“Where do you think those staffs came from?” Cim­orene pointed at the wizards’ staffs lying across the scattered brown puddles.

The dragon backed up a pace and sniffed experimentally.

“It’s all quite true,” Morwen said, poking her head out of the bushes. “And we’ll be more than happy to explain the whole thing to your new King as soon as you have one. Provided, of course, that you take that maniac away before he burns the whole Enchanted Forest to the ground.” She gestured at Woraug. “Cimorene, I really must insist on getting a copy of that fireproofing spell. It will clearly be worth every minute of the months of hunting it will take me to find some hens’ teeth, and I may as well get started as soon as I can.”

“Who’s that?” said the escort dragon. “Morwen? That does it! This is too much for me. I’m taking you all into custody until the trials are over and the King can sort it out. Come along.”

“I assume that doesn’t apply to me,” Woraug rumbled. He winced as he spoke.

“It certainly does,” the escort dragon said. “I said all, and I meant all. If I’d meant ‘all the humans,’ I’d have said ‘all the humans,’ or maybe ‘some of you’ or ‘you over there’ or ‘all you non-dragons’ or—”

“Nonsense!” Woraug interrupted. “Don’t you know who I am?”

“You’re the dragon who caused a ruckus just now for no reason I can see,” the escort dragon replied. “And it’s my duty and my job to take you into custody. When the trials are over, you can explain it to the King, and if I’ve done something wrong, well, I’ll take what I have coming. And if I haven’t, you’ll take yours. And—”

“All right, all right,” Woraug said. “But I warn you, you’ll regret this.”

“That’s as may be,” the escort dragon said with dignity. “Right now, though, you’re in custody along with the rest of these people, and you’d better not go snacking on any of them until things are sorted out. I saw what you did to the gray one.”

“Did you?” said the stone prince. “Then what are you going to do about this chip in my sleeve?”

“Tell it to the King,” the escort dragon advised. “Now, off we go, the lot of you.”

Morwen came cautiously out of the bushes, brushing leaves from her already wet black robes. She stopped and peered at the escort dragon over the tops of her glasses. “This has not been a good day for anyone’s clothes,” she said severely. “I shall send the cleaning bill to your king.”

“Whatever you want,” the escort dragon said impatiently. “Come on.”