DragonKnight (40 page)

         
53
         

D
ISCOVERIES

Bardon kept an eye on his expanded questing party as the day came to an end.

Taylaminkadot fussed about the condition of the linens, but her husband overruled when she wanted to strip the beds and wash the sheets. Librettowit promised she could commence housekeeping the following day. The castle had more than enough luxurious bedchambers to accommodate them all. They did have to thump dust out of the pillows and covers.

Bardon ordered a night watch. Captain Anton insisted this was his responsibility and organized the shifts with two people on duty at a time. Holt surprisingly volunteered to do his part.

The next morning Regidor flew to the west at dawn. Several hours later he returned with the five guard dragons and Greer.

Bardon went out to greet his purple dragon. Greer’s disposition was less than sunny. His squire held on to his patience and tried to make amends.

I know you don’t like being left out of the action. I would have much rather had you by my side, but it couldn’t be helped. The warren had huge burrows, but you would have been claustrophobic…Yes, that’s a word…It has nothing to do with closets. Well, in a way it does, but not as a root word or anything.

Bardon sighed and stroked the scales under the dragon’s chin.
You’re not to pout…I’m serious. I need you to oversee the protection of the castle. Keep an eye out for any massing forces. Grawligs are in the area, and they had come to think of the courtyards of this castle as their own personal property…No, I don’t know for sure they even recognized this mountain as a castle, but they enjoyed the gardens, the terraces, and the fountains. Listen, Greer. I don’t want to be busy with other things and discover rampaging ogres pouring in the front door.

Bardon grinned in response to Greer’s sudden elation.
Yes, Kale is here…Utterly beautiful…“Utterly” is a suitable word to use with beautiful…All right, then. She’s looking extremely well…That’s not good, either? It would solve the problem of what she looks like if I just call her. Wait a moment, and you can see for yourself.

The visit with Kale lifted the dejected dragon’s spirits in an amazing way, but Bardon had to see to details among his charges. He could not stay to enjoy his two best friends’ company.

During the early morning, Captain Anton and his men took their bows and arrows to hunt. They brought back several medium-sized wild heatherhens, plump birds known for their tender, juicy meat. Holt, who had risen a bit too late to accompany them, redeemed himself by locating the overrun kitchen garden. Even through years of neglect, the small patch of ground still had some produce to gather. The marione farm boy dug pnard potatoes and onions and brought in some scrawny herbs.

Bardon cocked an eye at Kale as Holt explained how he had overslept. In his mind, he heard her chortle.
“Scoundrel or slugabed?”

In the afternoon, Holt and Captain Anton, with two of the guard, mounted the dragons and took off to recover the remainder of their supplies. Two guardsmen stayed behind to offer protection. They came upon a grawlig lurking around the castle and scared him off.

The dragons and riders returned at sunset. And with that event, according to Toopka, the last of any interesting activity came to a sudden end. The little doneel complained daily that no one did anything but chores and study books. The boys often escaped to explore while Toopka finished the chores Taylaminkadot had listed for her.

Granny Kye left the finished portrait of her sons propped up against a chair and moved her easel in front of Sir Kemry Allerion. She studied her subject for several minutes, then picked up her brush.

Three days later, Taylaminkadot brought a clothbound book to the Knights’ Chamber.

“It’s the housekeeper’s journal,” she said. “I looked through it, and I’ve put bits of paper in pages where she makes comments you might be interested in.”

Bardon and Librettowit opened the book on a table and read together. After a moment, the librarian looked up and smiled at his wife. “You’ve done well, my darling. This is most important information.”

Taylaminkadot blushed. “I’ll go back to my cooking now. That’s important too.”

“Risto is mentioned here,” said Bardon, pointing at a page. “Listen. ‘That wizard is here again. Master Strot likes the man, but I think it is only because the visitor promises to help him learn more about the spells affecting the body. Master Strot wants to do good, but I think this Wizard Risto is evil. I get the shivers when he looks at me.’

“Here’s another one several days later. ‘To my way of thinking, the master knows more about the workings of the human body than does this awful man who smiles and is everything that is agreeable. But still, this pleasant Wizard Risto makes me cold inside and fearful.’”

Librettowit and Bardon scanned several more pages. The librarian looked up at the waiting comrades. “The housekeeper is responsible for the missing book. She says she found her master dead in his chair. She suspected Risto killed him, and she didn’t want the book in the evil wizard’s hands.” He turned the pages back to those they had passed over quickly.

“Aha!” the librarian exclaimed, tapping an entry with a stubby finger. “Bless my little Taylaminkadot’s soul. Here’s the information we need in order to figure out exactly how long these valiant men have before it is too late to rescue them. The housekeeper is actively eavesdropping at this point. She doesn’t trust Risto. She records a conversation in which Risto says when the Wizards’ Plume that he threw into the sky has grown to a certain size and first kisses the line of discernment from the Eye of the North, the spell must be refreshed or broken.”

