He had hardly thought the Jouster would take his part!

But she waited, as a good Jouster should, for him to go up first.

Where there was a Jouster, could his dragon be far away?

Which was, after all, the way that both dragon and Jouster wanted things.

Say you are a Jouster in training if need be, but no more."

But then to have gone out of his way to be charming to every Jouster here except her.

No Jouster would ever live apart from his dragon again.

In fact, that was why they made him a Jouster."

The Jouster looked at both of them for a long moment, then sighed, shaking his head.

"Can it cut a dragon and a Jouster out of the sky, you mean?"

Failing that, he would hold back, and shy off every time his Jouster tried to close in.

"I've never seen any Jouster who could make his dragon do anything like he did.

"I probably know more about dragons than anyone but a Jouster.

"I was just coming in as you took off," the Jouster said meditatively.

"You might need that when you're across the border, to buy provisions," the Jouster said.

No, you ask your father first if he's willing to let you try this project and become a Jouster.

The Jouster staggered a little, then began rubbing the hide between his eyes.

But rather than making them back down, the successful attack on their fellow Jouster infuriated the rest.

A Jouster didn't just sit there like a sack of sand.

We may need every Jouster we can muster and if some of those are women.

Vetch scrambled back out of the way, certain that the Jouster would find something wrong.

Or if it got really hungry, would it turn on its Jouster?

"Urgent enough to require that a Jouster make all speed with them.

If someone has to be left behind, it had better not be a Jouster."