The dragons retraced their path northwards among signs of spring budding around them. Water rushed from melted snow, flowers bloomed, and warm breezes blew. After several weeks they reached dragon stone. The river was swollen to twice its usual size with snow-melt, but all else was unchanged. A few wings of dragons left the formation and landed, but the others flew on without stopping. They winged their way steadily north, following the advance of spring. For weeks they flew over the unremitting sameness of the plains. Twice they soared over rivers that cut deep grooves into the flat grassland. Both times they paused to rest and drink before continuing on.

As they crossed the second river, Serali thought she saw a smudge of cloud on the horizon. As they flew on it resolved itself into a low lying range of mountains. Serali judged they would reach them the next day. But the next day the mountains merely grew taller. They remained in the distance. Two days later they reached the foothills. Serali could see the mountains beyond, almost impossibly tall. Their tops were coated with snow that never melted, their feet carpeted in a dense forest of pine and aspen. At the feet of the mountains the dragons turned west.

They flew for another week before turning north again. Another two days saw them in among the towering mountains and the next day they arrived at a peak that was unlike its neighbors. Where the surrounding mountains were sharp and pointed, this one appeared rounded. As they flew above it and circled for a landing Serali saw that the top held a massive bowl-like depression.

The whole bowl was filled with the bright specks of dragons. An infinitely varied rainbow of colors dotted the bowl's floor. As Serali came in to land she could make out individual dragons. Here eyes were drawn to a pair of dragons near the center of the bowl. Behind them rose four immense pillars of stone. Sitting just in front of the pillars was a golden dragon. He was quite possibly the largest dragon present. He had an elaborate crest of horns and spikes, with a triple ridge of spines running down his back. The tips of them were worn down and blunt.

Standing just in front of him was a dragon that, though noticeably smaller in size, was much more striking in appearance. His scales were a vivid blood red flecked with bright metallic gold. His cresting was jet black, and there was no sign of the blunting of age. The pair were surrounded by a crowd of smaller dragons, mostly metallic shades and bright reds, but with a scattering of other colors as well.

Serali followed the rest of the wing of plains dragons and landed near the edge of the bowl.

The plains dragons milled around on the outskirts of the crowd, but Serali was curious. She made her way through the rainbow gleaming crowd to a spot where she could observe the two dragons that had caught her eye. She was unaware of the ripple of surprise that followed her passage.

A small silver dragon approached the pair. With a bow she presented the golden dragon with a small object. As she handed it over, Serali saw that it was one of the metal books that dragons used. It was tiny in the golden dragon's massive hands. He opened it and paged through it delicately. Then he nodded, said something that Serali couldn't hear and placed the book on top of a small pile of similar books behind him.

It was already late afternoon when Serli and the plains dragons arrived. Soon the sun was sinking below the horizon. As the light faded, the stones that stood in the center of the bowl began to hum. Soft shifting melodies filled the bowl.

All of the dragons turned towards the center, towards the stones, towards the red dragon. The golden dragon had vanished into the crowd, but the red dragon was rearing up to stand upright, towering over the dragons nearby. As the last rays of the sun vanished behind the mountains, he began to sing. His voice was deep and strong, echoing over the bowl. The song was wordless, but the notes were expressive all the same, solemn and heavy with meaning. One by one the other dragons joined in, singing with him. Serali lifter her head and added her voice to the swelling song.