Two Renegade Realms (Realm Walkers Book 2)
Other books by Donita K. Paul
Realm Walkers series
1 |
One Realm Beyond
ZONDERVAN
Two Renegade Realms
Copyright © 2015 by Donita K. Paul
ePub Edition © December 2014: ISBN 978-0-310-73584-7
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Zondervan,
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Paul, Donita K.
Two renegade realms / Donita K. Paul.
pages cm. — (Realms walkers ; book 2)
Summary: “Cantor, Bixby, and Dukmee must band together to find the storied realm walker Chomountain after the devastating attack by the corrupt Realm Walkers Guild; however, the great wizard is not as he once was” — Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-0-310-73581-6 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-310-73584-7 (epub)
[1. Space and time — Fiction. 2. Adventure and adventurers — Fiction. 3. Best friends — Fiction. 4. Friendship — Fiction. 5. Dragons — Fiction. 6. Wizards — Fiction. 7. Shapeshifting — Fiction. 8. Christian life — Fiction. 9. Fantasy.] I. Title.
PZ7.P278344Two 2014
[Fic] — dc23
2014032685
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New International Version
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NIV
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Cover design: Kris Nelson
Cover illustration: Steve Rawlings
Interior design: David Conn
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 /DCI/ 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS
9. THE OUTSIDE OF THE OTHER SIDE
15. NO PLACE LIKE TROUT’S HOME
34. FIVE DRAGONS — FIVE BARRELS
Y
ou’re Cantor D’Ahma, aren’t you?” The soft, feminine voice turned him from the dusty bookshelves.
His light globe didn’t reach into the darkness between the library stacks, but a swish of fabric and a slight movement gave away the speaker’s position. She stepped into the circle of illumination, and Cantor bowed deeply.
“Your Highness.”
Bixby’s mother came forward and put a hand on Cantor’s arm. She squeezed it gently. “You’ve grown in the two years since I saw you last.”
“I apologize for my hasty departure.”
“Bixby was quite upset.”
“I haven’t seen her since.” Though he’d looked for her in every village and city and realm he and Bridger had visited. Their paths had never crossed.
The queen wrapped her arm around his and serenely moved him toward the exit.
Cantor let her lead him. Being rude to the queen of Richra wasn’t diplomatic. Even he, without the extensive and formal training of a Realm Walker, knew that. He bent to hear her next comment.
“Well, that was two years ago. I told her at the time why you left so abruptly.”
Cantor furrowed his brow. That was interesting. He didn’t know himself why he had been in such a hurry.
A buzz in his ear gained his attention. She was probably probing his mind, but he did nothing to put up a guard.
Queen Mazeline patted his arm. “I told her you had been through your first big battle, that you weren’t satisfied with the results, and you needed time to discover it was not your personal failure.”
Cantor swallowed the harrumph that rose to his throat. Yes, those had been his feelings, though he’d never been able to put them into words. In fact, he’d avoided even thinking about those days.
The warmth of the queen’s arm on his spread a soothing peace through him as he listened to her sort out and label the quagmire of emotions he had kept at bay.
“You were injured, dear boy, and not a life-threatening, heroic wound, but small cuts and scratches and bruises. You didn’t have a full measure of your worth, and therefore your pride was jeopardized. You believed that your inconsequential injuries showed you had not been engaged in a proper defense of those in your care.”
Cantor spit the distasteful word from his mouth. “Pride. Primen loathes a haughty head.”
“That’s right, dear, and only experience teaches humility. Everyone is born with that particular vice.”
Cantor chewed on these words for a few moments as they climbed the stairs to the ground level of the library. He believed her assessment was correct. Bixby had said her mother had the ability to reveal a person’s heart. She also said the revelation could be quite uncomfortable.
They approached the door, and Cantor saw Jesha sitting in the sunshine on the wide marble step outside. Her tail wrapped around her feet, making her look like a splotchy statue of a regal
cat. As Bridger said, Jesha sat for effect more than comfort in public. In private, she could be most undignified, sprawling in contortionist poses on whatever took her fancy. In fact, Bridger’s current position at the bottom of the steps was reminiscent of Jesha at her most unguarded; his feet and tail spilled out onto the cobblestone street.
“You had to go.” The queen’s voice startled him after the silence in the hushed atmosphere of the grand foyer. “You had to jump into worthwhile activity to drive away the feelings of inadequacy.”
He opened the glass door and followed her out into the beautiful day. Cantor knew from an earlier exploration that the street before them ran around the palace wall, then to colorful artisan shops, staid museums, the courthouse, quiet restaurants, and a music shop complete with a string quartet playing out front.
The town was nothing like the small villages Cantor was used to. The only animal-pulled vehicles allowed in this area were the royal coaches. The street had a few handcarts in view. One sold flowers, and another sold cool drinks in pretty colors.
Before the palace, people strolled. Even the children and dogs walked with decorum. The harmony of pastel colors and elegant movement made a pretty scene.
Bixby had explained that the flowering bushes in planters along the walkway infused the air with a calming fragrance. In other words, everyone was drugged. Cantor dismissed the staged tableau and addressed the queen. “I went to continue my search for Ahma and Odem.”
Queen Mazeline nodded. Nothing disturbed her serenity.
At the sound of hoofbeats, Cantor’s glance moved toward the library at the side of the palace. The wooden wheels of a
small trap clattered on the cobblestone street as it turned the corner. Pulled by two guprada horses and driven by a small man in livery, it approached the bottom of the wide marble steps and stopped.
Bridger, roused from a nap, sprang to his feet and looked quickly around. Once he'd collected himself, he bowed to the queen. His court manners outshone Cantor’s, but the dragon’s clumsiness usually spoiled his elegant poise. Cantor felt a grin tug at the corner of his mouth. He’d grown fond of Bridger.
The queen nodded at the dragon then continued her helpful evaluation of Cantor’s previous state of emotions. “Your search for Ahma and Odem was your duty. I would not have thought of you doing anything else. But now another cause must take precedence. And perhaps you will locate your mentors in your pursuit of the information the king requests you to obtain.”
She turned a dazzling smile on him. For a moment, Cantor saw the distinct beauty of her daughter, Bixby, reflected in her features. He missed Bixby with a sudden clench of his heart.
The queen’s eyebrows arched. “Bixby is on the same mission, has been for over a year. Perhaps she is the one you will discover first.”
She let go of his arm and floated down the stairs with one more command tossed over her shoulder in the guise of polite social niceties. “Join us in the palace for tea this afternoon, Cantor. And bring your dragon constant. The king will give his counsel. He probably will tell you to remind Bixby she is supposed to send reports. And I shall tell you to remind her that her mother does need a letter from her. Just once in a while, not daily. Not an arduous demand.”
