“Then why did you want that goo in the green jar?” Cimorene asked.

“The antidote? I wanted it because I didn’t like the idea of spending a month recuperating when I didn’t have to. And since—” A fit of coughing interrupted Kazul in mid-sentence.

Cimorene skipped backward out of the way. Frowning worriedly, she tossed a pinch of feverfew into the air and recited the verse from the fireproofing spell in case Kazul should lose control of her flame again. “Maybe you won’t need a month to recover, but three days obviously isn’t enough,” she said to the dragon. “You’d better lie back down before you choke.”

“I can’t,” Kazul said. “I have to warn the King. If the wizards have had dragonsbane for three days already—” She started coughing again and had to stop talking.

“You stay here,” Cimorene said in a firm tone. “I’ll warn the King.”

“Tokoz won’t listen to you,” Kazul said, but she settled back to the ground. “Roxim will, though. Start with him.”

“Roxim?” Cimorene said doubtfully. She was afraid the gray-green dragon would want to go charging out after the wizards as soon as he heard they were up to something.

“He’ll listen to you, and the King will listen to him,” Kazul said. “It’s not ideal, but it’s the best we can do.”

“All right, I’ll go see Roxim. You stay here and sleep.”

“When you get back—”

“I’ll wake you and tell you what he said,” Cimorene promised. “Now, go to sleep.”

Kazul smiled slightly and closed her eyes. Cimorene caught up a lamp and almost ran to the exit at the back of the cave. She was afraid that Kazul would think of something else and start talking again, and she didn’t think talking would be good for her.

In the tunnel outside, Cimorene paused, trying to remember the directions to Roxim’s cave. She had memorized a map in the library that showed most of the twists and turns of the dragons’ tunnels, but she knew from experience that in the miles of gray stone corridors it was difficult to keep track of where she was.

“Left, left, fifth right, past the little chamber, right again, on past the iron gate, two lefts to the third cave down,” she muttered to herself. “I wish Roxim’s cave were closer.” Still muttering, she started off.