DragonKnight - Donita K. Paul [80]
She gave him a precise description of the layout of the ground in and around the camp before she dived into a breast pocket inside his tunic.
Bardon had no problem sneaking up on the bisonbecks and observing them. The tents lined up in a half circle around a central community area. One soldier bent over a fire, stirring a pot that probably contained their dinner. The squire’s nose said it was a meat stew with lots of spices.
A larger tent stood with its flaps pinned back. Inside, several men sat around a table and were engaged in a discussion that held their attention. At one end of the encampment, the prisoners huddled in a circle with their backs to each other. In the center, Granny Kye sat on a log with a sleeping baby in her lap.
Bardon pulled one side of his tunic open and whispered, “Come out.”
Jue Seeno scurried to her perch on his shoulder.
“I don’t see how we can do this without revealing your presence, Mistress Seeno.”
“I, too, have come to this conclusion. I don’t mind telling the children. And Holt is bothersome, but I’ve come to believe he has a good heart beneath that rascally exterior. But that mapmaker…” Her tail twitched, her whiskers trembled, and a shudder shook her small frame. “That mapmaker is the real threat.”
“Bromptotterpindosset? He seems harmless to me.”
“You don’t have a home that has been a carefully guarded secret for centuries. None of us on the Isle of Kye want to be put on the map. Tourists! There might even be tourists invading our home.”
“They can’t get to it. You said so yourself. Only occasionally, a very strong dragon or some other flying creature makes it through the natural barriers.”
“No one has had a compelling reason to reach Kye before this.” She sighed heavily. “Well, if doing right in the eyes of Wulder exposes us to the outside world, then Wulder will provide the means to deal with the consequences.”
“Doing right for the wrong reason,” Bardon muttered.
“What was that, Squire?”
“I was wondering what my mentor would say to this situation. He lectured me on doing right for the wrong reason.”
“You’ve lost me, son. And now is not the right time for philosophical debates. What are we going to do to free our comrades?”
Bardon nodded and looked over the camp again. “We need a distraction.”
Silence fell between them as they both thought for a moment.
Jue Seeno cleared her throat. “Would fireworks help?”
“You have fireworks?”
“Small ones. Firecrackers.” She patted her cape. “Skyrockets don’t fit in the opening of the hollow. You do know that the hollows will hold almost anything as long as they are small enough to fit through the opening.”
“I’ve never possessed a garment with a hollow myself, but my friend Kale has one, and yes, she did mention that.”
“So I’ll give you the poppers—”
“Do you have a flintbox?”
“Of course!” Jue Seeno shook her head over his foolish question. “I shall give you the poppers and the flintbox. I’ll cut the ropes binding our comrades and explain what is about to happen. I think you should stay here until I come back to tell you all is set.”
Bardon nodded with a grin.
“What?” asked the minneken. “Why do you have that goofy smile plastered on your face?”
“I’m in charge?”
“Of course you are, silly man. A good leader listens to counsel. You could always veto my plan. This is merely a suggestion, after all.”
“I wouldn’t dream of vetoing your plan, Mistress Seeno. It is an excellent one.”
“Yes, right.” She looked at him askance. “Well, then, I’d best be off. Try not to be seen while I am busy in the camp.”
Bardon agreed. “I’ll try.”
The minneken skittered down the front of his arm, hopped onto his knee, slid down his leg, and disappeared beneath the bushes.
Bardon closed his eyes.
Wulder, by Your might and wisdom, may our mission succeed.
27
RESCUE
“We’ve got a problem,” said Jue Seeno as soon as she returned and settled on Bardon’s shoulder. “Bromptotterpindosset says the gateway is deteriorating. Each time someone goes through the passage, it unravels a bit. This portal hasn’t been used recently and has fallen