"Not only in, luv, but out, too," said Delon. "Remember, we've got to escape as well."

On the third night in the port city of Castilla, Delon and Ferret sat in the common room of La Estrella Azul, one of the rowdier inns along the waterfront, having tracked down Alos to find him under a table passed out. As they quaffed a brew of their own, Delon laughed and pointed and said to Ferret, "Look."

Gyrating atop the bar was a woman dressed in nought but swirling veils, her hips rolling and turning as she dropped the tissue-thin garments one by one at the behest of a patron with a fistful of coins, the man obviously aroused and paying out copper or bronze for each veil released, depending upon where they were draped. Other men were gathered 'round and whooping and clapping and urging the woman on, their gazes filled with lust.

Suddenly Delon's eyes lit up. "That's it!" he exclaimed.

"What?"

Again Delon pointed. "The man: think of him as a Dragon."

"The man with the coins? How fitting, though 'twould be even more so were he dealing gold. But what does this have to do with us getting the treasure?"

Delon turned to Ferret, his eyes shining. "Think of the dancer as a Kraken."

"Kraken? Look, Delon, though she writhes like one, she hasn't enough arms."

"Yes, yes. But listen, luv, and look: what does the Dragon want?" Delon gestured toward the bar.

Ferret looked once again at the man with the coins; his pants bulged at the crotch. Then she turned to Delon, a glimmer of understanding beginning to dawn in her eyes. "Leave it to you, my love, to think of such a thing."

Delon laughed. "Indeed." He stood and moved 'round the table and dragged Alos out from under and hefted the oldster across his shoulders. He turned to Ferret. "Come, luv, let's go tell the others."

"Offer him what?"

"Love. Offer the Dragon love," replied Delon. "A roll in the hay… or in this case, a roll in the sea."

Arin, lying in bed beside Egil, glanced over at him and then turned back to Delon. "How?" she asked.

"Well, look, if there's a Kraken in the pool, we can lure it out for the Dragon."

"Do what?" asked Aiko.

"Lure it out for the Dragon," repeated Delon.

They were all now gathered together, Arin, Egil, Aiko, Burel, Ferret, and Delon. Even Alos was there, though he was on the floor slumped against a leg of a table, dead to the world.

"And just how do you plan on doing that?"

"Look, we can't swim in against the current, but we certainly should be able to swim out."

"Into the maelstrom? Are you mad?"

"No, no. You see, some will rappel down the cliff and set up ropes or rope webbing or some such so that at low tide, whoever lures the Kraken at the pool can run down the path and draw it after, and dive into the current at the last instant and swim out and be rescued by the ones on the cliff. Then Ferret, here, can unlock the chest and get the Dragonstone. Meanwhile, the Dragon will be entirely out of the way, involved in the arms of the Kraken, making mad passionate love in the whirl of the Great Maelstrom."

Egil looked at Delon. "What makes you think we will even get a chance to talk with the Dragon?"

"They say Dragons are inquisitive," said Delon, "at least when it comes to puzzles and riddles. I think we've a good chance he'll be curious as to why six of us, or seven if Alos goes along, why we might be freely walking into his lair. If so, then I believe we'll make him an offer he'll not refuse."

Egil turned to Arin. "You know, if Delon is right and we do get a chance to negotiate with the Dragon before he kills us, this just might work."

"Dost thou think the Dragon will strike such a bargain and permit us access to the Dragonstone?"

Ferret interjected, "Well, we can't tell him that we are going after the Dragonstone, now can we? Instead we'll say we are after the chest… tell him that it is an old heirloom or some such."

Burel cleared his throat. "Yes, but Dara Arin has a point: will the Dragon agree to such a bargain?"

"Look," said Delon, "if you could make love but once every three thousand years, wouldn't you seize the chance? Especially if there are no other Dragons about to dispute your claim to the lady in question?"

Burel glanced at Aiko, and for some reason she blushed, though she did not lower her eyes. "Dost thou think the Kraken will be in season?" asked Arin.

"Perhaps so. Perhaps not," replied Delon. "Yet whether she is in season or is unwillingly ravished by the Drake is of no moment, just as long as we get the stone." Of a sudden, tears sprang to Ferret's eyes. "Oh, luv, that was thoughtless of me," said Delon, taking her hand and kissing it gently.

With the heel of her free hand, Ferret wiped the tears away. "It's all right, Delon. I understand what you mean."

Egil looked about the table. "Given that the Drake accepts our offer, we will need to divide: some to rappel down the cliff, others to go to the pool and get the chest."

Delon nodded, then smiled. "And one to be Kraken bait. And since it's my plan, I'll do the honors."

Arin shook her head. "Nay, Delon, thou must deal with the cliff, thou and Aiko and Burel, for only ye three have the skills to rappel down a thousand sheer feet of stone and then climb back up once the deed is done. Egil and Ferai and I will claim the chest, Ferai to free it from its chains, and Egil to bear it. I will be the lure." The table exploded in argument. But in the end, Arin's scheme prevailed.

CHAPTER 68

Walk straight into a Dragon's lair? Are you all insane?" His white eye glaring, Alos stared 'round the circle, starting with Delon and ending with him as well. "He'll just snap us up as if we were a half dozen and one sweetmeats."

"Nevertheless, Alos, old man, that's what we intend to do," replied Delon, the bard at the tiller, Castilla over the horizon behind, the coast of Vancha to starboard.

Once again Alos had awakened to find that he was at sea, and when he'd stumbled topside, he'd found his companions sitting adeck in the dawn, the ship well on her way.

And then Delon had told him the gist of the ludicrous plan he had hatched.

"It's stupid, I tell you. Stupid." Alos turned to Arin in silent appeal. "Look, even if he agrees to Delon's insane plan-lets us have the silver chest in return for luring the Kraken out-what makes you think the Dragon'll keep his word?"

"They kept their sworn word to the Mages of Black Mountain," said Delon.

"Yes, but those were Mages, and who wouldn't keep a sworn word to a Mage? But we are just common folk. I mean, the Dragon could swear an oath to us, could get what he wants, and then kill us all. Then where would we be? Dead, that's where. No chest, no Dragonstone, just dead. It's insane, I tell you, insane."

" 'Tis all we have, Alos," she said. "Nought else would seem to bear even the slim chance this plan offers."

"Slim chance?" groaned Alos. "No chance, you mean."

Aiko ground her teeth and moved forward and began coiling a line.

"Look, Alos," said Egil, "with fair winds and waves, we have three months, give or take two weeks, before we come to Dragons' Roost. If you hatch a better plan, we'll be most glad to hear it. Until then, though, Delon's scheme seems to be the best at our beck."

Again Alos groaned. Then he looked at the sails and said, "Here, Delon, give me the tiller and trim up those sails, for if you are bound on committing a quick suicide, I'll help you get there, but I won't… won't"-a look of confusion spread over the old man's face, and words jerked out of him as if compelled-"unlike before, I'll not desert my shipmates in their time of need."