"Is this better, Emperor?" Bayle asked, in a voice so deep it made the ground vibrate beneath their feet.
Joseph tried to answer, but the words wouldn't come. He took a step back, then another, until he bumped into Mark.
"By the goddess..."
Joseph spent a good while staring at the enormous dragon in front of him.
His mouth hung slightly open, as if his brain were still trying to decide whether what he was looking at was real.
Bayle, for his part, remained completely motionless, his head level with the emperor's and two columns of smoke slowly escaping his nostrils.
"Everything all right, Joseph?" Mark said, trying to hide the small laugh that slipped out.
Joseph flinched and jerked away from him, as if he had only just realized where he was leaning.
He smoothed his clothes, ran a hand through his hair, and looked around for his cape, which had ended up on the ground several meters away.
