"Agad didn't tell me personally, but I heard the rumor."

"Good to know that word of my curse reaches the eats of every newcomer," Thronis said dryly. "Agad is very smug about the accomplishment. As well he should be. I am something of a spell weaver myself, and not easily duped. I wasted years trying to get the collar off, to break the spell, until I finally decided it might be simpler to always be truthful. What I am saying is that if we make an arrangement, I will hold to my end. I must, or I will die."

Seth placed his hands on his hips. "How do we know the spell is real? Or that you haven't found a way around it?"

"I suppose that is hard to prove. Nevertheless it is true. And, to be candid, you are in no position to doubt me."

"What sort of agreement?"

Thronis favored Seth with a sly grin. "Indulge me for a moment while I paint the picture. A giant of my size is a fearsome opponent, even knowing no magic. Granted, at a glance I am intimidating. But a glance would not reveal the millennia I have lived, the spells I have mastered, my deceptive agility, my skill with arms, or the true strength in me, a raw power that goes well beyond the predictable capacity of my large frame.

"Most are aware that the hide of a giant is shockingly resilient. Pause to consider my additional mail." He indicated the battle gear in the corner. "Reflect upon the quantity of steel required for such magnificent armature, and the additional security it provides. Have you ever heard of a giant with a suit of plate? Array me in full armor, grant me my weapons, and I could prevail against any dragon of this sanctuary in open battle, save perhaps Celebrant.

"Yet despite these advantages, I have never braved the Dragon Temple." Thronis gazed pointedly at Seth. "This is not because the location of the temple is a mystery. I have two orbs in a neighboring chamber, one white, the other dark. The dark helps me adjust the climate. The white is for gazing. From my manse on Stormcrag, I can behold most of Wyrmroost, and much of the world beyond the walls. Although I cannot penetrate the Dragon Temple, I know precisely where it lies.

"Dragons are notorious for hoarding treasure. I protect an enviable hoard myself. How many Dragon Temples do you suppose exist in the wide world?"

"One?" Seth tried.

"There are three, one in each of the forbidden sanctuaries. Each temple houses the preeminent treasures of all the hoards, the most powerful items amassed by the dragons of the world. And each temple contains a certain talisman the dragons particularly want to keep out of mortal hands. It was partly in exchange for these three talismans that dragons agreed to come to the sanctuaries in the first place. Do you know what talisman resides in the Dragon Temple here at Wyrmroost?"

"Gauntlets?" Seth guessed. Warren had informed him about the message Kendra had copied from Patton's grave.

"Precisely. The famed Sage's Gauntlets. According to legend, when the man who wears them commands, dragons must obey. Do you suppose such gauntlets might come in handy for me?"

"Probably, since you live at a dragon sanctuary."

Thronis shook his head. "No. They would not fit on my little finger. The Sage's Gauntlets are meant for mortal wizards. Mastering them would be a complex endeavor even for Agad, let alone for you or your comrades. If you were to steal them, no dragon on the planet would rest until you were eviscerated."

"We're not after gauntlets," Seth insisted. "We're after a key."

"I see. Answer me this. The dragon temple is ancient. How did your key get inside?"

"A man put it there."

"Slipped by the three guardians, did he? How extraordinary."

"This guy did lots of impossible things." The giant leaned an elbow on the table. "Who was this puissant trickster?"

"Patton Burgess."

Thronis nodded. "I have bothered to learn the names of only a few mortals. But his I know. Perhaps he did hide your key inside the Dragon Temple. Perhaps he gave you knowledge that will help you gain access. The odds are poor, but the prospect intriguing. Which is why I mentioned an accord.

"I have not ignored the Dragon Temple for lack of interest. There is nothing inside to tempt me to risk all, yet there are a few items I would like. Precious figurines. A set kept together. A dragon worked in red stone. A snow giant crafted from white marble. And a jade chimera. There are two other pieces to the set--an onyx tower and an agate leviathan. Bring those as well. Yes, bring all five figurines, and perhaps you will glimpse my generous side."

