Things Become Clearer

When Belboz tossed something small, round and shiny towards Checkers, calling "Catch", she naturally tried to do so. But, tired as she was, she reacted rather slowly. The medallion hit her on the wrist as she tried to catch it, and then fell at her feet.

Ever the gentleman, Fred bent down and picked it up before Checkers had the chance to do so. He examined it for a couple of seconds, before handing it over to Checkers. "What is it?" he asked Belboz.

"It's a medallion that came into my possession some time ago," Belboz said. "Checkers saw it and seemed to take a fancy to it, so I thought that she might like to keep it as a souvenir."

He's been searching through my pouch, Checkers realised. I'm hardly in a position to complain about that, though, or he is sure to raise the matter of how the medallion came into my possession. It would be embarrassing to have to explain that in front of Fred and also, if I was to be totally honest about it, might get Astra into trouble with Belboz.

Ask me how it came into my possesion, Belboz prompted Astra.

"How did it come into your possession, Belboz?"

"I found it on the floor of one of the caves, some years ago. My guess is that it must have belonged to the dragon, and that he must have accidentally dropped it there. It intrigued me, so I kept it, though the inscription is in a language that I do not know. The engraving on the face looks like it is of a Glider, though, so perhaps Checkers can translate the inscription for me."

"The inscription is in a variety of Dolomite, and I can translate most of it. But I should have thought that you could translate it yourself, since the language is not too dissimilar from Old High Dolomite, and you have at least one book that contains some poems and the like written in that language."

So she's been looking in my big spell-book, has she? If she said one of those "poems" aloud, that might explain a lot. She still must have quite a lot of intrinsic magical ability of her own, though, for her recitation from the book to have done anything. Then there was that song that she sang to me when I showed myself to her in my dragon form. That must have roughly coincided with the transformation of Astra's clothing. Things are starting to become clearer.

Belboz switched back to speech. "But I cannot read the Old High Dolomite parts. Most of the book is written in languages that I can read, and I keep it for those portions. But you were going to tell me what the inscription says."

"Oh, yes. As near as I can make out, it reads: 'Vitinae, sfiniti of Minestus Tragami. Safe conduct to the White Park of Celestial Mountain.' Vitinae is not a Glider name. 'Tragami' means 'dragon'. I don't know what 'sfiniti' means. Celestial Mountain is a place in my land."

"It sounds as though your people have had dealings with this dragon Minestus," Fred said. "And if that was his medallion, then the dragon that I came here to slay must be the same one."

"I know of no dealings with Minestus," Checkers said. "We were at war with him at one time, and after that he was always regarded as our enemy."

1. "That's very interesting," Belboz said. "But you are very tired. Let us make haste to those hammocks."
2. Meanwhile, outside the caves, a man arrives with a brace of horses.
3. "Will you do something for me?" Belboz asked Checkers, pulling out a sheet of paper. "Recite this. Don't translate it, just recite it."

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