“What is the line of discernment?” asked Granny Kye.

“A perpendicular line from the star to the horizon.”

“There are still a lot of variables,” said Regidor.

Librettowit patted the page beneath his hand. “Yes, but I have enough to give us a date.”

The room went quiet. The librarian looked around and saw the eyes of Lyll, Cam, Regidor, Kale, and Granny Kye trained on him. His chin dropped down to his chest, and he focused on the page. Bardon heard him mutter as he calculated.

Librettowit’s head lifted, and he looked with a serious frown at those around him. “Six days.”

With renewed hope and a dread of time passing too quickly, the researchers went back to work. Two days later, Regidor came into the room waving a book above his head. “Here’s good news and bad.”

“What is it?” asked Cam, sharply.

The frown on the usually relaxed lake wizard worried Bardon more than the librarian’s outbursts of temper. The time was growing short before the wizards must cast a renewal spell or instigate the process to restore the men to their natural selves.

Regidor placed the book on the table in front of Lyll and Cam, who immediately opened it.

The meech dragon smiled with satisfaction. “This is a translation guide for
Strot’s Book of Anatomical Spells.
From what I gather from the words written in here, there has to be a book with the key to reversing the sleeping invocation.”

Bardon rubbed his hand through his hair. “And the bad news is we still don’t have that book.”

The meech dragon put his hand on the opened translation guide. “I’ve enjoyed the brilliance Wulder has given me. Perhaps this time it will be of monumental significance. I hope that by studying the random words in this volume, I will be able to piece together Strot’s method.”

Cam took hold of his arm and gave it a shake. “It’s worth a try. If anyone could decipher a procedure from this montage of words, you can.” He slapped Regidor on the shoulder. “Get to work, young Wizard.”

Regidor scooped up the book and strode across the room to sit beside Fenworth on the divan, where the old wizard had planted himself when they first arrived.

Another day passed without any measurable progress toward freeing the knights. The morning of the fourth day, after Librettowit had made his six-day pronouncement, Toopka wandered into the room. Bardon noticed her but gratefully let Kale handle the intrusion.

“Toopka, where are the boys?” asked her guardian.

“In the cellar. They’re always in the cellar.” The little girl plopped down on a footstool beside Granny Kye. “I don’t like the cellar. It’s dark and smelly. We didn’t find any treasure and now Sitti and Ahnek are trying to find a dungeon. There won’t be any treasure in a dungeon.”

She put her elbows on her knees and rested her chin on her fists. “Taylaminkadot is making daggarts and will not let me help because she says I snitched one time too many. N’Rae is in the library with those books. The little minneken I’m not supposed to know about won’t play. She never wants to play. The minor dragons have to go into the woods to find food because there are no bugs in this boring castle. I’m not allowed to go into the woods because it might be dangerous.”

Her gaze shifted to Granny Kye’s painting of Kale’s father. She stood up and looked at the canvas and then at the palette of many colors.

“Granny Kye, could I paint too?” she asked.

The old emerlindian actually looked up from her artwork and smiled at the child. “Not today, dear.”

Toopka sighed heavily but remained by the granny’s side. She tilted her furry head and stared at the portrait, then at the sleeping knight.

“Isn’t the picture supposed to look like the person?”

Granny Kye nodded.

“Your knight is awake, and the real knight is asleep.”

Granny Kye nodded again.

Toopka leaned closer, getting her head between the artist and her easel. Granny Kye frowned.

The little doneel pointed to the background in the painting. “You’ve got a smudge on the wall.” She leaned to the side to look around the canvas. “Oh, there is a smudge. No, that’s not dirt.”

She ran to the wall and crouched beside the wainscot panel pictured in the granny’s painting.

“It’s not here.” She ran her fingers over the wood. “Yes, it is!”

“Wait!” said Granny Kye, and the urgency in her voice made Bardon put down the book he held.

Toopka pushed against the wall, and a panel moved downward six inches, exposing a gap. Toopka put her hands on the thin sheet of wood and peered into the darkness.

“It’s a secret cupboard. There’s probably treasure in here.”

“Toopka,” said Bardon, “that wood looks fragile. Don’t—”

He took a step toward her and heard a crack. Instead of the panel splintering, it suddenly slipped all the way down, and Toopka tumbled head first down the hole.

Bardon raced across the room and threw himself down beside the gap in the wall. “Toopka!”

He reached into the darkness and felt nothing but rough wood.

Regidor was beside him, removing his cape and jacket. “Let me try,” he said. “My arms are longer.”

His wings expanded and then folded against his shoulder blades. The stylish coat he’d dropped to the floor had two large slits in the back.

“I’m all right! I’m all right!” Toopka coughed. “Really, I’m all right.” She coughed again. “I got something. It’s…it’s only a book. What is it with this castle and books?”