Seth tried not to let his dismay show. "Won't the dragons be furious if we steal those things?"

Thronis waved an impatient hand. "They'll be furious you enter the temple at all. Taking only these few figurines will not incite them to significantly greater rage. The gauntlets are another matter. Leave the gauntlets where they lie."

Trask raised his voice. "If we vow to bring you the figurines, you will let us go?"

The giant held up a finger. "I will do more than let you go. In preparation for the endeavor, I will feed you, equip you, and have my griffins fly you to the entrance of the Dragon Temple. But one problem remains. I am unable to lie. You should not be able to deceive me, either. While fruitlessly studying how to relieve myself of my collar, I learned how to devise a similar choker. I will make one for each of you to wear. Should you bring back the figurines, I will remove the collars and provide you with safe conduct to the gate of Wyrmroost. Should you play me false, you will all strangle."

"What will you give us?" Seth asked. "You know, to equip us?"

"If I am to surrender my pie, I want some hope of a return on my investment. I can give you a dose or two of precious dragonsbane. Maybe a sword edged with adamant, or a spear tipped with the same. Rare items that I would rather not lose, to be sure, but what good is a hoard of objects never used?"

"This sounds better than being baked in a pie," Seth confessed.

Thronis regarded Trask. "What say you, Sir Leader? This is the only bargain I intend to offer. Remember, I do not lie. You will not receive a second chance. These terms strike me as absurdly generous. Those of you who do not accept have reached the end of your lives."

Trask conferred briefly with the others in a quiet huddle. "You offer us a better alternative than certain death," Trask acknowledged. "We accept."

Thronis slapped a hand down on the table. Seth staggered and fell to his knees, ears ringing. "Let us adjourn to my treasury and get you outfitted," the giant enthused. "I will place chokers on you to make sure the story the boy shared was true. Nothing will save you if he was fibbing about your purposes. As long as the tale proves to be true, tonight I will feast with my tiny champions, and in the morning, you shall sally forth to win whatever glory chance will allow!"

Chapter 22 Raxtus

Bubda sat on the splintery barrel, ankles crossed, arms folded, wearing a grouchy expression. "Bubda think about it," he said. "Ask again next week."

"We need you to try now," Kendra insisted. "If those griffins come back, they'll kick us out of here. You'll lose your home."

"Kick you out. No find Bubda."

"We found you," Warren pointed out. Bubda waved a dismissive hand. "You cheat. Knew Bubda was here. Poke Bubda with rake."

"If they take us, we'll tell them about you," Kendra threatened.

The hermit troll scowled. "Where Seth? Bubda miss Seth! Seth speak Duggish. Seth play Yahtzee."

Kendra tried hard to keep her tone sincere and sweet instead of frustrated and angry. "If you want to see Seth again, we need you to try to move the knapsack out of the little cave."

Bubda hopped down from the barrel. "No! Bubda hate sky! Bubda no leave! Bubda hide." He squatted, curled up his arms, tucked his head, and suddenly looked like a shabby wooden cask.

"How about a game of Yahtzee to decide?" Warren proposed.

Bubda raised his head. "Yahtzee?"

"The three of us," Warren continued. "If Kendra or I win, you try to move the knapsack."

"If Bubda win?"

"You get to play us again," Kendra said cheerily.

Bubda scrunched his face. "Bubda no fool. Bubda win, you nag no more."

"Fair enough," Warren conceded.

Bubda brightened. "You no win. Bubda Yahtzee champion." He waddled over to the Yahtzee box.

Kendra had learned to play Yahtzee with her Grandma and Grandpa Larsen. She could remember nights around the kitchen table with her parents, grandparents, and Seth, eating chocolate-covered pretzels, drinking root beer, and playing round after round. Grandma Larsen had always seemed to win more than anybody, but Kendra knew that, aside from adhering to a few basic strategies, the outcome of the game was based on chance.

As long as either she or Warren won, Bubda would have to try to get the knapsack out of the crevice. It was disheartening to put their safety into the custody of a plastic barrel of dice, but at least they had a two-against-one advantage.

