"I didn't know that."

"Well, take it from me, he did," Aahz grimaced, shaking his head slightly. "You know, it makes me feel a little bad. I mean, I've been making snide comments about that beast ever since you got him, and then he goes and jumps in front of me when the shooting starts. I owe him some thanks, but how do you apologize to a dragon?"

I thought about my recent discovery of Gleep's ability to talk, but a promise is a promise and I decided to keep his secret, even from Aahz.

"Just take some time and talk with him," I said. "I think he can read the tone of people's conversation, even if doesn't understand the actual words."

"Do you really think so?"

"I'm certain of it," I said, sipping from my drink. "I was just down at the stables visiting him, and I'm sure he understood what I was saying."

"At the stables, eh?" Aahz smiled. "I kind of figured that was where you were."

"Oh?"

"Well, it's where you usually go when you're upset and want to think things over."

It seemed my secret retreat was not as much of a secret as I had imagined.

"Yeah. I was upset," I said defiantly. "Even you have to admit that this time I had reason to be."

"No argument there," Aahz said with a shrug. "If anything, I'm impressed that you've recovered as quickly as you have. I notice the specific use of 'was' when you referred to your mood."

"As you say, I thought things over."

"Can I ask what you came up with?" Aahz said. "Or would that be prying?"

I took another long drink from my wine.

"Well, there are a couple things that people have pointed out to me that I've come to realize are true," I said finally. "First off, that I'm not happy. Second, that until I figure out what it will take to make me happy, I'm making myself and everybody around me more than a little crazy."

"Bravo," Aahz said, clapping his hands lightly. "Couldn't have put it better myself. Who was it that managed to get that across to you?"

"Well, General Badaxe, for one," I said, smiling slightly at the memory. "Of course, he had to kick me in the butt first, literally, to get my attention."

"Excellent." Aahz smiled. "I'll have to remember that teaching technique. Go on."

"Well, trying to sort things out, I've been fairly successful at coming up with what I don't want to do. Case in point is mat I don't want to marry Queen Hemlock, and that's all the justification I need to step back from that situation. Same thing with running the kingdom if she had tried to abdicate ... which she didn't, by the way. If I don't want to do it, I don't have to. I've been letting myself get jerked around too long by what other people want or expect me to do instead of focusing on what I want to do."

"Again, no argument," Aahz said. "Go on."

I slumped slightly in my chair.

"That's the problem," I said. "I can't seem to come up with what I do want to do ... what it would take to make me happy. That's why I'm here. For a bit of sage wisdom and advice. So, talk to me, Aahz. What's the answer?"

Aahz took a sip of his own drink, then sighed and shook his head.

"Sorry, partner," he said. "I can't help you with that one."

I blinked in surprise, then saw red. All the anger and frustration I had been feeling lately came rushing to the fore, and this time, I didn't try to rein it in.

"That's it?" I snarled. "After all these years of nagging and lecturing me on stuff I didn't want to hear, when I finally come to you with a question, it's 'Sorry, I can't help you'?!"

I stood up and slammed my goblet down on the table.

"Sorry to have bothered you," I hissed.

"Sit down, Skeeve," Aahz said carefully. "We still have things to talk about."

"We'll talk later," I said coldly. "Right now, I've got to get some fresh air."

I turned and headed for the door.

"We'll talk now," I heard Aahz say behind me.

I kept walking, waving a dismissive hand over my shoulder.

"I SAID 'WE'LL TALK NOW!'!!!"

That was a tone I had never heard from Aahz before, and it stopped me in my tracks. I turned to face him.

He was on his feet, fists clenched and all his muscles taut, as if he was physically being restrained from throwing himself at me. Even his scales were a darker shade of green, and his golden eyes were positively glowing.

Looking at him, I experienced a series of flashback images, all overlaid on his current stance and posture. Aahz when he first suggested that I become his apprentice. Aahz when he discovered that I had bought Gleep. Aahz when I brought Markie home from the Dragon Poker game. The numerous times he had expressed his frustration at my ignorance and my fumbling efforts to learn magik. Aahz leaping into the path of the bug creature as it tried to trample me in the big game. The look on his face just before he agreed to leave Perv and return to Klah with me.

As fast as the images danced through my brain, my anger was dispelled.

"We'll talk now," I said, calmly.

I walked back to my chair and reseated myself.

It took a little longer for Aahz to settle down. He stood there breathing deeply for several moments, then drained his goblet and refilled it from the pitcher.

"Sony, partner," he said, his voice still tight. "You can still get under my scales sometimes. You'd think, after all these years, I'd be used to it. I've tried to teach you as best I can, but sometimes it seems like you're determined to not listen."

"I'm listening now, Aahz," I said.

He took a long, slow breath, then blew it out completely.

"Right," he said, sitting down again. "Let's take it back to just before you blew your stack.

"I didn't say I wouldn't help you with your problem. I said I couldn't help you. No one can. No one can tell you what you want or what it will take to make you happy. You're the only one who can answer that question. If anyone else tries to come up with an answer for you, and you listen, then you're right back where you started trying to live out someone else's interpretation of what you should do."

That made a lot of sense. It gave order to a lot of the confusion that had been haunting me.

"I can see that now," I nodded. "The trouble is, it doesn't help me much at coming up with an answer."

Aahz gave me one of his toothy smiles.

"What I can do, partner, is give you some advice."

"I'd appreciate it," I said sincerely.

He thought for a moment, men nodded, almost to himself.

"Here it is," he said. "We've pretty much wrapped things up here at Possiltum. We could head back to the Bazaar, but we're probably going to want to stick around for Massha's wedding."

He reached out and clinked his goblet against mine.

"So, here's what I suggest. Take a break. Give the whole crew a vacation ... they could use it after this assignment. In the meantime, take some time for yourself. No work, no assignments, no pressure. Heck, even get away from the rest of us. Wander the kingdom a bit, even if you have to do it in disguise. Sit under a tree by a river. Try your hand at fishing or hunting. That will give you a lot of time to think and reflect without distractions. Then, after Massha's wedding, we'll talk again."

I thought about it. Taking a vacation certainly wasn't something I would have come up with on my own, but the more I considered it, the better it sounded. Some time with no pressures or schedules to worry me while I tried to sort things out. At the very least, it wouldn't hurt, and it might just help me make up my mind.

"That's a good idea, Aahz," I said, raising my goblet to him in a small toast. "Thank you. I think I'll give it a try. In fact, if you'll take care of passing the word to the rest of the team, I'll get started tonight."