The Phoenix Guards (Khaavren Romances, #1)

by Steven Brust

“Well, but what can we do?” “The Horse! You are a Tiassa; think of something.” Khaavren had a reply ready for this: he was about to say, “You are a Dragon; kill someone,”

The Serioli, who departed the area to avoid any of the unfortunate incidents that war can produce, left only the name for the place, which was “Ben,” meaning “ford” in their language. The Easterners called the place “Ben Ford,” or, in the Eastern tongue, “Ben gazlo.” After ten years of fierce battle, the Imperial Army won a great victory on the spot, driving the Easterners well back into the mountains. The Dragonlords who had found the place, then, began calling it “Bengazlo Ford.” The Dragons, wishing to waste as little time on speech as possible, shortened this to Benglo Ford, or, in the tongue of the Dragon, which was still in use at the time, “Benglo ara.” Eventually, over the course of the millennia, the tongue of the Dragon fell out of use, and the North-western language gained preeminence, which rendered the location Bengloara Ford, which was eventually shortened to Bengloarafurd. The river crossing became the Bengloarafurd Ford,

“How, then, shall I decide? Come,” she said to Aerich. “You are a Lyorn; what is your opinion?” Aerich shrugged, as if to say, “You are a Dragon, why should you care?”

Mica looked at the lot of them and shook his head, then looking back at the growing line of Easterners, he said, “There is time to reach the horses and escape, if we hurry.” The others stared at him. “How,” said Tazendra. “And miss a battle of six against thousands? When will such a chance come again?”