DragonFire (28 page)

He whispered, “Wulder?”

         
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W
HO
A
RE
THE
A
LLIES?

Under a bentleaf tree, Kale paced back and forth. Her father played with two baby dragons who would grow up to be taller than the tree and twice as long. Two minor dragons rode on Sir Kemry’s shoulders, and one clung to his hair as he dodged the bigger dragons in a game of tag.

Kale stopped and gazed at the perpetual cloud cover. “Burner Stox and her bisonbeck guards were able to go in and out of the valley. There must be a way.”

“I agree,” said Sir Kemry. “Why don’t you see if you can find it?”

“Did you want to help me?”

“Not right now, dear. I’m saving my energy for later.” He tackled the smaller of the two dragons. The minor dragons took to the air, chirruping their glee.

When I know my father better, will I understand him? Right now I haven’t one idea of what he is up to. If it was Bardon, I’d say, “What in all of Amara are you doing?” Are husbands easier to deal with than fathers?

Kale sent her six minor dragons out to gather information. What were the ropmas doing? Approximately how many dragons lived in this valley?

Kale stood before Benrey and Alton. Communicating with a dragon other than one with whom she’d bonded required extra concentration. She hoped her father’s two dragons would be receptive to her. “Will you show me the exit used by the bisonbecks?”

Alton consented and invited her to mount.

She looked at his slick purple scales and the black ridges down his spine. “I can’t ride you without a saddle.”

Alton swung his head toward the western slope and then ambled off in that direction. Kale followed him.

She looked back over her shoulder. Sir Kemry sat cross-legged under the tree with a dozen minor dragons scampering all over him. The older wizard laughed at their antics.

This would be much easier if Father were more cooperative.

Alton led her to a shed that smelled like bisonbecks. No trace of the fetid odor of grawligs nor the pasture-and-wildflower smell of ropmas lingered in the air. Bisonbecks left behind the scent of leather, canvas, and the particular oil they used to clean their weapons. In the wooden hut, Kale found dragon saddles and riding gear in all shapes and sizes.

She dragged out equipment she thought would fit Alton and be suitable for their aerial surveillance.

Oh, how I miss my Celisse. I’m glad Alton isn’t much bigger. This saddle is heavy!

When all the straps were in place and secure, she imitated Bardon’s trick of running up the dragon’s tail and jumping into the stirrups. She heard Alton’s chuckle and liked him all the more for his sense of humor.

They were aloft for only a few minutes before Kale spotted exactly what she needed to see. An obelisk, centered in the valley, provided energy that severed connection to the outside world.

Kale would not have to locate whatever gateway the bisonbecks and Burner Stox had used. She would not have to enlarge some portal to allow the larger dragons to go through. Once she disabled the obelisk, the impenetrable cloud cover would disappear, and the natural passes through the mountains would again be useable.

She and Alton set down near where her father dozed under a tree. She ran to tell him the news, but he only sat up and smiled at her.

“Come with me,” she said. “Let’s unravel the obelisk spell and get out of here.”

Sir Kemry leaned back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes. “You can do it, my dear.”

Kale kept her booted foot from stamping her dissatisfaction. “Of course, I could do it, Father. But you are a much more experienced wizard, and between the two of us, we could have it done in no time.”

“I’m saving my energy, Kale. I believe I told you that before.”

This time she did stamp her foot. “For what?”

He opened one eye and gave her a stern look that reminded her vividly of Wizard Fenworth. “For later, my dear.”

Kale took Pat and Filia with her when she and Alton went back to the obelisk. It took the three of them all afternoon to discern the pattern of Burner Stox’s spell and then unweave it. During the first few moments of work, resentment toward her father thwarted her efforts to concentrate. Once her mind engaged in the intricate puzzle, she forgot about his annoying attitude.

The weaving reflected an inside-out gateway with strands that confined instead of opening up a corridor. The tapestry expanded from the tip of the obelisk into a huge covering. Kale suspected that should she pull the right string, the whole fabric would unravel.

She, Pat, and Filia untwisted and unwound the filaments until they found the one thread that held the framework intact. Then they pulled until every last wisp of the spell lay in disorder. Kale destroyed the remnants of the spell by shining a light so bright that the tangled heap of elements faded away to nothing.

When finally finished, she sat on the ground next to Alton and leaned back against his side. He unfurled his wing and covered her for an instant.

