DragonSpell (16 page)

My thoughts belong to me and Wulder.

And Dar says You listen to me, and You talk to me too.

Well, Wulder, I thank You for being interested in what I’m doing.
Kale took a deep breath.
Please tell me what to do and when, so I don’t mess up.

In Wulder’s service, I search for truth. I’m searching for Leetu, Wulder. And a way to get into that castle. And a way to get out. Don’t forget a way to get out.

I stand under Wulder’s authority. I’m entering into the domain of an evil wizard. Please keep me and Dar and Celisse and Gymn from harm. And Leetu as well.

Celisse soared heavenward. A large yellow moon hung low in the sky. A halo gleamed around it. To the east, stars blinked and glimmered in a stunning array. The beauty of her surroundings almost wiped out the tingle of fear in her heart.

“A little bit of fear is all right,” said Dar. “It keeps you alert and helps you react promptly.”

Kale did not answer.
Does he read my mind? He says he doesn’t, but he’s always picking up on what I’m feeling.
She waited, expecting the doneel to make a comment.
If he denies he can read my mind, I’ll know he was reading my mind.
Dar said nothing.

They swooped in a large circle and came to rest in a field beyond a wood at the west side of Risto’s castle.

“Celisse,” said Dar as soon as he and Kale stood on the ground, “you must hide in the trees. You can’t come into the fortress with us, but you must be where we can reach you moments after we get out.”

Kale sensed the riding dragon’s agreement. The rescuers moved stealthily into the cover of the trees.

Dar paused. “Kale, I want you to use your talent to search the area around us. Are there soldiers or guards of any kind nearby?”

Kale relaxed, closed her eyes, and let her mind reach beyond the area where they stood.

“Kimens, there are dozens of kimens all around us.” Kale’s brow furrowed as she sorted through the impressions coming into her mind. “Dar, I know right where Leetu is, a dark, cold room with stone walls. If we get inside that fortress, I can lead us directly to her. Everything is so clear. Earlier today I couldn’t use my talent at all. Now it’s like a fog has lifted. I sense Leetu just as clearly as I can see the moon.”

“Your eyes are closed, and the moon has a haze around it.”

Kale grinned and opened her eyes. She looked at Dar, expecting an explanation from her wise companion in spite of his caustic remark.

Dar rubbed his furry chin with a hand. “The more you exercise your talent, the stronger it gets. This morning you overused it when you healed Celisse with Gymn. On top of all the other mindspeaking, you threw images into the guards’ minds. Add the emotional strain of the circumstances, and you taxed your ability to the point of exhaustion.

“You’ll have to learn to pace yourself. I can’t think of anything more disastrous than to have your talent come to an abrupt stop while we’re engaged in something like escorting Leetu out of Risto’s stronghold.”

“The kimens are coming,” Kale announced.

“I’m not surprised. Ever since the Battle of Ordray, they’ve kept watch on the forces of evil.”

“Can such little people help us?” The kimens appeared too fragile for any type of battle.

Dar laughed. “Oh, yes. For one thing, a kimen can light the way through any dark passages we encounter.”

Kale tilted her head in puzzlement.

“Kale, kimens wear light. They have no clothing other than beams of light they draw to themselves. They control the color of that radiance and can dim it at will.”

“I’ve seen kimens, Dar. They wear soft, fluttering clothing that floats around them and stirs in a breeze. It looks like the gauzy material Granny Noon wrapped our food in.”

“Have you ever touched one?” asked Dar. “Have you ever brushed up against a kimen and felt the texture of his garment?”

“No.”

“It’s neither hot nor cold. It’s not rough or smooth or thick or thin. It’s light, and you can’t feel it with your fingers.”

Kale looked down at her moonbeam cape and remembered Dar tricking her into believing it was made from real moonbeams.

“No, Kale.” His voice interrupted her suspicions. “I’m not teasing. Kimens gather light. A kimen is just what we need to guide us in Risto’s castle.”

         
23
         

I
NTO
D
ARKNESS

The travelers didn’t have to find the kimens; the kimens found them.

Kale sat on a log, watching Gymn catch bugs, so she was the first to notice the kimens. The little people appeared as tiny fireflies moving quietly through the woods close to the ground. As they came nearer, Kale realized they were too big to be insects, and then she could make out the familiar forms she’d seen in her own village.

