Dragonquest - Donita K. Paul [137]
“Where would you have me, sir?” Bardon’s voice sobered Kale.
A battle still loomed ahead of them. Regidor put her down, and they faced the elders.
Cam eyed Bardon solemnly. “You go with Lee Ark, Lehman.”
“Yes sir.”
“And me?” Kale was glad her voice didn’t squeak.
Lady Allerion put her arm around her shoulders. “You’re with me.”
Lee Ark, Brunstetter, Regidor, and Bardon took off on their noble steeds with most of the dragons soaring into the sky and following. The plan devised by Cam and Regidor had worked. Gilda had been overconfident in the influence that Risto had gained over the dragons through her persuasive personality. She’d scoffed at the possibility of Regidor taking the loyal dragons into Risto’s camp and winning back those under his influence.
The gentle dragons mingled with the dragons gone wild, and the voice of reason won. The dragons would return to the men they had deserted only weeks before. Many men under Lee Ark’s command would now ride into battle.
“I wish Toopka were here to ask some of her endless questions,” said Kale as the battalion of dragons shrank into the distance as they flew to the south.
“What questions do you have?” asked Lyll.
“Will the farmers accept the dragons after their betrayal?”
“Yes.” Lyll gently squeezed Kale’s shoulders and began to walk, guiding her daughter across the beach. “It may take time for the wounds to heal, but there’s an immediate need for cooperation. Fighting side by side will do much to mend the past.”
“Are we going to win this battle?”
Lyll laughed her deep, throaty laugh that somehow comforted Kale. “We’ve already won, Kale. We’ve chosen right, and that’s victory in itself. Now whether we come out of this engagement alive is another matter. But no one can take away the personal conquest of good over evil that we waged in our own hearts before the war began. And in the bigger scheme of things, if our side is defeated here on this battlefield, others will stand and fight tomorrow. As long as Wulder reigns, and He reigns forever, there will always be those who choose right over wrong.”
“Still, speaking of the smaller scheme of things, I wish you could just say, ‘Yes, we will win.’”
Lyll laughed low and quiet as she leaned to press her head against Kale’s. “I would like that too.”
57
TEST OF FIRE
Kale didn’t ask where the dragon saddles came from. She knew Cam and her mother were capable of fabricating what was needed out of what was there. While the two master wizards got ready, Kale spent the time apologizing to Celisse.
“I should have known you would not abandon me. I know now the desertion had to appear genuine so that no suspicion of a deception would get back to Risto, but I should have listened to the doubt in my heart and believed in you instead of what I saw.”
Soon Wizard Cam, Lady Allerion, and Kale set off on dragons, heading for the very center of Risto’s camp.
Where are we going? Kale asked Wizard Cam.
“To Risto’s doorstep.”
Why?
“To stop him. Once he’s out of the picture, his army will disintegrate. In the long run, we will save many lives.”
She took a deep, calming breath and surveyed the land beneath them. The grawligs, ropmas, and schoergs had indeed deserted. Tracks in the snow all headed toward the Morchain Range. To the south, the two forces battled fiercely. Kale thought she saw Paladin’s distinctive black dragon on the front line of warriors in the air. Their army was successfully pushing back the bisonbecks.
With Cam in the lead, the dragons began their descent. They landed in a crowded area, knocking down tents and laundry lines, regiment banners, and a weather sock as they tried to squeeze into the pathways of the enemy encampment.
Cam and Lyll slid from their mounts and charged toward the largest, most elaborate tent. Kale jumped to the ground, pulled her sword, and followed. She burst through the doorway and skidded to a stop right behind her mother.
Risto stood on