"The question remains," muttered Celedhan, "who or what is this Demon King? There is much concerning that ancient foeman that makes no sense."
"Aye," said Belloc. "To the best of my knowledge, Demons can only exist in our world if summoned. Yet in the beginning there was no one present to summon the Demon King, and by all accounts he was most certainly present."
"Could it be that the Demon King is another sort of being?" asked Dorain.
"It could be," Belloc replied cryptically. Anest raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.
"What of these tales," said Celedhan, "of certain travellers who have crossed the Burning Lands, passing unscathed all the way to the ocean?"
"I have met such travellers," replied Belloc. "Some of them also speak of an island of dragons. They claim that the Burning Lands are hostile but nearly uninhabited. Alone, they travel unnoticed to the sea, where they collect rare stones and shells which they sell in the markets of Minas Anur. None of them have ever reported any trouble with dragons."
"Is it true that dragons practice magic?" asked Dorain apprehensively.
"Of a sort, depending on the type of dragon," answered Belloc. "Some are mere beasts of the air, but others are possessed of varying degrees of intelligence as sentient creatures measure and understand intelligence. The most powerful of such creatures can see far into the future. If you look into their eyes you could become spellbound. They know much, and are very wise in their way. But Summoning is not within their purview, if that is what you mean. And those particular species of dragons only in the mountainous regions and islands far to the south."