The fires on Zertrum lit the north face of Svye.
Goodman Hame spotted the caves. “See? There!”
IT saw. A minute later, IT landed on the ledge, while everyone outside dashed inside.
Master Erick and Goodman Hame disembarked, the latter by crawling.
Goodman Hame shouted, “You can come out. IT’s a good dragon.”
Masteress Meenore’s smoke reddened. Good at what? Good for what?
Lovers of the good ogre—everyone—poured out of the cave, eager to meet the good dragon, and began coughing.
“IT rescued us. IT lifted a boulder off me,” Goodman Hame announced. Then he fainted.
Several people surrounded him.
“And almost killed me.” Master Erick couldn’t keep the tidings to himself: “Uwald stole the Replica.”
After an hour of Master Erick, IT thought, everyone will forgive Master Uwald. IT spied Brunka Arnulf and lumbered to the edge of the crowd, where the brunka joined IT.
“Did Master Uwald really steal the Replica?”
“Yes. Where is His Lordship?”
“Back on Zertrum, finding people and bringing them here.”
“Is that why you lied to me before?”
“He’d been injured as a bird. He couldn’t fly back to the Oase. But he’s recovered, and I didn’t want you to keep him from rescuing folks.” Brunka Arnulf flicked out a short rainbow. “His heroism will live forever.”
“I prefer he not begin his afterlife tonight. He owes me wages.” IT stared across the river. In the chaos, His Lordship could be anywhere. Even a being twice his size might be impossible to find.
“The last time he delivered someone to the cave, I begged him to stay.”
IT pondered.
Leave now and fly to Elodie?
Arrive at the Oase too late to save His Lordship but in time—possibly—to rescue her from Uwald and his accomplice?
Allow Nesspa to lose his master?
IT sneered at ITself for thinking of the well-being of a dog.
“Masteress?” Brunka Arnulf said.
“I am cogitating.”
“His Lordship would search for you.”
“He and I are not alike.”
Although fire held no terror, IT could be buried if the mountain collapsed. A boulder could rip through one of ITs beautiful wings or shatter ITs skull and destroy ITs miraculous mind.
Moreover, if IT went after His Lordship, the folk of Lahnt would for all time dub IT a good dragon. That would gall.
“I have decided.” IT pushed off the ledge and flapped back toward Zertrum.
Over the Fluce, unexpectedly—uselessly!—from the depths of ITs prodigious brain, surfaced the location of the Replica and the identity of the second thief. IT remembered the puppet’s words: “Expectation misleads.”
Think, Lodie!
But IT doubted that even her penetrating mind would derive the answer.