“Well, so much for that notion,” Menolly muttered under her breath. “Which makes the lack of interest in your singing absolutely unanimous.”

No audience? Not a fire lizard’s whisker in sight?

As fast as she could, Menolly slipped from her shelter and came race to face, for a split second, with two fire lizard faces. She ducked down, and they evidently disappeared because when she cautiously peered again, the ledge where they’d been perched was empty.

She had the distinct impression that their expressions had registered curiosity and interest

“Look, if wherever you are, you can hear me ... will you stay there and let me go? Once I’m on the top of the cliff, I’ll serenade you til the sun goes down. Just let me get up there!”

She starred to sing, a dutiful dragon song as she once again emerged from her refuge. She was about five steps upward when the queen fire lizard emerged, with help. With squeaks and squeals she was driven back down. She could even hear claws scraping on the rock above her. She must have quite an audience by now. When she didn’t need one!

Cautiously she looked up, met the fascinated whiring of ten pairs of eyes.

“Look, a bargain! One long song and then let me up fee cliff? Is that agreed?”

Fire lizard eyes whirled.

Menolly took it that the bargain was made and sang. Her voice started a flutter of surprised and excited chirpings, and she wondered if by any possible freak actually understood that she was singing about grateful holds honoring dragonriders. By the last verse gibe eased out into the open, awed by the sight of a fire lizard and nine bronzes entranced by her performance.

“Can I go now?” she asked and put one hand on the ledge.

The queen dived for her hand, and Menolly snatched it back.

“I thought we’d struck a bargain.”

The queen chirped piteously, and Menolly realized that there had been no menace in the queen’s action. She simply wasn’t allowed to climb.

“You don’t want me to go?” Menolly asked.

The queen’s eyes seemed to glow more brightly.

“But I have to go. If I stay, the water will come up and drown me.” And Menolly accompanied her words with explanatory gestures.

Suddenly the queen let out a shrill cry, seemed to hold herself midair for a moment and then, her bronzes in close pursuit, she glided down the sandy beach to her clutch. She hovered over the eggs, making the most urgent and excited sounds.

If the tide was coming in fast enough to endanger Menolly, it was also frighteningly close to swamping the nest. The little bronzes began to take up the queen’s plaint and several, greatly daring, flew about Menolly’s head and then circled back to the clutch.

“I can come there now? You won’t attack me?” Menolly took a few steps forward.