Dragonquest - Donita K. Paul [111]
But still, Lyll Allerion managed to evoke smiles from some villagers. Kale thought instantly of Dar’s charismatic appeal. The doneel could charm the most unlikely people. Toopka had some of the same quality in her personality.
And they seem happier than I am. I’d like to know what makes them different. It can’t just be the smiles.
They reached Baltzentor’s Pond. The body of water covered almost two acres. A small stream flowed out of one end, and the surface constantly rippled from the pulse of a spring beneath.
The village men had built several wooden benches around the shore. Many used them for fishing, and some of the fancier ones were used for courting. Bentleaf trees lined one edge, and late-blooming bushes of ernst brightened the view with tiny, starlike, pale yellow flowers. Their cinnamon fragrance mingled with the smell of autumn leaves crunching under the comrades’ feet as they walked.
Kale thought the scene was as peaceful as she remembered, but the waters looked darker. She glanced at the sky to see if a cloud had cast a shadow on the pond, but the skies were clear.
Lyll sat on one of the carved benches and pulled Toopka into the seat beside her. Bardon and Regidor stood, but Kale sat at her mother’s feet.
Lyll smiled at the standing men. “You, no doubt, want to hear all about the battles. For details you’ll have to consult Cam. Of course, Brunstetter and Lee Ark will join us at some time, and they’ll have more precise information. I can tell you that three forces converged on the Creemoor spiders’ favorite haunt and wiped out as many as they could before the creatures disappeared into the depths of the Dormanscz caverns.
“Now I know from my work in the Creemoor region—mind you, I wasn’t in the mountains but among the populace—that Crim Cropper is intent on developing means to control all beasts. He figured out how to gather the spiders without injuring either those who herded them or the spiders themselves. He bred them in captivity, producing many more than nature would have allowed. You see, as soon as the little spiders emerge from the egg sack, the parents devour them. About one-third escape the feast and skitter off to hide and mature.
“Much to his disappointment, Cropper couldn’t control them. He wanted them to march as an army under his direction. He got tired of the experiment and decided to be rid of them. But instead of releasing them back into their natural habitat, or slaughtering them, he thought it would be more entertaining to drop them on a city. Then word came that Kale was at The Hall. He chose Vendela, because he didn’t want the Dragon Keeper to interfere with his plans to subvert the dragons.”
Regidor threw back his cowl. “So it was an attack on Kale.”
Lyll nodded. “Basically, yes.”
For a moment, Kale found it impossible to draw a breath. She flexed the fingers of the hand that had been poisoned by the Creemoor spider. Her stomach lurched.
His plan almost succeeded.
She turned to Bardon and saw his expression of concern. She swallowed hard but could not speak.
Bardon—
He abruptly looked away. “May we ask what your mission involved, Lady Allerion?”
Kale consciously took a deep breath. Bardon’s question had released the overwhelming grip of fear that had squeezed her lungs.
“I gathered information, which I sent to Paladin, and I encouraged those few poor souls who follow Paladin in secrecy in that region. Of course, I was imprisoned during my entire service.”
Kale gasped. “Imprisoned?”
“Yes, a nasty place. But it was the most wonderful place to foil Cropper’s plans and, of course, Risto’s.”
“I don’t understand,” said Regidor. “If you were in jail and could not move around the country, how could you be of use?”
“All the information came to me. Right under Cropper’s nose. None of our underground workers had to figure out where I was. I was always in the same place. Cropper’s soldiers guarding the prison also were a fount of information. Don’t forget that I mindspeak.”
“Didn’t they realize you were a wizard?” asked Toopka.
Lyll