Dragonquest - Donita K. Paul [71]
Bardon clamped a hand over his hairy mouth. The lehman’s strong arm encircled Dirt, pinning his scraggly arms to his sides. The man-beast looked like a large rag doll in Bardon’s arms.
Kale went before them, opening the door, then shutting it when Bardon had dragged the kicking, struggling ropma outside. A bright moon in a cloudless sky bathed the barnyard with too much light. They hurried to the back of a row of storage sheds to get out of sight.
She did a quick sweep of the immediate vicinity. The only person up and about was the man who had left to take care of a natural need. He now headed back to his bed of hay.
She turned to look at the ropma. His dark eyes, fringed all around with long, black lashes, widened. Kale could see his panic as well as feel it with her talent.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” she assured the frightened man-beast. “We work with Dar. He wants you to stay here.”
Bardon spoke into Dirt’s ear. “If I let you go, you must not make any noise. Agreed?”
Dirt nodded. Bardon cautiously removed his hand from the creature’s mouth and loosened his grip on the wiry body.
The ropma opened his mouth and squeaked, “Please, please, don’t hurt Dirt. Dirt do what you say.”
“We don’t want to hurt you,” Bardon whispered. “Just stay here until Dar comes. He’s on his way.”
“Sir Dar nice man. Sir Dar save Dirt’s life. Help Ma and Da. Sir Dar nice man.”
“Yes, he is.” Kale patted Dirt’s trembling arm, wondering how old he was. Surely he wasn’t a child, but he acted like a scared boy. “He’ll be here in just a minute, and you can talk to him.”
Dirt’s head bobbed up and down, and his mouth opened in a wide grin, showing remarkably straight teeth glowing white in the moonlight.
“Sir Dar be happy. Dirt remember everything. Everything. All the little things. All the big things. Dirt remember. Dirt important.”
Bardon sighed and put his hand on the man-beast’s shoulder. “I’m sure you are. Sir Dar didn’t want you to leave before he could speak to you. He’s coming out of the manor now. I’m telling him where we are.”
Dirt hopped from one foot to the other in his excitement. When Dar came around the corner of the last shed, Dirt fell down on his knees. “Master, master, Dirt tell you everything. You be happy, master. You be happy with Dirt.”
Dar gently patted the ropma’s head. “Get up now. You don’t need to grovel with me.”
On his feet, Dirt stood a head taller than the doneel. “Grovel,” the man-beast repeated the unfamiliar word. “Grovel. No grovel with Sir Dar. No grovel. Just tell Sir Dar everything. Big things. Little things. Everything.”
“Yes. What do you have to report, Dirt?”
“Report?”
“Let’s start with the big things.”
The ropma shifted from foot to foot and stared at the ground.
Dar laid a hand on his arm. “Don’t worry, Dirt. You won’t get it wrong. I won’t be angry.”
“Sir Dar nice man.”
“Yes. Tell me about the meech dragons.”
“Far away. In the north.”
“How many?”
“Ten. Far away.”
“Are they free?”
“Can’t buy them.”
“No, I didn’t mean we should buy them. Are the meech dragons able to come here?”
“No. Far away. In the north. Far away. No come today.”
Bardon sighed and paced a few steps to the corner of the building. He took up a position to watch the yard.
“This could take a while.” His thoughts entered Kale’s mind as a gentle whisper.
She agreed. But that wasn’t what was on her mind. Bardon, did you see how well we worked together? I knew exactly when you were going to grab Dirt. I knew you wanted me to block his escape to the door in case he slipped out of your hold. When we came out of the barn, I knew where you wanted to take him. You weren’t mindspeaking to me. I just knew.
“Yes, I noticed.”
What do you think it is?
Bardon kept his eyes on the expanse between the manor and the barn and shrugged.
I couldn’t even do that with Leetu Bends, and she’s always been the easiest person for me to mindspeak with.
He fell silent. Kale reached to his mind and met the swirl of confused thoughts. The impressions she received indicated the lehman loathed everything