172 Plan of Attack

It took Snowcloud and Crassus only a moment to spot Arran when he approached them. The fat man greeted Arran with an enthusiastic wave, but Snowcloud's expression was serious.

When Arran reached the two, he briefly greeted them, then immediately turned to Snowcloud.

"Did Crassus tell you…" he began.

She nodded. "It was my mother," she said simply. "And if she succeeded in finding the cure…" For a moment, she remained silent. Then, she shook her head. "We'll talk about that another time. Right now, there are other matters for us to discuss. Did you see the dragon?"

"I did," Arran said. "And our original plan…" He briefly hesitated, then continued, "It isn't going to work. If we wait for the dragon to recover, there's no possible way we can kill it."

Snowcloud looked doubtful. "I think you're underestimating the poison," she said, though there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.