"My heart is wrapped in endless night," he warbled dismally. "And something, something, something blight. And in despair my soul is led — "
"Your mother dropped you on your head!" the bird sang scathingly.
Siegfried choked on a laugh. Evidently, that wasn't misery; that was a valiant attempt to keep from falling out of his saddle with laughter. Rosa didn't have to hide hers, nor did Jimson.
"My spirit weeps in awful dread!" Leopold howled, oblivious to the effect he was having on his audience. "Oh, love shall never-more be mine!"
"I think your brains were soaked in brine!" the bird sang.
"So drown it in a mug of wine!" Siegfried countered, and a frog hit his horse's neck and leapt off into the brush at the side of the path.
"I moan, I sigh, I do repine!" groaned Leopold. "Oh love, sweet love, will never be!"
"Because she kicked you in the — knee!" The bird caroled. Siegfried choked.
Leopold stopped singing and glared at them both. "You're ruining my art!" he whined.
Rosa convulsed with laughter, her sides aching and her eyes watering, to the point of having to gasp to catch her breath. Jimson snickered.
"Leopold," Siegfried said, in a placating tone. "Vibration. Avalanche. Please." He managed to produce only one toad, which followed the frog, as he pointed upward at the loose slip area above the trail, a tumble of boulders that didn't look in the least stable.
"Oh, all right," Leopold grumbled. He slumped down in his saddle, looking for all the world like a surly adolescent in a state of high sulk.
"Oh, poor Siegfried," Rosa gasped, wiping tears from her eyes. "How did anyone ever produce a curse that complex? And more to the point, why?"
"I have no idea, Princess," said Jimson. "None. I don't remember Lily ever picking that one up, so either she got it before I became her helper, or it was in storage from her predecessor. But I must admit, it is a work of art of the highest order."
By this time the two men had spotted the cave and the narrow, winding path that led to a final difficult scramble over a rock field up to it. And Sharpstone, possibly having been awakened from his sleep by Desmond's arrows, was just oozing his way out of the cave. The dragon looked down at them from his heights and sneered.
Sharpstone was a long, lean, snakelike beast, a sort of bronze-black in color. His scales must have been the size of dinner plates. No teeth were visible when his mouth was closed, but since his head was easily twice the size of a horse, he might not need huge fangs to kill someone; he could just swallow the offending party whole. His eyes were a dull gold, and had a sardonic look to them.
He stretched out on a ledge to watch them, as they edged up the path, and then scrambled over the last several hundred feet of loose rock and boulders to get to him. From his posture, Rosa got the feeling that he was really enjoying their struggles and was in no hurry to put an end to the fun.
He waited until they stood panting before him before he decided to speak.
"Go away," he hissed, his eyes narrowing with pleasure at thwarting them. "You bore me." He had maneuvered himself so that his considerable bulk blocked the entrance to his cave so they couldn't just throw their cursed objects in.
"I'd appreciate it if you would hear us out," Siegfried said testily.
Five frogs and a toad dropped down onto the rock at his feet, tried to leap away and plummeted to their doom.
Sharpstone's eyes widened at that. "Why should I?" he replied, and tilted his head to the side in anticipation of Siegfried's answer.
"Because perhaps it wouldn't hurt you to be nice for a change?" Siegfried snapped. And a cascade of toads followed the first lot, and like the first, bounced pathetically over the edge.
Sharpstone's head came up. All the way up. And as his pupils shrank to the size of pins with excitement, he goaded Siegfried again. "I see no reason to be nice to a couple of idiots who are too stupid to find some easier way to get rid of their problems," he said gleefully. "Go away! I can't be bothered with you!"