we talked it through , from one direction , then from another . his nose dripped threads of slime . `` can she really turn herself into a dragon ? '' a mumbled voice came through the back door , `` lo , what the f**k is wrong with you ? '' the cellar was small and had a dirt floor with rough , split log walls all around . he was talking with the same guard that i had relieved the day before . no one on earth knew of the place . 