In the dark of the forest, the kimens wore clothing in shades of deep blue, purple, and green. Kale looked closely at the fabric, trying to see woven threads. She saw none, but still she couldn’t believe that the wispy material was light and not cloth.

Out of the quiet gathering of tiny kimens, one stepped forward. His green eyes sparkled in a solemn face. His flyaway brown hair sprang from his head in the usual disarray of kimens. Kale looked closely at his blue garments. The flowing fabric looked airy and fragile, but not like any light she had ever seen. He appeared to be a warrior, strong and determined, but he carried no weapons.

A weapon wouldn’t be a bad idea, considering where we’re going. He could carry a sword or a bow. But…come to think of it, I’ve never seen a kimen carry anything. Not a sack, not a basket, not a weapon. Oh yes, I’ve seen them carrying their young.

The kimen gazed at Celisse, Kale, and Dar in turn. But when he spoke, he addressed just Dar and Kale. “I am Shimeran. I have been chosen to guide you.”

“You know where we’re going?” asked Kale.

A smile lit Shimeran’s eyes but only teased at his lips.

“Of course.”

Dar bowed with the same respect he had shown Granny Noon. “We would be honored to have your help, Shimeran. I am Dar.” He gestured toward the riding dragon. “Our friend, Celisse.” His hand moved to indicate Kale, but she spoke before he had a chance.

“I am Kale Allerion.”

Shimeran’s eyes widened for just a second, and the crowd of kimens around them shifted. A murmur among them quickly stilled as did their unease.

Kale glanced from face to face, trying to decide why they had reacted this way.

Did I say something I shouldn’t have? Was it rude to introduce myself?

She examined the faces of the kimens more closely. Their expressions were friendly and calm, no different from the usual expressions of the kimens who visited River Away. She looked directly at Shimeran and was about to ask if something was wrong, but Dar forestalled her by speaking.

“We thought this night would be a good time to rescue our emerlindian comrade.”

Shimeran nodded. “Risto is away. The guards have been drinking brillum all day. My kinsmen will cause a diversion, and we may sneak in through the main gate without detection.”

Kale wrinkled her nose at the mention of brillum. The ale smelled like skunkwater and stained like black bornut juice. The mariones used it to spray around their fields to keep insects from infesting their crops. Grawligs drank it. Evidently bisonbecks did too.

“All is ready.” Shimeran’s voice broke into Kale’s thoughts. “We should go now.”

Dar turned to Celisse. “Will you wait here?”

Kale felt the riding dragon sigh and reluctantly agree. Kale nodded to Dar. She knew Celisse understood Dar, but wasn’t sure if Dar could hear the dragon’s mindspeak.

They moved quickly through the dark forest, following the kimens. Three strode several yards in front of the group. These seemed dark in comparison to those close by.

Dar touched Kale’s arm and nodded to those ahead. “Scouts.” He spoke softly. “There are probably three more ahead of them beyond where we can see, and then three more ahead of them. You notice they’ve dimmed their radiance. These around us are lighting our way. Those ahead are watching for the enemy so we don’t run smack into a band of bisonbecks patrolling their boundaries.”

One of the nearest kimens turned a frowning face toward Dar and put a finger to his lips.

Kale didn’t want to end the conversation. She wanted to know more. She reached to Dar with her mind.
How did the kimens know we came for Leetu?

“Logic. They knew an emerlindian in service to Paladin had been taken prisoner. Someone was bound to try to save her. We showed up, so we must be the rescuers.”

Why didn’t they rescue her themselves?

“Kimens have taken on the role of observers. They will help in time of need, but they never initiate an action.”

I don’t understand why not.

“They believe that Wulder gave them their talents and diminished size for this purpose. They will not step beyond what they see as their assigned duties unless given a distinct call to do so.”

I still don’t understand.

Dar sighed aloud, and the same kimen hushed him with a sharp, “Shh!”

“Kale, if you can’t understand through my explanation, then you’re going to have to use your own eyes and come to your own conclusions. Sometimes a thing makes more sense when you see it. Sometimes words aren’t enough.”

Kale wanted to answer with a loud “huh?” but figured Dar would just go on explaining why he couldn’t explain. She decided to study the kimens instead. Maybe she could figure out what material made up their clothing.

She watched the little person directly in front of her. This kimen was a female with the typical wild hair growing out in an aimless way but hanging past her waist. Bits of ribbon and odd, skinny braids, plaited with no particular pattern, adorned the otherwise disorderly brown locks. Blue and purple wisps of material hung from her body almost like the large fanlike fins of a feathered fish. Of course the fish didn’t really have feathers any more than this kimen wore light instead of material.