In the end, nobody got a Yahtzee, and chasing five of a kind ruined Bubda. He missed his upper-section bonus, missed his large straight, and penciled in a low four of a kind. Both Kendra and Warren ended up with higher scores through more conservative play.

"Dice broken," Bubda spat after failing to roll a fifth three on his last turn. "Play again."

"We had a deal," Warren reminded him. "We can play again, but first you need to do us a favor."

Grumbling unintelligibly, Bubda tottered over to the rungs in the wall and climbed up. He slipped out through the top of the knapsack with no apparent difficulty. Seconds later he came back down, still mumbling to himself.

"You put it outside?" Kendra asked.

The troll gave a curt nod.

"That was fast!" Kendra gushed.

Grinning, Bubda raised one arm, cocked his head, and began to dance in place. For a moment, as he turned and swayed, he looked as slender and flexible as a serpent, his body almost elastic. Then he dropped his arm and the illusion ended. "Play Yahtzee again."

"I'll play you," Warren offered. "Did you see anything out there, Bubda?"

"Rocks," the troll answered.

"Any creatures? Anything alive?"

Bubda shook his head.

Warren turned to Kendra. "You ought to head topside and see if you can find a better spot for the knapsack."

Kendra hustled over to the ladder.

"Be watchful," Warren advised. "Move quickly. Don't stay up there too long."

"I'll be careful," Kendra promised.

She pushed through the flap and found herself on the floor of a deep gorge just outside the cavity of rock. Above her stretched a high, sheer cliff, with an equally steep face on the far side of the gorge. The floor of the gorge generally sloped down away from Stormcrag, winding out of sight in either direction.

A brief scan of the area revealed no enemies, nor did she see a particularly good place to stash the knapsack. They appeared to be in no immediate peril. Squatting, she noticed a long fragment of brown wood, clearly a piece splintered from Mendigo. She picked it up.

Clutching the long splinter under the blue sky in the lonely gorge, the weight of what had happened with the griffins came crashing down on her. Tears stung her eyes, but she resisted. Why was she going to stash the knapsack? Who was going to come rescue them? Her brother and her friends had been carried off by flying lions. They were most likely dead.

Kendra sat down hard. At least the griffins had carried away Trask, Tanu, and Dougan alive. She had seen that much. The ferocious creatures had not instantly begun to slaughter them. The conflict had not seemed like a bloody feeding frenzy. The dwarf had called for surrender. There was reason to hope that Seth and the others were alive somewhere. There was also reason to suspect they were being fed to baby griffins in gigantic nests.

Warren had urged her to be quick. Why? So she could find a new place to stash the knapsack before the griffins returned. Right, but why? So they could hide until their food finally ran out? Who was going to come rescue them? If they were still alive, the others were probably in greater need of rescue.

Warren was injured. He probably wanted to hide until he healed enough to help. But Kendra did not believe they had much time. There was no way to track where the griffins had gone. Wings did not leave footprints. That left her with two options. Try to make her way back to the gate. Or try to make her way to the fairy shrine.

Navarog was supposedly waiting at the gate. Plus, turning back would mean abandoning Seth, her friends, and their quest. She had to go forward. According to Mara, they had been near the fairy shrine when the griffins attacked. If she could find a way back up to the top of the cliff, she might have a chance. Maybe if she worked her way up the gorge, the walls would get lower or more climbable.

She should inform Warren. It wasn't fair to leave him down there wondering if she was alive. He might get stupid and try to go up the ladder despite his injuries.

Kendra went back into the storage room. Warren was blowing into the little plastic barrel and shaking the dice. "Warren?" Kendra asked.

He stopped rattling the dice. "Find a spot?"

"I think we'd better try to make it to the fairy shrine." He frowned. "I might be more helpful in a few days."

"They're not coming back. Seth and Gavin and all of them."

Warren was silent for a moment. "You never know. They may. But we shouldn't plan on it."

"I'm going to see if I can get us back up to where we were before we fell."

"Don't go scaling any cliffs," Warren cautioned. "This is no place to take a fall."