Dragonquest - Donita K. Paul [1]
Kale gave a little hop, trying to see over the heads of the gossiping matrons in front of her. She spotted the tall red feather in Dar’s hat.
Too late to change my mind. I’d never find my way back through these city streets by myself.
She pushed aside a niggling suspicion that she probably could find her way to The Hall. True, all the roofs of the city were the same azure blue. But many spires and turrets in a vast variety of shapes and colors studded the tall buildings like jewels. She recognized quite a few landmarks even though she could not name them.
Each afternoon, Kale spent time admiring the metropolis outside her window. She was supposed to be reading, actually studying. But she’d never lived in a city. The view intrigued her more than the books.
Three azure towers spiraled above The Hall compound, a clear globe floating between them. Even now, she looked over her shoulder and saw one of the distinctive blue towers rising above the buildings.
I could get back.
But she didn’t really want to return yet. She’d chosen the east gate and freedom from monotony, just as Dar had. The west portal led directly into the back quadrangle of The Hall. The old abbey and its complex of buildings were the center of spiritual and intellectual renewal for the entire continent. Kale and her friend trained for service to Paladin in a many-windowed edifice where great scholars roamed the corridors.
Kale and Dar had been residing in The Hall for two weeks. In those two weeks, they’d gotten uniforms and instructions—two sets of the tan and brown leecent uniforms and a dozen lists of instructions, rules and regulations, edicts and codes of ethics, orders, injunctions, and decrees. They’d finished the last orientation class that morning and had been given the afternoon to relax.
Kale and Dar had called two dragon friends. Responding to the strong mental connection with their riders, Merlander and Celisse had flown in from the hills.
They had swooped out of the sky and landed in the dragon field. Merlander’s scales flashed brilliant colors while Celisse’s ebony and silver scales looked subdued and elegant.
Kale stroked Celisse’s long neck and felt some of her tension drain away. Without words, they exchanged details of the past two weeks. All dragons and their riders shared a special bond, stronger than friendship. She was tempted to climb on Celisse’s back and ride far above the city, forgetting all about lists of rules and stacks of books.
Too soon, Dar and Kale waved good-bye to the dragons. With a swoosh of large, leathery wings, Celisse and Merlander rose above the flowered meadow. The two spiraled upward in an airborne dance, twirling and passing back and forth until they were specks high above the dragon field. Kale watched them head out toward the mountains and then looked with displeasure at the many buildings surrounding her. The field seemed a part of her old life. The Hall offered a very different future.
A brick wall, not a wooden fence, hemmed the beautiful field. Dar nodded his head toward the imposing barrier. “Let’s go,” he said.
Beyond that wall, the city beckoned. Sights the country-raised o’rant girl had never seen filled the bustling streets. She wasted no energy resisting Dar’s suggestion to go explore.
And it was fun! She didn’t gawk like a complete gaperlot. She’d seen urohms and kimens and tumanhofers before. But she still watched in awe as a group of towering urohm soldiers passed by.
Her knees almost buckled when a small creature slammed against her lower legs. Her cape tightened around her body, seeming to draw itself closer in a protective clutch. She staggered, caught her balance, and looked down.
A doneel child’s furry head barely reached her knee. The tiny girl grinned and winked one eye under her fluffy eyebrows. “Sorry, mistress.”
Mistress! I’m not old enough to run a household. I haven’t got a gray hair on my head nor a wrinkle on my chin. I’m only fifteen summers.
The child reached up and put her grubby hand in Kale’s.
Doneels prided