reins of battle again, that I still hope to lead To-gai in an uprising against the cursed Yatols?
That is my hope, yes, but I cannot know now if ever again I will see the opportunity before me.
And while the hope remains, it remains pushed far from the realities of the present. That is not the purpose of my path anymore.
Chapter 19 The Play's the Thing
He looked up the sheer, fifty-foot wall, then glanced over his shoulders at his tiny wings, lamenting that they were nowhere near strong enough to get him out of the hole.
Belli'mar Juraviel could only sigh, reminding himself that even if he could somehow get out of the hole, he would still be a long way from free. He'd have to cross through the lair of Agradeleous, the dragon, and into the adjoining tunnels, and then somehow navigate his way out of the Path of Starless Night. Which way would he go, north or south? With the dis-covery of the Doc'alfar, and now finding the location of one of the great dragons, it seemed obvious to Juraviel that his road should be to the north, back to Andur'Blough Inninness to speak with Lady Dasslerond.
But now, from Agradeleous' own tales, it seemed as if Brynn had escaped the terrors of the dragon, and in the direction of the To-gai steppes. It was pos-sible that she was already chasing her destiny - one that Belli'mar Juraviel had been charged with overseeing.
And, of course, there remained his promise to King Eltiraaz that he would not return home with news of the Doc'alfar.
And, of course, it was all moot anyway, because Agradeleous was as mighty a jailor as could be found in all the world, and the dread dragon wasn't about to let his prisoners get away.
A noise at the back of the small pit brought Juraviel from his contempla-tions and turned him toward the one tunnel exit out of the main prison, a long and low corridor leading to a steamy ledge, a waterfall pouring over it and dropping down to sizzle in a wide pit of molten lava. Cazzira, her black hair wet from washing, her creamy skin all red from the steam, entered the chamber, wearing nothing more than her short shirt.
"Has he returned yet?" she asked casually, tossing her wet hair back from her face.
Belli'mar Juraviel just stood and watched her for a moment, letting her question drift away. Cazzira froze, noting the stare. ?What is it?" she asked, smiling, even gig. gling a bit.
"I was only thinking how much longer this imprisonment would seem if you were noi here beside me," Juraviel admitted.
Cazzira s smile only widened and she moved right next to the golden-haired, golden-eyed Touel'alfar, placing her hand gently upon his slender and strong shoulder. Juraviel closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, filling him-self with Cazzira's sweet scent. For a moment, he thought of stepping for-ward and wrapping her in his arms, and kissing her, but that fleeting moment washed away as Cazzira asked him, ?Why must you think of it as imprisonment?"
Juraviel stepped back, blinking his eyes open. ?Because that is what it is."
Cazzira shrugged. ?And your time with my people was imprisonment, as well." The Doc'alfar spun away as she made the remark, moving for her drying clothes spread on a rock at the far end of the wide pit.
"It was," Juraviel called after her. ?And less pleasant than this time! Your people kept Brynn and me in a room of mud!"
"Peat," Cazzira corrected. ?Where else were we to put you? We chose not to give you to the bog - for that you should be grateful."
A burst of helpless laughter escaped Juraviel. He shook his head and looked back up at the pit's rim.
"And Agradeleous chose not to eat us, or burn the flesh from our bones," Cazzira went on.
"Which I still do not understand."
"He recognized us for who we are."
"And why might that spare us?" Juraviel asked. ?When have either the Touel'alfar or the Doc'alfar been allied with the great dragons? I would have thought that any recognition of our heritage by Agradeleous would have prompted the flames all the more quickly."
Cazzira sighed and slumped to the side, tilting her head, her body lan-guage reminding Juraviel that they had discussed this issue many times be-fore. ?Four races," she said. ?Only four. Doc'alfar and Touel'alfar, the children of life, the dactyls and the dragons, the beasts of death."
"That is how it was, not how it is."
"But that is how Agradeleous still