Page 78 (1/2)

"What’s thearound here and turn to stone?" hissed Twigleg, dragging the dwarf on through the glittering heart of thebrownies, past the rat lying beside her plane and snoring, past the human boy as curled up like a cat Gravelbeard noticed none of theht pattern they traced on the cave walls -- and then he stuon He stopped short and gasped

Two silver dragons lay before him, so close to each other that you could hardly tell where one ended and the other began

"Two?" he whispered to the homunculus "Only two? Where are the others?"

"In another cave," whispered Twigleg "Now, do come on! Or do you want to be here when they wake up?"

Gravelbeard hastily stuleg His Goldness is sure to askover his shoulder "Maybeback once ons "That’s a lot"

"Thewhispered back "Bet you that’s what he’ll say"

"Yes, you’re right He certainly will" Gravelbeard nodded and tried to take his eyes off the stones, but with suchthat he was escaping Only when they had left the cavern behind was the spell broken The ho tunnel that led upward and ended at a great slab of stone Gravelbeard looked around, confused, but without a word, Twigleg led hie

The ht was fading beyond the white peaks The lake where Nettlebrand lurked lay dark a above its waters

"Here, your hat" Twigleg put the hat on the y hair "Will you be able to find your way back here on your own?"

Gravelbeard looked around and nodded "Of course," he replied "Wonderful stones I’ve never seen anything like theed his shoulders and pointed to the rock on their left "This is the stone slab you just saw froon pushes it So it shouldn’t be any probleet into the h even for hi, eh?" He chuckled gleefully

"He’ll want reat hunt" Gravelbeard put the backpack over his shoulders "And he’s all ht now, so don’t expect hiave the dwarf a strange look "Mind you polish hireatest hunt in an his doard climb "I wish the hunt were over and I had my reward at last He’s promised me two of his scales for my services"

"Has he indeed? Thole scales!" enerosity!"

The ho Nettlebrand’s new arht drove hi Nettlebrand for the Hunt

"Haven’t you finished yet, ar in the dark water up to his knees, looking at his shi reflection Gravelbeard crouched on his head, polishing his ar so hard that sweat ran down into his beard, even though the night was bitterly cold

"Oh, nickel and gypsuh clenched teeth "What’s the matter with them? They’re as dull as ditchwater however hard I polish"

"What are you going on about?" gru the water impatiently with his tail "I’m sure you’ve polished that place four times already Isn’t it shiny yet?"

Distrustfully he lowered his head and stared at the water, but in the darkness of the night his reflection was scarcely olden shadow distorted by the ripples