Kédra replied in the same kind of speech Lanen was using, scattered and heard by all, and his truespeech was bright with a strange joy. ''Success and long life to you, Maran's daughter and Akhor's Lady!"

I had followed her perforce, walking slowly at her side. I was dazed still by this madness that gripped her, but I found my blood answering hers, felt the Fire building within me. "Come, dear one, it is a long way. Will you not allow me to bear you?''

"How?" she asked, still striding as fast as she could. She managed to be in Anger even as she walked; there are some advantages to having such mobile faces.

"Here," I answered, putting my head nearly on the ground in front of her. ''I have been considering this. Sit just behind my face plate, where my neck is thinnest. I do not know if they will be within your reach, but you might try to take hold of my horns to steady yourself."

She stopped then and grinned. Her anger abated a little, tinged now with delight. She leapt up the little distance. I could feel her pull herself onto my neck, where she seemed to fit nicely. "Your horns are well within reach, my dear, they might have been put here just for that purpose," she said.

And she laughed.

I was still angry, but as he lifted his head to its normal position I felt like a child on the shoulders of its parents. It was wonderful. There was none of the terror of flying, and he was so big I could see over the trees. He was right, he did move a lot faster than I could; and I felt much safer as well. I had decided that if I was going to be hanged, as the saying goes, it might as well be for horse stealing as for chicken feed. At least this way I might make it into the Council chamber and live long enough to get in a word or two.

I was counting on shock to do a lot for me. I had begun to realise that, aside from my dear Akor, these creatures who lived so impossibly long found it hard to adjust to change. With any luck the sheer surprise would buy me some time.

Besides, I had stopped waiting for someone else to make my life's choices when I left Hadronsstead. I had been faced with far worse than death already, and if I was condemned to die for doing nothing truly wrong, and in despite of all we had done mat was right, I was damn well going to let someone know about it before I went.

Of course I was crazy. I do not deny it. But it was a glorious madness, marching with Akor to beard the Council of the Kindred in their hall! Like the heros in all the ballads, fighting against impossible odds. And I realised then that I would rather die fighting for myself and for one I loved than live to old age in the quiet safety of a lie.

I remember.

I did not even slow down. There was none but Kédra to stop me in any case, and his voice sang with ours as I strode to the Great Hall. I even heard a snatch of the song of his clan, Shikrar's own melody with elements of Kédra and a lilting theme that could only be Lanen.

That more than anything Sifted my heart high, that the son of my namefast friend sang us to victory. Lanen also was singing, a martial air without words.

At the entrance to the Great Hall we were met by Shikrar standing solemn in the entryway.

"As Eldest I beg you, Akhor, do not do this."

Lanen's voice came from behind my head. "Your pardon, Eldest, but he is not the one to talk to. I am." Her voice rang with excitement.

Shikrar stood in Concern. ''My friend, hear me in this. You must not let her in. She has no voice here, Akhor, you know that. She is of the Gedrishakrim!"

"You mean I'm human. That's what we call ourselves, Shikrar, human. If I can call you the Kindred, instead of Dragons, you might at least return the favor."

"Be silent!" he yelled at me. I was glad to finally get a direct response, but a yelling dragon is impressive. And loud. "You put yourselves in peril even by standing here."

"Then let's not stand here. Can we get in, Akor? Is it physically possible?"

"A moment, Lanen. Shikrar, why such fear? Has the Council reached a decision?"

He bowed his head in a very human gesture. "They have. I dissented, and I am glad to say mine was not the only voice. I reminded them at every turrn of what you both have done— but Rishkaan's faction was strong. There is much hatred yet for her people among us." Still gazing at the ground, he said quietly, "You are to be exiled, Akor. Relieved of the kingship and sent to live out your life away from your people on some rock in the ocean."

"And Lanen?"

"She may go with you, to survive as best she can. Or ..."

My voice was calm, even reasonable. "Or they'll kill me and save me the trouble of having to survive."

He bowed to me, a sinuous, graceful Dragon bow, then did me the courtesy of looking me in the eye. "Yes, lady. That is correct."

I laughed. What more did I have to lose? "To the Hells with that. Come, Akor, let's go in. Or let me down and I'll go in myself."

He lowered his head to the ground and I slid off. "Go before, dearling,'' he said, turning to me with a smile in his voice and his soulgem gleaming like emerald fire. "I shall come behind and keep all harm from you. Let us tell the Council ourselves what others have not managed to say.''

I paused and gingerly took out my boot knife. It was the only weapon I had about me.

"Shikrar, you who have so gallantly fought for us, will you do me another kindness? Will you take this? I would not enter the Council chamber armed."

He held out his great clawed hand and I put my tiny knife in it. Again he bowed. "I shall keep it with the treasures of my people," he said, strangely moved. "So valiant a lady and so courteous, I do not wonder Akor feels kinship with you. And despite my anger just now, I do not forget that I owe to you the lives of my dear ones. In the teeth of the Council I stand with you."

Despite the reminder of teeth I grinned at him. "Well, that's two," I said gaily, and started down the corridor. Nothing could stay me, not the weakness of my so-recent brush with death (which yet affected me), not my new-healed hands that still smarted though the bandages had been removed, not the Council's sentence of death, not even walking down a dimly lit underground corridor towards the hostile unknown. A kind of wild exultation had gripped me.

I trusted in Akor and in Shikrar's goodwill, and in whatever force had brought me to this place at this time. The Winds and the Lady were behind me and fear, I thought, was far away.

The corridor seemed endless, twisting and doubling on itself, but there was always at least a little light ahead, and after some time I heard the low hum of deep voices in a large chamber.

The entrance came suddenly, a blazing opening in the darkness, filled with firelight and Dragons. I stood at gaze, staring at an assembly I had seen so many times in my dreams but never hoped to see in real life. For a moment I wondered at the firelight and the torches that lined the walls, for Akor had told me that his people saw well enough in darkness not to need much light; then I realised that in this formal setting they must be able to see the Attitudes assumed by all who spoke, and that fire was sacred.

Akor had said their numbers were dwindling, but it was hard to believe that in the face of a sea of Dragons. The fear I had hoped to avoid rose up in me then, when I saw them all assembled. How dared I hope to stand and defy them? The lightest breath from the least of them and I would be a memory. Throughout that vast hall they stood and sat and lay, conversing, arguing, a great patchwork of all sizes and all colours of metal, from steel blue and leaden gray through bronze and brass, copper and dull gold. But none like Akor, none silver.