On her way back to Kazul’s cave, she noticed that the two pieces of the ledge were still invisible, and she was very careful about crossing them. She looked down once, out of curiosity, and was immediately sorry. She was not comfortable with the sight of her own feet firmly planted on nothing at all, with the sharp, spiky tops of spruce trees in full view some fifty feet below.

Kazul arrived only a few minutes after Cimorene herself. Cimorene was looking for some thread to mend her skirts (which had gotten torn and stained while she was climbing along the ledge) when she heard the unmistakable sounds of a dragon sliding into the main cave.

“Cimorene?” Kazul’s voice called.

“Coming,” Cimorene called back, abandoning her search. She picked up her lamp and hurried out to greet Kazul.

“I’m glad to see you’re still here,” Kazul said mildly as Cimorene came into the large cave. “Moranz was quite sure you’d run off with a knight or a wizard. I couldn’t make out for certain which.”

“Is Moranz the yellow-green dragon who wanted to eat me?” Cimorene asked. “Because if he is, he’s just trying to make trouble.”

“I’m well aware of that,” Kazul said with a sigh that sent a burnt-bread smell halfway across the cave. “But things would be easier for me if you didn’t provide him with any material to make trouble with. Exactly what happened?”

“Well, Morwen came to visit this afternoon,” Cim­orene began. “We were talking about all the . . . interruptions I’ve been having, and she suggested putting up a sign . . .” She explained why she had gone to put up the sign herself and told Kazul in detail about her meetings with the wizard, the dragon, and the prince.

“So Morwen was here,” Kazul said. She sat back, and the scales on her tail rattled comfortably against the floor. “That simplifies matters. Did you bring the sign back with you?”

“No, I found a tree and hung it by the path,” Cim­orene said, wondering what this was all about. “In case Therandil doesn’t tell everyone about my ankle after all.”

“Better still,” Kazul said, and smiled fiercely, showing all her teeth. “Moranz is going to regret meddling.”

“Meddling in what?”

“My business.”

“I’d like a little more of an explanation than that, if you don’t mind giving one,” Cimorene said with a touch of exasperation.

Kazul looked startled, then thoughtful. Then she nodded. “I keep forgetting that you’re not as empty-headed as most princesses,” she said. “Sit down and make yourself comfortable. This may take a while.”