What is the Significance of the Mosaic?

"Are you all right, Astra?" Fred asked, as he, Checkers and Solbert made their way down to the stage.

"Yes, thank you. I managed to delay my transformation back into this form for just long enough. I feel rather tired from the effort of doing so now, though. I'll try again when I am rested, although - since I transformed instinctively last time rather than of my own volition - I'm not certain whether I will be able to do it at will just yet. But it's very comforting to know that I can change.

"This is a much better place to be than the room that I was in before. If I can't change back for a while, then it is large enough for me to get some exercise whilst in this form. It also holds much more of interest. Whilst waiting for you, I've been looking around, and my attention was naturally drawn to the mosaic in the ceiling. Going by the golden rope with the spearhead attached, it certainly seems as though the dragon depicted is intended to be me. Can you throw any light on how that can be, Solbert?"

Solbert looked up at the mosaic, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Fred mentioned that the caves had changed when Checkers read from a book," he said, "and I assume that this must be a part of those changes. The mosaic used to depict Lady Atheline. It now looks nothing like her but it certainly looks a lot like you. I thought when I saw the amber covering part of the globe that's somewhere over there, that Minestus - and hence you when you changed places with him - might somehow have bonded to that region, which by coincidence (or maybe it wasn't a coincidence) happens to be Checkers' homeland. Now I'm wondering whether you have somehow acquired a link to Mount Erebus as well - that's the name that we had for this city when it was thriving long ago."

1. Astra asks Solbert to explain further.
2. Solbert continues: "I think that we should wake Sartoma. She knows more about dragon lore than I do."
3. The discussion is interrupted by a loud rumble from Astra's stomach. "Sorry," she says, "but - as well as making me tired - trying to retain control of my form seems to have made me hungry."

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