Stannock surveyed the Big Red Fire-Smasher, as he liked to call his wife"s mount, now that the youngest red dragon had gained muscle and virility. In secret, Almere fed her dragon the herbs that her mother had used to revive him at the Marlbrex cliffs. Her old saddle, armor, and the dun blanket were far too small now for the dragon, and she rode him bareback through the rising of the first sun, Daemon, and the mists of the valleys where they swooped and sang, then banked steeply up to the far blue dome of Heaven. Often, she visited the badlands where Stannock was stationed as Major General of the King"s First Battalion. They oversaw the settlement of the lands to the north of the Agave Sea and kept peace amongst the Gracklens who lived there as farmers and fishermen. Infrequently, there we
