Dragonquest - Donita K. Paul [142]
Kale grinned as Librettowit and Fenworth harrumphed, Dar and Cam chortled, and Toopka laughed out loud.
Bardon’s lips spread into a smile, and his body relaxed. “So I was to learn to be more yielding before I entered a discipline that is unyielding?”
Paladin clapped him on the shoulder. “Precisely! You must learn to be malleable before you’re formed into an instrument of justice. Otherwise you wield a sword with no mercy, no discernment.”
Bardon nodded thoughtfully, then glanced at Kale and winked.
You have changed, Bardon!
“And I intend to change even more. In three years I will be a knight, Kale. And if our paths do not cross again until then, I promise I will seek you out so you can marvel at the Snitch.”
Kale gasped, and then smiled. He knew the name they had all called him back at The Hall.
Paladin nodded as if he understood their exchange. “You will need something I believe our venerable Wizard Fenworth has been keeping for you.” He stretched out his open palm to the old man as if he expected Fen to hand over the object.
“Oh dear, tut-tut. Where did I put that? Tut-tut, oh dear.” The wizard sat up straight and began patting his beard and robes. Tiny creatures skittered in all directions. The minor dragons jumped on the scampering feast of bugs, ignoring lizards, birds, and rodents as they escaped.
Wizard Fenworth’s hand dug into a fold of his robe. “Aha!” He pulled out a closed fist, turned it over, and slowly uncurled his fingers. A tiny sword lay across his palm.
Bardon stood, and so did Amara’s leader.
Paladin picked it up between his thumb and forefinger.
“Fen, you constantly amaze me. I believe this would be more useful to our future knight in different proportions.”
The sword shimmered and grew at a steady, unhurried rate until the hilt became a size Paladin could wrap his hand around. The silent audience watched the shining blade stretch out to a gleaming point.
Paladin swished the sword through the air, testing its balance. “A finely crafted weapon.” He deftly reversed the blade and offered it to Bardon. The young man took it without a word.
Kale thought she would burst with pride for her friend. She started to enter his thoughts and congratulate him, but the look on his face stopped her. This moment was too important to Bardon for her to intrude upon.
Paladin laid his hand on the stunned lehman’s shoulder. “You shall go with Dar to Wittoom. Sir Dar will train you.”
Kale’s mouth dropped open, and her head whipped around to find the doneel relaxing in a chair with his legs draped over the arms. She slammed her fists against her hips. “You really are a knight?”
Dar ran his mouth over the harmonica, making a loud scale of notes trill through the cavernous kitchen.
He winked at her and grinned, his face splitting almost in two. “Yes, dear Kale, but only a very little one.”
GLOSSARY
Amara (ä´-mä-rä)
Continent surrounded by ocean on three sides.
armagot (är´-muh-got)
National tree, purple blue leaves in the fall.
ballyhoo bird (bl´-le-hōō)
An insect-eating bird with dappled brown feathers. It is rarely seen, but its distinctive ballyhoo call is frequently heard in all types of woodland.
beater frog (b´-ter frôg)
Tailless, semiaquatic amphibian having a smooth, moist skin, webbed feet, and long hind legs. Shades of green; no bigger than a child’s fist; capable of making loud, resounding boom.
benders
A game played with a deck of cards.
bentleaf tree
Deciduous tree having long, slender, drooping branches and narrow leaves.
bisonbecks (b-sen-beks)
Most intelligent of the seven low races. They comprise most of Risto’s army.
blattig fish (blat´-tig)
Freshwater fish often growing to a length of two to three feet, voraciously carnivorous, known to attack and devour living animals.
blimmets (blim´-mets)
One of the seven low races, burrowing creatures that swarm out of the ground for periodic feeding frenzies.
bodoggin (bō´-dg-n)