Dragons of the Watch
Read Dragons of the Watch Online
Authors: Donita K. Paul
Praise for Donita K. Paul’s
DragonKeeper Chronicles and Chiril Chronicles
“The writing is crisp and the setting imaginative. This series will speak to all ages of Christian readers.”
—
Publisher’s Weekly
“Donita K. Paul never fails to satisfy the imagination and delight the soul.… This is fantasy that truly illuminates reality.”
—J
IM
D
ENNEY
, author of the Timebenders Series
“Donita K. Paul’s vivid imagery and startling plot twists will delight fans.”
—K
ACY
B
ARNETT
-G
RAMCKOW
, author of the Genesis Trilogy
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from Donita K. Paul, as she always gives us a delightful read: intriguing, challenging, and full of blessing.”
—K
ATHRYN
M
ACKEL
, author of
Vanished
“Donita K. Paul possesses a unique talent for instilling deep wisdom and spiritual truth in a story that is engrossing and satisfying.… She is one of my favorite authors.”
—H
ANNAH
A
LEXANDER
, author of
Silent Pledge
“Donita K. Paul’s inventiveness never ceases to amaze. Fresh ideas for new races of people and unusual creatures keep flowing from her gifted pen.”
—J
ILL
E
LIZABETH
N
ELSON
, author of the To Catch a Thief Series
“Shut your eyes, hold your breath, and plunge into the unshackled imagination of Donita K. Paul.”
—L
INDA
W
ICHMAN
, author of
Legend of the Emerald Rose
O
THER
B
OOKS
BY
D
ONITA
K. P
AUL
Dragons of Chiril
(formerly
The Vanishing Sculptor
)
Dragons of the Valley
DragonSpell
DragonQuest
DragonKnight
DragonFire
DragonLight
Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball
B
Y
D
ONITA
K. P
AUL
AND
E
VANGELINE
D
ENMARK
The Dragon and the Turtle
The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari
D
RAGONS OF THE
W
ATCH
P
UBLISHED BY
W
ATER
B
ROOK
P
RESS
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921
The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.
Copyright © 2011 by Donita K. Paul
Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920,
www.alivecommunications.com
.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.
W
ATER
B
ROOK
and its deer colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Paul, Donita K.
Dragons of the watch : a novel / Donita K. Paul. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-72960-6
1. Dragons—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3616.A94D7295 2011
813′.6—dc22
2011020648
v3.1
To those readers who take the time to write encouraging words. You brighten my days and make my work worthwhile
.
Acknowledgments
Mary Agius
Kacy Barnett-Gramckow
Evangeline Denmark
Beth Devore
Jani Dick
Jim Hart
Kathy Hurst
Hannah Johnson
Heidi Likens
Shannon, Troy, and Ian McNear
Carol Reinsma
Rachel Selk
Faye Spieker
John Case Tompkins
Beth Vogt
Rebecca Wilber
Ellie sat on her favorite boulder and looked Tak right in the eyes, telling him what was on her mind. “Gramps shouldn’t have taught me to read.”
Tak responded as he usually did when he received Ellie’s confidences. He lowered his head, placing it on her knee for a rub.
Ellie obliged her pet, stroking the white hair between his nubby horns with one hand while digging in the pocket of her homespun pinafore with the other. The mountain breeze toyed with the paper she withdrew. With difficulty, she smoothed the small poster out on her other knee. Dirty and wrinkled, it still made her heart beat a little faster.
Royal Wedding and Coronation
Princess Tipper
and
Prince Jayrus, Dragonkeeper and Paladin
All invited to the celebration
“All invited. But Ellicinderpart Clarenbessipawl and her goat Tak can’t come. No chaperone, no travel. Ma and Da aren’t interested. And Gramps just laughs. ‘You’ll see. You’ll see,’ is all he says. He should take me himself.”
Her younger brother’s shrill yell came from the knoll rising out of the river to the east. “Ellie! Ellie!”
He stood on the hill, grinning like a bear with a paw in the honey hive and his face red from running. His stubby tumanhofer body bounced with excitement. He held his fists above his head and whirled them around in circles. Something had set him off.
She stood and hollered back. “You best be calling me by my proper name out in the open ’n’ at the top of your lungs, Gustustharinback. Ma will tan yer hide if she’s finding out you disgrace the family with such shabby care of our dignity.”
When he saw her, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Yer wanted at home. Itta be good news.”
That information didn’t impress her. Probably a delivery of the bolt of muslin ordered, which meant she’d be cutting and dyeing lengths for making new clothes. Not exciting news at all.
“Can it wait?” She gestured behind her to the scattered goat herd. “I’ll have to gather Tak’s clan if I’m to come home now.”
“I’ll come help you.” Gustus charged down the hill toward the footbridge across the river.
Ellie stared at him for a moment with her mouth hanging open. The good news had nothing to do with cloth. Her brother would never voluntarily help bring in the goats for something as mundane as new clothes. He scurried down the path, slipping some on the loose rocks. But the precarious descent did not slow him a bit. Even in the narrower patches, where exposed roots of arranndon bushes tripped careless hikers, her sturdy brother skidded downward.