Fred turned, and saw that the rusty colour of the stone was rapidly fading
to flesh tints where the gnome's skin was visible, whilst his beard and
hair were turning grey. His clothes changed colour too. He moved, stiffly
at first but quickly becoming more fluid, and his hand went to his belt,
where there was a dagger.
"Robbers!" he growled. "Give me back my cane." "Gladly, sir," Fred replied. "I only took it to wake you up. Paul Hearthing, the hostel-keeper, said that doing so would revive you." The scowl faded from Solbert's face. "I haven't been a statue for all that long, then, if Paul is still alive. So, the city has need of me, does it? Will you be waking the others here as well?" "Prepare yourself for a shock. It was Paul's ghost that spoke to me and told me how you might be revived. I'm afraid that the city was abandoned many centuries ago. It is a long and a strange tale that I have to tell you." With that, Fred launched into the story of how he had come to kill the dragon of the Southern Caves and of everything that had happened subsequently. It took him about fifteen minutes, with Solbert listening intently throughout. When Fred had finished, he said: "So, will you help Princess Astra?"
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12/23/2003 2:10:41 PM
Extending Enabled
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