"That's too bad, I mean — it looks good short, too," Gregor said quickly. Luxa burst out laughing. "Gregor the Overlander, think you my beauty is of any matter in such times?"

""You will begin a new fashion," Henry said cheerfully. He grabbed one of the small stone torches off the wall and laid it on top of his head. Flames seemed to be shooting out of his forehead. "What think you, Luxa?" he asked, showing her his profile with exaggerated haughtiness. "Your hair is alight!" she suddenly gasped and pointed. Henry dropped the torch and beat at his hair as Luxa went into hysterics."

"The mighty warrior excused himself and changed a diaper."

"She believes the rats want your father to make them a thumb!"

""Oh, yeah. You guys should open a theme park. You'll have a line stretched from here to the surface," said Gregor."

"Burning white with fury, she crossed the room and struck him on the face."

"Yeah, well, I'm the warrior and Boots is a princess. And you two are going to get pretty hungry if you're waiting for me to serve you," said Gregor."

"If roaches talked and bats played ball games, then probably there was a cow jumping a moon somewhere, too."

"Doors are for those who lack enemies."

"Welcome, Overlander," he said. Then he grabbed Gregor's arm and spoke in his ear in a dramatically hushed voice. "Beware the fish, for Luxa plans to poison you directly!" "Beware your fish, Henry," returned Luxa. "I gave orders to poison scoundrels, forgetting you would be dining as well."

"The girl shook her head, "You will have to be stronger or smarter than I am." Boots looked up at the girl, registered something, and poked her right in the eye. "Pu-ple!" she said."

"Smells what, so good, smells what?" I poop! I poop Ge-go!"

"Be she princess, Overlander, be she? Be she queen, be she?"

""I would as soon bond with a stone. At least it could be counted on not to run away in battle." Luxa broke into a grin. "And perhaps you could throw it. I suppose could throw a crawler..." "But then I would have to touch it!" said Henry."

"Bat!" she shouted, pointing to the monstrous animal above her. "Geez!" thought Gregor. "Doesn't anything scare her?"

"Do I have any say in this?" he asked. To his surprise, Fangor and Shed laughed. "He speaks!" said Shed. "What a treat! Usually we get nothing but shrieks and whimpers!"

"One, she was clear as a bell, and the next she was calling him Simon. Who was SIMON He had no idea."

"I like him, Shed!" howled Fangor. "I like him, too," choked Shed. "The humans are commonly most dreary. Say we may keep him, Fangor."

"Thorn (narration): I wanted to say good-bye to her, but the heat was so scorching that no words would come. I could only look at my battered old dragon one last time."

"The Snail Woman: He's not gone. He's in the cauldron now. And with his help we might heal it after all."

"The Boneless King: Shame on you two. It's wicked for a brother and sister to quarrel."

"The Smith: My grandmother didn't make silly little kitchen pots."

"Monkey: I had need, my lady. There was a whole mountain on fire."

"The Snail Woman: That you set flame in the first place."

"The Snail Woman: No. It couldn't be. I assumed that you had been hanged a long time ago."

"Shimmer: But you know his master, the Old Boy."

"The Snail Woman: True, but I also know this rascal."

"Shimmer: Thought or wished?"

"Civet: I now pay my debt to you and your people."

"The Boneless King: I really must thank you. I haven't had so much fun in a long time."

"Monkey: Forgive and forget, my lady."

"Pomfret: You! I thought you were dead."

"Civet: How to roll in blood."

"The Butcher: How to get what I want."

"The Boneless King: Fool! Your puny mind could never understand my magic. When I'm done with you, the only thing people will remember about you is the gruesomeness of your death."

"The Snail Woman: You snuck into our mountain where it floated between the worlds and tried to steal my fan."

"Civet: Remember this when it is your time. We may live our lives as we like; but there will come a day when we are asked to pay the price. I don't know how, but you will have great powers someday. Accept it."

"The torturer: You're like all the rest. You look at a few thugs, and you judge all of us the same way. But it's a profession, you see. And there are standards to uphold."

"Civet: Torture?"

"The torturer: Ah, now, you see, that's just the kind of prejudice I have to fight all the time. I'm a facilitator, specializing in information retrieval."

"The Nameless One: Yes, the Boneless King, a new name for a new age."

"Shimmer: Whoever came up with this island had an exquisite sense of humor."

"Monkey: You don't go to that sort of trouble just to build a kind of kennel. Just who is imprisoned here?"

"Thorn: And what's that?"