Always stress the advantages to the client. But he couldn’t think of any.
“All right,” he said desperately. “I’m here today to talk to you about a matter of mutual concern between humans and dragons.”
“Not all dragons think there is a problem with humans,” Ralfnir put in, looking at Wurm. “Humans multiply and dragons eat them.”
Wiz got the strong impression that Ralfnir and Wurm were rivals in some way. The very fact that Wurm was sponsoring him seemed to make Ralfnir oppose him.
“You have until now,” Wiz said. “But things are changing among the humans.”
“Oh yes,” Ralfnir said, “the ‘new magic’ we have heard of. Why should we fear anything you humans do?”
“It’s already defeated two of you,” Wiz said levelly.
“That’s a lie!” Griswold “shouted” so loud Wiz flinched. “I was hornswoggled, not defeated.”
There was a ripple of laughter from the other dragons. Griswold bridled with rage, but Wurm checked him with an easy gesture of his wingtip. The young dragon subsided, glaring murderously at Wiz.
“The point is,” Wiz went on, “that humans are much more potent magically than they have been. It would be in all our interests for dragons to recognize that and to renegotiate your contract with humans.”
That produced a babble of dragon speech that made Wiz’s head ring. Finally Ralfnir cut through the din.
“Nonsense!” he roared. “I have no ‘contract’ with humans.” There was another head-splitting chorus of assent from the dragons up and down the canyon walls.
Gradually the noise, both acoustic and mental, died away. “Not all of us are afraid of humans,” Ralfnir continued, turning his head to look at Wurm. “Dragons dealt with your kind for ages and dragons will deal with them for ages more. Magic or no, dragons will continue to handle humans as it pleases us to do so.”
“That won’t be as easy with the new magic,” Wiz said.
“So far, your ‘new magic’ has only disturbed Shulfnim at his nap.” He paused and nodded toward Griswold. “Oh yes, and bested that one.”
Griswold’s renewed protest was cut off by a roar of dragonish mirth. The other dragons flapped their wings and slapped their tails against the rock to show approval.
Ralfnir waited for the noise to die again before he went on. “I do not think we have to fear such powers as these.”
“This was just a taste,” Wiz warned. “The new human magic is very powerful. You will have to reckon with it or I cannot be responsible for the consequences.”
“If humans interfere with us,” came another steely voice, “it will be we who are responsible for the consequences-to the humans.”
Another cacophony of approval with more wing flapping and tail slapping burst out from the assembled dragons.
“But if you look at the long-term trend . . .” Wiz began, but Ralfnir cut him short.
“A human talks to dragons about the long term? We who live for age upon age?”
Wiz gathered his remaining courage and tried again. “Even dragons can die,” he pointed out. “They can be killed by magic and humans now have magic that can, ah, severely limit your scope of action.”
“Then prove it,” Ralfnir said. “Show me the power of this new magic you think of so highly.”
“I’ll be glad to demonstrate,” Wiz said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth he realized he had made a mistake. “Uh, what did you have in mind?”
“Why,” Ralfnir purred, “if this new magic is so dangerous to us, surely you cannot object to a simple duel.”
Having no lips, dragons cannot smile. But Ralfnir did an excellent imitation, drooping his lids over his golden eyes and opening his mouth slightly to run a blood-red forked tongue over his gleaming ivory fangs.
Wiz looked at Wurm but the great dragon remained impassive. The chasm had gone very, very quiet.
“Okay,” Wiz lied. “How about tomorrow?”
Their business concluded, the dragons left the canyon like a cloud of startled bats. At last only Wurm and Wiz remained.
“It was perhaps unwise to challenge Ralfnir to a duel,” the dragon said in a tone of mild reproof.
“Did anyone ever mention your genius for understatement?” Wiz said sourly.