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his wings was out of the question—there wasn’t enough room. He raised his head once, bumping it sharply against the ceiling of the chute. After that he remained crouched as he hurtled down the incline on all fours, using his tail to keep his balance.
    The chute wound steeply around the island, doubling back and looping through the center at least twice. There was no way out until the bottom, but soon the drop that had been terrifying became exhilarating and Audun didn’t want it to end. Finally, the ice-filtered daylight gave way to the absolute darkness of stone, and his ride was over. Sliding out of the chute onto a smooth stone floor, Audun glanced up at the wavering torches and saw Loolee waiting for him in the long, narrow room.
    “Did you like it?” the little dragoness asked, her eyes bright.
    “That was great!” said Audun.
    Loolee grabbed his arm and pulled. “Come on, then. We can do it again, but we have to get to the top before anyone else or they’ll make us go to the end of the line.”
    Audun stood on wobbling legs and said, “Lead the way.” Loolee grinned, and Audun grinned back. He looked around as he followed the little dragoness up the ramp and was surprised by how deep into the heart of the island the chute had carried them. “What’s down here?” he asked, as they passed the first of the corridors.
    “Not much,” she replied. “King Stormclaw’s lair is one level below this, but you can’t get there from here. Even if you could, it’s off-limits to just about everybody. They say he keeps his treasure in a pit below his lair and it’s filled with precious gems. His councillors all have their rooms on this floor. They have meeting rooms and stuff on the floors above this. The audience chamber is on the floor above those. I don’t like it down here. It’s too dark even with the torches. I like the ice levels better. It’s always brighter up there, except during the really bad storms.”
    “Are the councillors’ chambers off-limits, too?” asked Audun.
    Loolee shrugged. “I suppose not, but nobody ever wants to go there. Why do you want to know?”
    “Because my grandmother is the king’s newest councillor,” Audun said. “I’d like to go see her if I can.”
    “You’re related to a councillor! That’s so chilled! I wish I was!”
    Audun chuckled at the little dragoness’s enthusiasm. “So,” he said, “if I wanted to see my grandmother, which way should I go?”
    “That’s easy. Go back to that hallway,” Loolee said, pointing to the corridor they had just passed, “and turn right. You’ll know you’re almost there when you run into the guards. But I’ve got to go if I want to be first again. See ya!”
    While the little dragoness ran up the ramp, Audun followed her directions and went the other way. The corridor was wide, and it made abrupt changes in direction that soon had him completely disoriented. He slowed when he heard voices ahead, one of which was familiar.
    “And then I told her, ‘Of course my feet are cold. I’m an ice dragon, aren’t I?’ ”
    Audun recognized Frostybreath’s voice and wondered if the rough laughter that followed his joke belonged to the guards Loolee had mentioned. Rounding the next corner, Audun found Frostybreath talking to two equally huge dragons wearing medallions bearing the insignia of the king’s guards.
    “Halt!” cried one of the guards, the smile on his face changing to a scowl as he arched his neck and spread his wings to make himself look even bigger and more intimidating. “What business have you here, young dragon?”
    “I’ve come to see my grandmother,” Audun replied. “I heard her rooms are on this level.”
    “That depends,” said the other guard. “Who is your grandmother?”
    “Her name is Song of the Glacier,” said Audun, looking from one guard to the other.
    “It’s true,” Frostybreath said, when the two guards looked skeptical. “Iceworthy told me so this morning.”
    “Then