I felt an unaccountable surge of affection for the old dragon then, and I threw my arms around him, even though I knew he hated being touched. He couldn't quite get used to having non- scaly skin. He tensed and held very still, waiting for me to release him.
"Speaking of surprises," I said, smacking him on the chest where I'd felt an odd flatness under his doublet, "you're unexpectedly rectangular just now."
A human might have been sheepish about it, but Orma simply shrugged. "I didn't have a chance to finish the book I started. But it's not a problem—you got the job. You can bring it back for me when I'm done."
I laughed, disinclined to be cross with him, and together we left the castle. Golden leaves drifted around us down the long hill into town, and our shadows stretched before us across the surface of the world.