Life With the Wizard

"So the three races have known each other for ages?"

"As long as I can remember," Dainler said. "The dragerts have been in the caves, and the humans -"

"The only reason we're in caves is that you started stealing our ancestors."

"Don't start that again."

"Both of you stop it," Jess said. "Do you realize something?"

"I realize the dragert is a stubborn, obnoxious …" he paused.

"And a zyglot is nothing more than …" Oglethaine also paused. A quizzical look crossed his face. "I just realized something."

"Wait a minute. I did to," said Dainler.

"We can understand each other," they said.

"We haven't been able to understand each other since," Dainler paused, "since the destroyer confused our languages."

"You had a common language at one time?"

Chezim said. "Yes, and for some reason, we have it back."

"Who is this destroyer?" Jess asked.

"He was a wizard of great power. He, how did you say it, divided and destroyed," Oglethaine said, "and then he disappeared."

"Later, Huskus came," Dainler said. "At first, we thought he would bring us exceeding wealth and prosperity. At the time we didn't know we already had those."

"Ages ago, we all worked in peace. The zyglots mined and farmed. They are responsible for planting the squapear orchards."

"We had help from a great wizard long before the destroyer came," Dainler said. "Our histories tell his story. He is also supposed to return one day."