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‘My dear maidens, have you not considered that in addition to being seventy feet long and fire-breathing, Father is, or rather was, nearly five hundred years old? I am barely one hundred, barely twenty feet long, and have no fire as yet, nor much prospect of gaining any soon. I am doing well enough in my career for one who began it when I did, but that was hardly ten years ago and I don’t taste dragon meat twice in a year. Also I couldn’t bring my career here with me. If I set up as Dignified, all the neighbourhood Dignifieds and Illustriouses would eat away at our territory and eventually at
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‘You may not be the eldest, but you are a dragon grown. We are just useless females,’ Selendra said, her violet eyes flashing. ‘Afterthoughts. Nobody tells us anything. We are doubtless to be the dinner for the rest of you, and I would have appreciated a little time to prepare myself for that.’
He did not hold with the extremists who said everyone should walk on Firstday, though he did think walking to church was good manners, unless the journey was too difficult. But parsons should walk, all the time, even when inconvenient, and this Frelt diligently did. He wished he had someone with him to be impressed, or someone waiting for him at home to bring him a drink and admire his fortitude and exclaim over the distance he had walked.
Avan was as religious as the next young dragon with his way to make in the world – which is to say that he held many traditional beliefs which he had never paused to examine, attended church because it would have seemed strange not to, rarely paid much attention when he was there, and found piety out of the pulpit thoroughly misplaced. If pressed, he would have been forced to stand with those who held that religion should be restricted to Firstday, though he would in all other ways have shunned such radical company. He was no free-thinker, but the place religion held in his life could be
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It was only now that they realized that there is nothing that can really be a preparation for death.
Most dragons regard writing as a feminine accomplishment, and letter writing doubly so. In ordinary circumstances, even Penn would have asked one of his sisters to write a note to his wife for him. Yet he was a parson, and had mastered the difficult art of holding a pen between his claws, and he felt that what he wanted to say to Felin was of a sufficiently private nature to make it necessary to write it out himself.
I don’t think you realize how different it is for me than for you. You can make your way by your own wits and claws, while I must always be dependent upon some male to protect me. Wits I may have, but claws I am without, and while hands are useful for writing and fine work they are no use in a battle. Without them I am completely dependent, and may not turn on those upon whom I am dependent, at least, not without some other protection in prospect.
It’s always the same with old family things, you have to hang on to them whether they’re ugly or beautiful, valuable or valueless, they don’t really belong to any one person, they exist to be passed along to the next generation.
Many things fall in the shadows between the bright light of illegality and the comforting darkness of approval.
Ketinar came forward to greet him. She was a dark red, having survived three well-spaced clutches, and though her headdress bore sparkling citrines and garnets, proving her a lady in the forefront of fashion, nobody would have called her beautiful. Her face had an animation that made beauty irrelevant. Her eyes may have been too close to her snout, but they sparkled more than the jewels nodding among the lace on her forehead.
Haner picked out the familiar constellations. The Great Beef was rising, with the Little Veal at her tail. The Winter Princess held out her hand in blessing.
we shall leave them to take refuge in the comfort of gentle hypocrisy.
