A slow smile spread across the king’s face. “A generous gift, Lord Wardwick. I am honored to accept.”

I bowed once more and left before I did anything to undo what we had accomplished today.

“I didn’t think that even my father could get them to agree to allow humans to travel freely in the dwarvenways,” commented Axiel as we waited for the waters to calm in one of the crossroad chambers. His younger brother wasn’t with us because the raft was to await passengers at Hurog.

“He didn’t think he would, either,” said Oreg with a pleased smile. “I suggested to your father that if Ward started with a big enough demand—one that really would cancel the debt owed to him—then the rest of the dwarves would be more than ready to give him this small concession.”

“The best part,” I said, “is that your father will be taking the basilisk off my hands and Oreg will quit asking me where we can release it.”

TYCHISWAS WAITING FOR US AT THE BOTTOM OFthe first flight of the stairs to the dwarvenways where Oreg’s wards to keep out casual visitors held him at bay. Even fleshed out a bit he looked like a half-starved wolf—a cold, half-starved wolf. I don’t know how long he’d been there, but he was pale and shivering.

“What’d Ciarra do?” I asked, briskly wrapping him in my cloak. “Tell you to find me and then let you fend for yourself?”

He bridled at my criticism of Ciarra, though he pulled my cloak around him. “She said it was necessary for you to come as quickly as you could.”

“Tychis?” My sister’s voice preceded her. “Are you down here?” She turned the corner and saw the four of us. Ciarra looked more respectable than she had as a young girl, wearing dresses now instead of torn-up hunting leathers—but I suspected that when she was eighty-five she would still light up a room with her energy. “Ah, there you are, Ward. Nice of you to tell people where you’re going. If it hadn’t been for Tosten and me, Uncle Duraugh would have been sending out search parties.”

I scowled at her a bit. It had been a long time since I had to tell anyone where I was going. Seeing my expression, Tychis shuffled over until he was between Ciarra and me.

Ciarra bounced down the stairs and hugged him. “Don’t worry about that one,” she said to Tychis as she pointed at me rudely. “He hasn’t raised a hand to me since I lost his favorite hunting knife when I was about your age.”