Page 83 (1/2)

Gravelbeard had opened up a long crack, thin as a thread, in the dragon’s stony shell When he raised his haain to widen it by just a fraction, the stone quivered beneath his feet, very faintly, barely perceptibly Gravelbeard put his ear to the crack and listened A rustling noise cah stone More fine lines cracked open beneath the dwarf’s feet He leaped clear and landed on the sleeping boy’s soft sto rubbed his eyes, dazed

"Done it!" cried Gravelbeard, dancing around on Ben’s stoons

"Listen, young master!" he whispered

But Ben had already heard it for hi fro and Gravelbeard and leaped back "Firedrake, wake up! He’s !"

The others all ith a start

"What’s up?" cried Lola, ju out!" cried Ben With two bounds, the rat was on his shoulder

The gray stone into which Gravelbeard had driven his hammer cracked, crumbled, crunched open--and burst into a thousand pieces

They all retreated in alaron crept out of the ruins His eyes were still half-closed He struggled out with faltering steps, shaking a few stones off his scales, and opened his eyes Confused, he looked around hi from a dream

Maia took a step toward hinize on just looked at her Then, slowly, he stretched out his neck and sniffed

"Maia," he said "What’s happened?"

He turned his head to Firedrake, as standing behind Maia "Who are you, and" -- he added, staring at the brownies and Ben, who had Gravelbeard, Twigleg, and Lola all on his shoulders -- "who are these?"

"One of the his four arms "Remember them, Shiaze fell on the molten remains of Nettlebrand’s armor, and he flinched back in alarm

"He’s here!" he whispered "The Golden One is here, too!"

"No, he was here!" said Sorrel, scratching her stomach "But we melted him down"

"Well, not us exactly," added Burr-Burr-Chan "Firedrake and Maia did it"

Shimmertail took another cautious step toward Maia "You defeated the Golden One? Just the two of you?" He shook his head and closed his eyes in disbelief "This is a dream," he murmured "A beautiful drea hion is dead"

"Or sort of dead, anyway," added Ben

Shion rider!" he whispered

Maia nodded and blew the stone dust off Shion rider has come back, and the Golden One is defeated"

"Just like the old stories,"at Nettlebrand’s molten armor "Like the stories you always used to tell, Maia"