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This was too much for Sorrel. She lost her temper. “And who’s going to wake you when the sun sets?” she demanded. “Who’s going to protect you from human beings? Who’s going to sing you to sleep and scratch you behind the ears?”
“Yes, who?” asked Rat sharply. She was still sitting on the rock where the old dragon had stood.
“Me, of course!” Sorrel spat at her. “Tedious toadstools, what else can I do?”
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Firedrake turned so abruptly that Sorrel almost slipped off his wet back. “You can’t come!”
“And just why not?” Sorrel folded her arms, looking offended.
“Because it’s dangerous.”
“I don’t care.”
“But you hate flying! It makes you airsick!”
“I’ll get used to it.”
“You’ll be homesick, too.”
“Homesick for what? You think I’m going to wait here till the fish come and nibble my toes? No, I’m going with you.”
Firedrake sighed. “Oh, very well,” he murmured. “You can come. But don’t blame me afterward for taking you along.”
“She will,” said Rat, chuckling as she jumped off the rock into the damp grass. “Brownies are never happy without something to complain about. Well, now let’s go and see the old dragon. If you’re going to start tonight there’s no time to waste. Certainly not enough time to finish your quarrel with this dim-witted mushroom-muncher.”
3. Advice and Warnings
Slatebeard was lying at the mouth of his cave listening to the rain when they arrived. “You haven’t changed your mind?” he asked when Firedrake lay down beside him on the rocky ground.
The young dragon shook his head. “But I won’t be alone. Sorrel’s coming with me.”
“Well, well!” The old dragon looked at Sorrel. “Good. She may come in useful. She knows human beings, she has a quick mind, and brownies are more suspicious by nature than dragons. Which won’t be any bad thing on this journey of yours. Her big appetite could be a problem, but no doubt she’ll soon get used to eating less.”
Sorrel looked anxiously down at her stomach.
“Listen, then,” Slatebeard began again. “I don’t really remember very much. These days, the pictures get more and more muddled in my mind, but I do know this: You must fly to the highest mountain range in the whole world. It lies far away in the East. And when you get there, you must find the Rim of Heaven. Look for a chain of snow-covered peaks encircling a valley like a ring of stone. As for the blue flowers growing in the valley,” he added, closing his eyes, “their fragrance hangs so heavy in the cold night air that you can taste it.” He sighed. “Ah, my memories are faded now, as if they were lost in the mist. But it’s a wonderful place.” His head sank to his paws, he closed his eyes, and his breath came more slowly. “There was something else,” he murmured. “About the Eye of the Moon. But I don’t remember what.”
“The Eye of the Moon?” Sorrel leaned toward him. “What’s that?”
But Slatebeard only shook his head sleepily. “I don’t remember,” he murmured. “But … beware,” he said, his voice so soft that they could hardly hear it, “beware of the Golden One.” Then a snore emerged from his muzzle.
Firedrake straightened up, looking thoughtful.
“What did he mean by that?” asked Sorrel anxiously. “Come on, we’d better wake him up again and ask him.”
But Firedrake shook his head. “Let him sleep. I don’t think he can tell us any more than he’s told us already.”
They left the cave quietly, and when Firedrake looked up at the sky the moon was visible for the first time that night.
“Oh, good,” said Sorrel, holding her paw up in the air. “At least it’s stopped raining.” Suddenly she clapped herself on the forehead. “Oh, fearsome fungi!” She swiftly slipped off Firedrake’s back. “I must pack some provisions. How do we know there won’t be mushroom shortages where we’re going? Back in a moment. And don’t you dare,” she added menacingly, wagging a furry finger in Firedrake’s face, “don’t you dare even think of starting without me.”
With that she disappeared into the dark.
“Now listen, Firedrake,” said the rat anxiously, “you really don’t know much about what you’re looking for. You’re not used to navigating by the stars, and Sorrel’s mind is usually so full of mushrooms that she could get north and south mixed up and confuse the moon with the evening star. No, it won’t do.” Rat stroked her whiskers and looked at the dragon. “You need help, believe you me! As it happens, a cousin of mine makes maps. Very special maps. He may not know exactly where the Rim of Heaven is, but he can certainly tell you where to find the highest mountain range in the world. Stop off and see him on the way. I have to admit visiting him isn’t entirely without its risks,” said the rat, wrinkling her brow, “because he lives in a big city. But I think you ought to chance it. If you set off soon you can be there in two nights’ time.”
“City?” The indistinct figure of Sorrel emerged from the mist.
“For goodness’ sake, must you scare me to death?” asked Rat. “Yes, that’s right. My cousin lives in a human city. When you’ve left the sea behind you, keep flying eastward inland, and you can’t miss it. It’s huge, a hundred times larger than this valley, and full of bridges and tall buildings. My cousin lives in an old warehouse on the river.”
