

"Ah, well," said Sorrel, shrugging her shoulders, although she couldn’t suppress a proud s for brownies Everyone knows that"

"I can see one difference, though," whispered Twigleg from his perch on Ben’s shoulder "The brownie in the picture has four arms"

"Four arms?" Sorrel took a closer look "So it does," she murmured "But I don’t think that means much Take a look at the rest of the pictures -- alht, they do," said Ben, looking around Many of the pictures on the walls did indeed show figures with several arms each "What do you think that on rider left soo"

The la in a niche beside the altar of the prayer hall

"These," Twigleg translated again, "are the sacred on rider They bring health and happiness and keep evil spirits away from this valley"