“Thank you, my father’s friend. I am pleased that you’re proud of me, and welcome your friendship extended directly to me instead of through my father.”

At dusk, she came back to find her father had set up a camp, with dinner ready and two tents with comfortable bedding inside. Fatigue kept her from being talkative. The mental labor she had done that day with the two minor dragons had left her drained.

Sir Kemry ladled soup into a bowl and handed it to her with a chunk of bread. “Did you fix the problem?”

“Yes.”

His gaze went skyward. “No stars yet. I imagine it will take a few hours for those clouds to dissipate.”

“Probably.”

“I’ve sent Benrey out to explain to the dragons that you will want to talk to them in the morning. So you’d better get a good night’s rest.”

Kale stopped her spoon halfway to her mouth. “What am I going to talk to them about?”

“Joining the forces of good to vanquish evil.”

“I’m to mindspeak to all the dragons in the valley at one time?”

“Simultaneously. Yes.” Sir Kemry nodded and placed a large spoonful of soup in his mouth.

“A lengthy discussion with even one dragon is tiring.”

“Yes, but you have youth on your side.”

“And I am to
persuade
them?”

“I did some preliminary work for you today, Kale. It won’t be that difficult. Most will back you without much effort on your part.”

“Just communicating with that many will require a great deal of effort on my part.”

“Kale, you are a wizard, are you not? You are pledged to Paladin’s service, are you not?”

She nodded to each question.

“This bellyaching is not becoming to an Amaran with your privileges. Just do the job.”

Years of training at keeping a respectful tongue in her head kept Kale from firing off a few choice words about “just doing the job.”

She carefully guarded the thought, because she didn’t want her father to hear her opinion. But she understood that Wulder knew what she was thinking whether she reworded her thoughts to sound more polite, tried to hide them, or spoke to Him as she really felt.

It seems to me that I’m the one doing the jobs around here, and my father is saving his energy. He’s saving his energy a lot! What is he saving it for?

The question made her pause.

He’s saving it because he’s old. And he’s much more experienced than I am, so he knows what the battle will be like once we meet Crim Cropper or Pretender.

The reasoning behind her thoughts soothed her irritation. The line of thinking hadn’t come out of her own heart. She knew Wulder had inserted the thoughts to redirect her determination. Wulder helped her even when she least wanted the assistance. She needed to cooperate, not chafe at His instruction, and at this point, He guided her through her father.
All right, I understand. Therefore I better admit I need the right words for when I talk to those dragons tomorrow. And I guess I need some sleep, so I’ll have the energy.

Bardon’s voice echoed in her memory. “
The best way to learn to play an instrument is to play that instrument. The best way to learn to be patient is to be patient.”

Oh, Bardon, I miss your quoting principles at me. Wulder, keep him safe, and keep me patient.

She finished her soup and bread. “Good night, Father. Sleep well.”

“And you, as well, my daughter. You have a big day ahead of you.”

Kale awoke in the morning with the feeling of a great weight upon her. But with every breath, a small fraction of the heaviness departed. Awareness of the dragons’ departure from the valley launched her out of her bed.

“Wait!” Although she shouted, she felt like her voice whispered in a canyon where no one heard.

She scrambled out of her tent and stood with the first rays of morning shining on her. “Stop! Dragons, come back!”

Her words flew into the trees and the cloudless sky.

She fell on her knees, clamped her lips together, closed her eyes, and used her mindspeaking talent.

You cannot go! We need you. Please, dragons. Those of you who know either me or my father, tell the others. We aren’t asking you to fight for our own glory. We will fight too. The struggle is to return Amara to the way our homeland used to be when Paladin was strong and the seven high races looked to Wulder.

The air buzzed with voices. She cringed. This reminded her too much of when she was a young girl and first approached the capitol city of Vendela. At the time, she had been overwhelmed by the thoughts and feelings of the great populace of the metropolis. She had learned to guard her thoughts and fine-tune her talent so that she no longer listened to all those around her.

But now she had to be open to all the dragons. She had to reach beyond those she could see with her eyes to those who, even at this moment, were making their way out of the valley.

Wulder has given us Paladin. Follow Paladin!

She heard voices in a tumult of noise that almost knocked her over.
“Yes! We will serve. Tell us where. We will go.”