Much as Ellisaria dislikes the intimation of weakness, she dislikes being impaled on a mountainside even more. Her human form is simply more subtle, and thus better suited to evading the gronn.
Unfortunately, it is also conveniently sized to be eaten in one gulp by the mirror-faced snake (what) that comes out of literally nowhere.
At least she is alive to be indignant, even if she's no longer in Outland.
She lets out a long string of curses in Draconic. The earth quakes slightly at some of these.
"Karkunaj. No. You, at least, are not resigned to an inevitable doom and therefore ensure its passage."
She hisses. "'The nature of wonder in this world is to fade away with time', he said. As if that is right. As if there is nothing to be done about it."
"A lot of old dragons seem to think that too," she says, thoughtfully. "I got told to be cautious I don't sing away all my power a lot." Shrug. "'Course, lots of the old dragons end up dead, too."
"The death of failures. I have no intention of emulating them. Nor do you."
Thorin's Company approaches the day after, Thorin and Russet in the lead. Several of Thorin's dwarves appear nervous, though Thorin's keeping them calm.
"Ellisaria. Brisingr," he says.
"Yes. We have sent word to our kinsmen, and wish to begin preparations for greater numbers to arrive."
He gestures to his men, who head for the mountain entrance with only a few nervous glances at the dragons.
"There is something I would talk to you about - information I have, and a boon I would ask."
"A little under a thousand years ago, the dwarven nation of Khazad-dûm was destroyed by a creature of fire and shadow we call Durin's Bane, and the mountains there claimed by it. We don't know its full nature, nor why it attacked. I would ask you to investigate, and kill it if you would name it enemy, so that the dwarves may reclaim that mighty hall as well, and another scourge be removed from the world."
Creature of fire and shadow could almost describe her.
"Where is this Khazad-dûm?"
He pulls out a map, indicating where they are - upper right - and where the two known entrances to the underground mansion are - in the southern half of a long mountain spine down the map's middle. "Though only the Eastern Gate is accessible from without; the trick to opening the West Gate is lost."
"It was left unlocked, and was still open as of a few decades ago."
"There are - or were - other paths, beside, great roads that ran down from Gundabad, but we don't know what conditions they're in, or if the orcs infesting the upper levels have bored new holes, and the two Gates are the most direct way in."
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