The Salamander Effect

Sartoma continued, "You will be happy to know that there is some magic of the dragons that does not need to be practiced. You cannot be hurt by cold fire."

"Cold fire?" asked Astra. "What is that? It sounds impossible."

Sartoma explained, "Cold fire is in reality hot. A campfire is a cold fire. So it the light of a torch. You could sleep in a campfire and you would feel no pain. It would be like nestling underneath fur. You could even bear the touch of red-hot metal for a time. However, any metal that is white-hot or hotter is an example of a hot fire. That will hurt you, so be wary. However, if you feel that you are in any danger, taking refuge in cold fire is a good defense."

"But who could hurt me?" projected Astra. "Aside from being asleep, or confronted by many men, how can I be beaten? I do not feel vulnerable."

"The soft parts of the dragon, such as the eyes and belly, are vulnerable to attack by the swords of men and their kind. However, these will be tough for them to attack, and you would have to be quite careless to be harmed that way." observed Sartoma, "I would be afraid of two things if I were you. The first is other dragons."

Astra projected back, "Yes. I do fear that. They are not common, are they? I have never heard of two dragons being in the same place."

Sartoma spoke out loud. "Dragons, like bears, tend to be loners. It takes a large territory to support a dragon. But there is a land, far to the south, where there are dozens, each with a large territory. Your problem is that some young dragon, desiring more power, may challenge you and take your land - and your life."

Astra said nothing.

"The other thing that I would worry about is men and Gliders."

"I thought you said that I would have to be very careless for their swords to kill me."

"Their swords are not the problem. Solbert can explain it better than I can, but dragons are both strong and weak when it comes to adapting. They are very smart; they have to be. To get the gold and food that they need to live, they need to use their magic to get it directly, or, what is easier, get the inhabitants of their land to get it for them."

"What is the problem with that?" asked Astra.

"Dragons are smart, but their souls, for lack of a better word, are malleable. After extended contact with other intelligent creatures, a dragon will start mimicking them, often without understanding what is happening."

"Does that have to be bad?"

"Suppose the dragon chooses to use men to get her lots of gold quickly. The men best suited for the purpose would be robbers and toughs, so that dragon would naturally try to attract them."

"I see your point," said Astra.

"You are in more danger than most dragons, because of the nature of your link to the Dolomite League," replied Sartoma. "Remember when you saw the road, and heard the Glider voices? You will sense that more and more as the link becomes stronger. And it may not be pleasant at first. They do not know about you, but they know about dragons - or think they do. You may feel sad or fearful when you first arrive there."

"I will just have to master my emotions," stated Astra, resolutely. "I have a duty to do, and I will be a good ruler."

"That is a good way to think, Astra. I am personally quite excited about going to the East. I have never been there."

1. Fred interrupts with a question about Astra's ability to do magic in human form.
2. Solbert, having slept, enters the room.

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