text: Well, actually we didn't set Ghemel in order at all. I just told Tarcuna to stay there and be helpful and be safe. "There" being a restaurant named "The Blazing Lyre for Grilling Lambs" . Xolgrohim had compelled the owners to keep it open and serving food, for free, to the workers on the Pit of Despair. Nobody in the city was allowed to have or use money, actually; the whole place was organized around the plan to kill my parents. Anyway, lots of half-freed hovens were there, being generally grateful to Khudris and Meles Hu and me.
  
  "Why can't I come with you?" Tarcuna asked.
  
  "It's not safe," I said.
  
  So she whomped me on the muzzle with a chair, and everyone stared at us. "Spotty, I just sat on a giant twistor cannon for the last few days, then seduced some gods for you, and then rode your back while you taunted Xolgrohim! I am used to 'not safe!'."
  
  "Well, this time I'm going to go help fight a lot of dragons. Which means plentiful fire breath. Enough of it to get through my apotropaics and my scales. I can put apotropaics around you, but you don't have scales. So if you're on my back you'll get roasted," I explained.
  
  "Why are you fighting these dragons, anyway?"
  
  "They're coming here to conquer Hove." So obvious.
  
  She glared. "Didn't you already do that or something?"
  
  "I didn't. Llredh did, or part of it anyway. Oh, I guess I just conquered Ghemelia, didn't I? I'm not sure." The waiter came by and gave us some lunch. I broke the masterless pain-spells around him.
  
  She pointed a skewerful of grilled lamb at me. "But you don't want to rule Hove. According to you, anyway."
  
  I ate the lamb and the skewer. "I don't. We're just helping Llredh and Ythac."
  
  "Hey! That was my lunch!" Tarcuna got another skewer. "So the seven of you are going to go try to kill twice as many dragons as you?"
  
  "Oh, I'm sure we'll lose. We have to try though. It's embarrassing if we don't."
  
  "If you get killed I am going to be so angry with you, you have no idea!" hissed Tarcuna.
  
  "I'm not going to get killed. This is just a friendly dominance contest."
  
  Tarcuna looked aghast. "A friendly contest to see who rules the world?"
  
  I cocked my head. "Well, of course. Half of them are friends of ours from Mhel anyway."
  
  "You have the worst friends ever," she noted.
  
  "They're perfectly fine dragons. Except Tultamaan."
  
  "My statement is proved," said Tarcuna.
  
  And after a bit more spellbreaking, I wished the hovens well, and they wished me well right back.