An Argument Against Delay
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 86354
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Thomas went on: "The dragon evidently decided recently that the attrition
of his men at arms and other servants had reached the point that it was
time for him to recruit some new ones. I might add that much of that
attrition was due to the dragon himself, for he has a short and uncertain
temper and anyone he perceives as failing him does not last long."
"How do you know that he is recruiting?" Fred asked. "You can't get out into the outside world to gain intelligence, and I assume that the dragon does not consult you on his plans." Thomas chuckled. "No, but some of our spies have spotted groups of men moving deeper into the caves whose faces are suntanned. That means that they could only have entered the caves recently. The dragon's long-term servants are almost all pale, not having access to the outside. Yes, some occasionally may go out on missions for him, but not enough of them and not frequently enough to alter the overall impression of paleness." "If the dragon is building up his forces, won't that make killing him even more difficult? That is an argument against delay." "I suppose it is. But as I told you, of our people only the princess and I could be considered warriors by any stretch of the imagination. Most of the others were adventurers. They have good survival skills of course, or they would not have lasted long in the caves, but they are neither eager nor appropriately trained to take on the dragon head-on. And as I told you, those who tried to do so in the past perished, even those who were skilled in combat." "Well, the number of your warriors has now increased by fifty per cent, from two to three. As soon as you have assured yourself of my good faith, I think that we ought to have a council of war with the princess to discuss ways in which the dragon might be overthrown. Having been his prisoner, she may have had the chance to find out some weakness that the rest of us don't know about. I was told that it is hoped that if he can be killed, his wards preventing anyone leaving the caves might lapse, which ought to be a big incentive to make the attempt."
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JH
4/22/2009 1:47:05 PM
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