Mercor stretched and spoke as if in a dream. “They’re not supposed to be underwater. Once, they stood on the grounds of some of the finest lakeside cottages. They were built for dragons, to welcome them when they chose to visit here. On cool evenings or rainy days, they made a warm and comfortable place for a dragon to stretch out.”

“Guest beds for dragons,” Alise said faintly.

“Um. You might call them that. Delightfully warm. Even now, the heat feels good.”

As Alise watched, Sestican lay down in the water. He heaved a sigh and stretched out. Around the dragons, the water had begun to shimmer with heat. Kalo clambered up onto the rectangle and found just enough space to join them. The other dragons drew closer, staring enviously and leaning as close to the warmth as they could. Streams of bubbles began to rise and break at the surface.

“Does this mean you know where we are? Are we close to Kelsingra? Was this place a part of it?” Alise shouted her questions to the blissful dragons.

Beside her, Sedric yawned suddenly. “You’ll get no sense out of them,” he said quietly. “The warmth is something they’ve been craving for a long time. They’re nearly stupefied with it.”

And indeed, they reminded Alise of cows more than dragons as they crowded together, leaning against one another. Even Sedric had begun to breathe more slowly and deeply. Alise stared at him in horrified fascination. His eyes were beginning to droop closed.

“What’s the matter—” Leftrin began, but she placed a restraining hand on his arm. She leaned closer to Sedric. “Does Relpda remember this place?”

He sighed. “There were lots of places like this. Elderlings wanted to welcome the dragons. They competed for dragon favor, and to get the attention of the most powerful ones, wealthy Elderlings spared no efforts in accommodating their large guests.”

“So there were many of these dragon beds?”

It took longer for him to respond. “Not in the city. Kelsingra had an entire plaza that remained warm. But at the country homes of wealthy Elderlings, or at the dwelling places of Elderlings who lived on the northern islands or even farther north, there would be places for dragons to be comfortable.” He opened his eyes and tried to focus them. He took a deeper breath, and his voice changed slightly as he seemed to come back to them. “At Trehaug, there were chambers with glassed-in ceilings, places large enough for dragons to enter. They were kept warm for them when they visited. The Elderlings grew beautiful plants in them and had fountains.”