Dragon Crashes into Castle Gate!!!
"Impossible!" snorted Lord Wyldon, training master of pages and squires.
"The only dragon in the mortal realms is Skysong, and she's not nearly big
enough to fly."
"I tell you, my lord, its true!" cried the messenger. "Saw it with my own eyes, I did!" The messenger had come from Corus to deliver the. unusual news to the training master, who was at summer camp with the pages. His absence had deprived the realm of their pages, their teachers, and some of the
realms most able mages: Numair Salamin, Daine Sarrasri, and the dragon Skysong, often called Kitten.
The three mages, each with their own kind of magic, set off for the palace. There, they found a sight that did not encourage them in the slightest. Jewelclaw, a dragon that Daine and Numair had met in the Dragonlands, was snarling his anger for the world to hear. Boldly Daine strode forth. Numair followed, arguing every step of the way,
"Are you insane? Do you want to be killed, Daine?Daine? Daine? Are you listening to me?!"
"Greetings," she called. Beside her Numair muttered, "At least you've learned some diplomacy."
Jewelclaw snarled.
"I shall cut you to ribbons!" The dragon fell upon them swiftly, but magic was far faster.
"Now, now," called the girl, changing an eagle's beak into a mouth. "Lets talk this out like civilized beings."
"You are humans." the dragon sneered. "I don't need to talk to humans about anything." A crafty look came into the dragon's eyes. "But if you can answer my riddle, I will go back to the Dragonlands without causing any more trouble."
"We accept!"
The dragon got right down to business. "What creature has four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?"
The three friends stared at one another in shock. What? They all prided themselves on being good at riddles, but this was beyond them. Jewelclaw oozed sweetly, "Take your time, friends." This was said with great sarcasm. "I can't linger longer than a year, but a few weeks is not to long to wait." Kitten opened her mouth, and Jewelclaw turned nasty again.
"Silence, child!" he cried, and Kitten was quiet, clawing at her muzzle. Jewelclaw had put the Silence on her. They thought and thought, until Daine finally said, "I suppose its no use. Kitten?!" Kitten was dropping on all fours, then standing upright, then
leaning on a stick. "Kitten, what's," Daine stopped talking, and her eyes glowed. "Oh," she breathed, voice soft. "that's the answer!"
"What is?"
"Dragon Jewelclaw," Daine announced triumphantly, "We have the answer."
"Oh?" Jewelclaw sneered. "So soon?"
"The answer is a man. In the morning, when he is a baby, he crawls on all fours. In the afternoon, when fully grown, he walks upright. And when he is old, he leans upon a stick."
Jewelclaw roared. Launching himself into the air, he screamed his fury. He never made mischief in the human realms again, but in the Dragonlands, well, that is another story.
"Impossible!" snorted Lord Wyldon, training master of pages and squires.
"The only dragon in the mortal realms is Skysong, and she's not nearly big
enough to fly."
"I tell you, my lord, its true!" cried the messenger. "Saw it with my own eyes, I did!" The messenger had come from Corus to deliver the. unusual news to the training master, who was at summer camp with the pages. His absence had deprived the realm of their pages, their teachers, and some of the
realms most able mages: Numair Salamin, Daine Sarrasri, and the dragon Skysong, often called Kitten.
The three mages, each with their own kind of magic, set off for the palace. There, they found a sight that did not encourage them in the slightest. Jewelclaw, a dragon that Daine and Numair had met in the Dragonlands, was snarling his anger for the world to hear. Boldly Daine strode forth. Numair followed, arguing every step of the way,
"Are you insane? Do you want to be killed, Daine?Daine? Daine? Are you listening to me?!"
"Greetings," she called. Beside her Numair muttered, "At least you've learned some diplomacy."
Jewelclaw snarled.
"I shall cut you to ribbons!" The dragon fell upon them swiftly, but magic was far faster.
"Now, now," called the girl, changing an eagle's beak into a mouth. "Lets talk this out like civilized beings."
"You are humans." the dragon sneered. "I don't need to talk to humans about anything." A crafty look came into the dragon's eyes. "But if you can answer my riddle, I will go back to the Dragonlands without causing any more trouble."
"We accept!"
The dragon got right down to business. "What creature has four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?"
The three friends stared at one another in shock. What? They all prided themselves on being good at riddles, but this was beyond them. Jewelclaw oozed sweetly, "Take your time, friends." This was said with great sarcasm. "I can't linger longer than a year, but a few weeks is not to long to wait." Kitten opened her mouth, and Jewelclaw turned nasty again.
"Silence, child!" he cried, and Kitten was quiet, clawing at her muzzle. Jewelclaw had put the Silence on her. They thought and thought, until Daine finally said, "I suppose its no use. Kitten?!" Kitten was dropping on all fours, then standing upright, then
leaning on a stick. "Kitten, what's," Daine stopped talking, and her eyes glowed. "Oh," she breathed, voice soft. "that's the answer!"
"What is?"
"Dragon Jewelclaw," Daine announced triumphantly, "We have the answer."
"Oh?" Jewelclaw sneered. "So soon?"
"The answer is a man. In the morning, when he is a baby, he crawls on all fours. In the afternoon, when fully grown, he walks upright. And when he is old, he leans upon a stick."
Jewelclaw roared. Launching himself into the air, he screamed his fury. He never made mischief in the human realms again, but in the Dragonlands, well, that is another story.