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It is the next day before I recover sufficiently to relate the story of my journey. I have a meeting with Chancellor Napier and my ladies.
"In summary, it appears, my ladies, that you are considerably more that food to this dragon. And, I apologize. I was, apparently, bringing down some bad fortune on your villages by keeping you alive."
Chasta looked at the other two for a sign of agreement, and spoke, "We still support you, my Lord Baron. You not only have the best of intentions, we still have faith that you can find a good solution to this problem."
"The dragon wants you to join forces with her?" queried Anna.
"That is what she said, but what to make of it, I'm not sure. It could be a ploy -- she is clever and devious enough to think of ploys. It could be simple pragmatism. She knows mankind is changing the valley, and she can use a powerful ally to slow the change."
Anna thinks for a moment, then says, "Forgive me for being presumptuous and telling you about how to handle your affairs, but do not take her offer."
"I find that an interesting statement coming from a lady who is ready to throw herself into the jaws of this beast."
"I have thought further: The dragon is evil, so I do not wish it to survive and spread its evil further. However, I still feel I must honor my family's wishes." She looks me straight in the eye, "What I wish most of all is that you find a way to defeat this hideous beast. Please do that, and save us all. I will help you to do that, if I can."
"What of this Qin Non-won?" asks Paltrice.
"I've done some more research," I say, "and the results are very curious! Qin Non-won is a Gold Dragon, not a Red. He seems to be very reclusive -- I find no being who claims to have met this Qin Non-won for years and years, and the stories of Queen Almidahl and Qin Non-won spend much of their time talking about her trying to find him.
"He is reputed to be a dragon of great wisdom, and great fertility. The stories of those two are passed down among dragon-kind. The stories claim she will lay a hundred eggs if she can mate with him, and her progeny, with the combination of her power and his wisdom, will form a clan that will rule all the planes."
"Now that's ambition for you!" says Napier in a cynical way.
"There may be more to it than just storytelling, Napier. The same source that told me about the stories also told me about some of Queen Almidahl's existing progeny: Alazari... Balustead...
Chancellor Napier's face whitened. "Enough! I know these names, and I don't wish to hear more. Yes, she is potent!"
"Two you don't know about are the twin guardians to the Effreeti City. Yes, she has reason to fear that her progeny will end up pets."
There was a pause as all digested what they had heard.
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