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"Not impossible, it just takes a very long time to get anywhere," Lancaeriel murmured softly. "That, and it is very easy to go too far."

Kyrie nodded. "All right. Then we need to see what the situation is in the palace. What the General's doing, find out a bit about his routine. We snuck in here all right, let's see if we can't sneak in there, too. We just have to get a crack at the General. Once he's gone, the rest should fall into place."

"Both," Kyrie sighed. "Not before tonight, though."

"You're not going back there," Mathias said suddenly, frowning at Kyrie.

Kyrie looked sidewise at Mathias. "You'd rather send Mari?"

Mathias sucked in his breath and glared at Kyrie, but he didn't say anything more.

Kyrie sighed. "Let's have something to eat, and then I'm going to sleep until dark. I'll head out about midnight. Hopefully I can make contact without too much trouble."

Wren nudged Miyuki gently. "Could you ask if someone would be willing to teach me the language here?" she asked quietly. "I have no idea what's going on and it's driving me mad. Not to mention I really don't see what use I'll be if everyone has to translate everything for me."

Since the others were still sitting there as well, they also overheard the question, and though Lancaeriel was of course willing to help, Mari also had an offer to make.

"Though I have never been anywhere that requires speaking a different language," she said seriously, "I have seen in the past two days just how difficult it is to be around people who do not know your language. It must be especially difficult for Princess Wren, as there are so few who speak her language. Yet learning a new language takes time, and that is time that we do not have, especially if she is going to learn the language enough to be truly helpful in what lies ahead."

She hesitated a moment, then turned to Wren. Speaking directly to her, but expecting Miyuki to continue to translate, she said, "If it does not bother you too much, Kasal is willing to help you out in that regard."

Wren looked from Miyuki to Mari and back.

"What are they offering, exactly?" she asked cautiously. "If she's asking if it bothers me, it can't be something ... simple."

She might be the type of person to rush headlong into things, but she was far from stupid.

Mari nodded. "It takes only a drop or two, or so I'm told," she said seriously. "And the fact of the matter is, if Princess Wren can't understand what we're saying, then she is more than useless in any plan - in fact, she would be a liability. I don't mean to put it so negatively, but it's the truth."

"Maybe it's something for the rest of you to consider as well," Kyrie added. "If you're serious about traveling the entire continent, then there are going to be many countries where you won't know the language, and some of them are just as dangerous as this one."

Wren didn't even have to think about it.

"Please," she nodded eagerly. "I'm desperate to understand everyone! And a few drops isn't much."

Andarien was watching and listening quietly until this point, but now he spoke up. "Mi, does that mean that the drink Aunt Iorlas gave me was dragon's blood?" he asked, frowning. "And if it was, where did she get it from?"

Andarien nodded at his sister. That was fine by him, as long as he learned the story eventually.

In the meantime, Kasal appeared suddenly on Mari's shoulder. He hopped down into her lap and curled up. Mari beckoned for Wren to come closer, which she did; and then Mari spoke to Miyuki.

"Miyuki, please tell Princess Wren that I'm going to make a small cut in Kasal's foot, and when I do she needs to dip her finger in his blood and then lick her finger clean," she requested. "She needs to do it quickly, because if it cools it will be useless."

"And I'd rather not have to bleed more than necessary," Kasal added in a small voice that matched his small size.

Wren nodded. Mari took a small blade from a sheath at her waist and pressed it carefully against the underside of the tiny white dragon's foot. A few drops of blood spurted out, and Wren quickly picked it up with her finger. Without pausing to think about what she was doing, she stuck her finger in her mouth and sucked it clean.

"Well?" Mari asked with a smile as she sheathed her blade again and pressed the hem of her shirt against the bottom of Kasal's foot.

Wren was astonished at how quickly it worked. "Amazing," she breathed, looking around the room. "I can understand what everyone is saying ..."

She grinned at Miyuki. "I bet you're glad you won't have to keep translating anymore."