Kale tried to spot seams in the garment but couldn’t. The fabric also reminded Kale of butterfly wings, for the dark colors were rimmed with black like the patterns on many of the colorful insects that flew with wings bedecked in jewel colors.

There were also rumors that kimens could fly.

Kale observed the small, lithe figure almost float over the roots and rubble of the forest floor. She studied the kimen’s tiny feet and truly could not tell if the soles of her delicate shoes actually touched the ground or just passed above it before moving forward.

A sudden halt in their journey brought an end to Kale’s musings. They had reached the edge of the woods and could see the front portal of the towering castle. Dar and Kale crouched behind bushes a dozen yards from the massive open doors while the kimens dispersed to do the tasks they had planned.

The land immediately surrounding the walls had been cleared of all vegetation except for close-cropped grass.

Dar whispered an explanation. “Fortresses, castles, walled cities, all have these clearings around them. The sentinels need an unobstructed view of anyone approaching.”

Kale nodded. Her stomach muscles tightened, and she had to swallow hard against the fear rising in her throat. She could not see how she, Dar, and Shimeran could get to the gate and through it without being seen.

A yellow pool of light from a lantern revealed two guards, fully armed, standing at the entry. They slouched and spoke in a casual fashion to each other, but they were neither drunk nor drowsy. A man’s voice boomed from the forest where the road emerged onto the castle grounds.

“Yo, the castle, I bring new stock to replenish your stores. Ale, cheese, sweetmeats, and red wine. As the wind blows over the sea, I’ve had a bad day of it. Come help. My donkey is lame. I don’t know that I can make the last quarter mile to your door.”

The guards looked warily at each other. Kale saw the shadow of a kimen right at their feet but couldn’t see where the kimen himself stood.

“I’ll go, Bleak,” said the taller guard. “You mind the door.” He started down the road with his spear held at the ready. By his casual strut, Kale decided the man had no clue this was a trap.

The dark kimen form Kale had spied at their feet sped before him. The dark splotch flitted across the ground like a shadow cast by the moon on the back of a flying owl.

The guard entered the wood and a moment later called out, “Bleak, come lend a hand. There’s plenty here for feasting, and our watch is almost done.” He laughed, and the other voice said something Kale could not catch. “Come, Bleak, the merchant will give us each a flask of rich wine before he takes the cart to the castle kitchen.”

Bleak hesitated only a moment before abandoning his post and starting down the road.

“There is no one there,” Shimeran explained in a whisper. “A kimen has imitated the voice of the merchant. Our people stunned the first guard. Then his voice was imitated to lure the second away. Be ready. As soon as this Bleak passes into the woods, we will go.”

In a moment the big form of the bisonbeck guard stepped into the dark shadows of the trees. Shimeran, Dar, and Kale broke from their cover and sprinted across the open field to go through the gaping entryway. Once past the massive stone arch, Shimeran darted to the side and into the shadows. An elevated walkway ran the entire circumference of the courtyard. On this wooden structure, soldiers would stand at slits in the fortress wall to fire arrows at an encroaching enemy or fend off invaders who had breached the gate and entered the castle.

Footsteps clapped along the boards above the rescuers’ heads. Someone was on duty. Kale hoped he was as negligent as the two who’d been on guard outside.

Even at this late hour, the castle bustled with activity. As Kale silently listened, she realized carousing bisonbecks made most of the ruckus. Noise of drinking, coarse singing, and raucous laughter came from a room close to the stables.

Shimeran spoke in the darkness. “They have moved this comrade of yours often. There is a prison room in each of the three towers. There is the dungeon, and below the dungeon are natural tunnels and caves. We could find the kimen who watches this emerlindian, but if your mindspeaker can tell us the way, we will save time.”

“Kale?” Kale heard Dar’s soft voice even though she could not see where he stood in the deep shadows. “Up or down?”

“Down,” she answered without hesitation.

As her mind settled on Leetu, she felt the pain and desperation of her friend. She could feel the room, sense the smell of mildew, hear the skitter of unseen small animals, and for that moment, Kale ached as if her bones lay on the rough stone floor. She clenched her teeth against the fear that quivered in her jaw.

“Down,” she said again. Her head jerked in a nod of determination.

“Down, where it is cold and dark and deadly.”