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shook with anger. As each second passed, the tension in his body escalated. The energy of his hatred
radiated from his eyes. Kale wanted to duck behind someone. Fenworth and Librettowit, who were
wise. Lee Ark, Leetu, and Brunstetter, who were strong. The kimens and Dar, who somehow always
gave comfort by their presence. Kale hoped Paladin would walk through the glowing mist at the cave
entrance and banish Risto. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the giant urohm scoop up the meech
egg and cradle it protectively in his arms.
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 The stone floor quivered under Kale s feet. The air around the wicked wizard crackled. Rage poured
out of his body into the small cavern. Vibrations of malice intensified, and the rock walls began to shake.
Kale trembled, but she couldn t tell if it was fear within that made her shake or the undulating world
around her.
 Come close now, ordered Fenworth.  Time for an exit. I think we ll whirl. Kale likes to whirl. Hold
hands. Let s stay together, children. I want no one lost.
Metta and Gymn flew to Kale, darted under the edge of the moonbeam cape, and burrowed into their
pocket-dens. At the same time, her comrades gathered around Fenworth. A blinding light burst into the
cave.
A roar of anger filled her ears and gradually diminished as if a distance was growing between her and the
one who roared. Risto had been left behind.
 Destination? Fenworth s voice came to her, although she could not tell where he was.
She held someone s hand. She thought it was Dar s, small and slightly furry. A racing wind buffeted her.
 Oh dear, oh dear. We re being followed.
The fierce cries of wild animals surrounded them. Sharp teeth nipped at Kale s heels. She could not
open her eyes to look, and yet she could see in her mind the black shapes of huge hounds racing beside
them. Their red eyes pierced her soul and made her want to scream in terror. Throaty snarls raked along
her nerves, and the air filled with a fetid smell of rancid meat.
 Detour! Fenworth exclaimed, and the next moment water splashed against Kale s legs, soaking her
trousers and boots. The water stung small wounds at her ankles inflicted by the hounds teeth.
Even through closed eyes, Kale sensed the brilliance around her fade. The air turned bitter cold. Some
barrier now muffled the sound of the wind. She peeked but wasn t able to make out any shapes near by.
She couldn t even pick out the form of the one holding her hand.
 Oh dear, oh dear. I need help now. All of you, stay together and call on Wulder.
How do I call on Wulder? Just talk to Him?
A streak of blackness hurtled past Kale s right ear, sizzling the air and burning the side of her face.
Oh, Wulder, I don t know if Fenworth is wise enough or any of us strong enough to get out of this
mess. Please, help us.
In the distance, she heard dragon wings flapping against the air. She heard cattle lowing and blackbirds
screaming, warning of an intrusion. The light intensified again, and she squeezed her eyes shut. The wind
whistled.
Fenworth chuckled.  Reinforcements. Ahh! Now, where was it we were going?
Reinforcements? What? Where?Again her mind captured an image her eyes could not see.
White-winged dragons, the dragons themselves of a multitude of colors, men in shining armor, Paladin on
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a great shining dragon, weapons that blazed. Too many formed in the darkness for her to count. They
drove away dark, swift shapes and gave chase.
Kale felt as though she was being dragged through bushes. She lost her grip on the hand she held and
felt an odd cylindrical structure form under her so that she sat straddling it in midair. The wind ceased.
The light faded. Kale opened her eyes to view her surroundings.
She and her companions sat on the branches of a towering trang-anog tree. Close by stood an o rant
farmhouse, a barn, and a wagon. In the distance, Ornopy Halls stood elegantly basking in the bright
spring sunshine.
Fenworth looked around anxiously.  Most uncomfortable! Did we lose anyone? Head count! Lee Ark,
Leetu, and Brunstetter. Three. Should we count the meech egg? No, I think not. Don t drop it,
Brunstetter. I m to take that home and raise it. Ridiculous, being a parent at my age. Where were we?
Oh yes, three. One o rant, two kimens, two minor dragons. Eight. A librarian and a diplomat. Ten.
We re missing one.
 Who s the diplomat? Kale asked Librettowit who sat on the branch above her.
 Dar. Doneels are often considered quintessential ambassadors. He cleared his throat and raised a
hand to catch Fenworth s attention.  You forgot to count yourself.
The wizard bristled.  Nonsense. I m the oldest, so I counted myself first.
 You re the oldest, and you didn t count yourself at all.
Three mongrel dogs charged from the open barn door, barking furiously. They surrounded the base of
the tree. One stood with front paws against the smooth olive-green trunk and issued a challenge to the
interlopers in its tree. Another leapt in the air, snapping at Brunstetter s heels dangling just beyond its
jaws. The third raced pell-mell around the base of the tree and furiously barked its opinion of anyone
who dared enter its territory in such an unconventional manner.
The farmer and his wife appeared in the door of their home and gazed with amazement at the scene in
their front yard.
 Bring a ladder, man, commanded Fenworth.  We return, the conquering heroes.
The farmer s wife nudged her dumbfounded husband. He nodded to her and darted for the barn, coming
out a minute later with a long ladder under his arm.
Kale turned to Dar sitting in a clump of broad trang-a-nog leaves on another branch.  What happens
next?
 We celebrate& and we go home.
The words sounded as sweet to Kale as music. Home. Not to the Ornopy Halls, but to The Hall, The
Hall in Vendela, Paladin s Hall.
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 DRAGONSPELL
PUBLISHED BYWATERBROOKPRESS
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Colorado Springs, Colorado 80920
A division of Random House, Inc.
Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible® . © Copyright The Lockman
Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (
www.Lockman.org).
The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is
coincidental.
eISBN: 978-0-307-44621-3
Copyright © 2004 by Donita K. Paul
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]