As Harper he was acquainted with them; but mindful that he was the Harper, the boys regarded him with respect and kept him at a distance. The moment he told them that they should keep their eyes open for Menolly, for her belt knife, if they knew it, or belt buckle, the distance widened inexplicably. They all seemed to know, though Elgion doubted that the adults had told them, that Menolly had been missing from the Hold for some days. They all seemed equally reluctant to look for her, or to suggest to him possible areas in which to search. It was as if, Elgion told himself with frustrated anger, they were afraid the Harper would find her. So he tried to regain their confidence by telling them that Yanus had suggested that everyone who went outside the Hold should keep their eyes open for the lost girl.

He came back with his charges to the Hold, with sacksful of berries, greens and some spiderclaws. The only information the boys had volunteered about Menolly during the entire morning was that she could catch more spiderclaws than anyone.

As it turned out, Elgion didn’t have to signal for a dragonrider. The next day a bronze wingleader came circling down to the beach at Half-Circle, greeting Yanus affably and asking if he might have a few words with the Harper.

“You’ll be Elgion,” said the young man, raising his hand in greeting. “I’m N’ton, rider of Lioth. I heard you were settling in.”

“What can I do for you, N’ton?” and Elgion tactfully walked the bronze rider out of Yanus’s earshot.

“You’ve heard of fire lizards?”

Elgion stared at N’ton in surprise for a moment before he laughed, “That old myth!”

“Not really a myth, friend,” said N’ton. Despite the laughing mischief in his eyes, he was speaking in

“Not a myth?”

“Not at all. Would you know if the lads here have spotted any along the coast? They tend to leave their clutches in beach sands. It’s the eggs we want.”

“Really? Actually it isn’t the lads who’ve seen them, but the Sea Holder’s son, not the fanciful sort, although I didn’t really credit ... he saw some around some rock crags known as the Dragon Stones. Down the coast some ways.” Elgion pointed the direction.

“I’ll go have a look myself. But this is what has happened. F’nor, brown Canth’s rider, has been injured.” N’ton paused. “He’s been convalescing at Southern Hold. He found, and Impressed,” and again N’ton paused significantly to emphasize his last word, “a fire lizard queen ... ”

“Impressed? I thought only dragons ... ”

“Fire lizards are much like dragons, only smaller.”

“But this would mean ... ” And Elgion was lost in the wonder of that meaning.