Dragons of the Valley - Donita K. Paul [110]
They reached the shore of the small lake, and Hollee hopped down. They quietly watched the water lap gently against the grassy bank.
Hollee figured that Wizard Fenworth was working on a plan to cross the water. She was working on the puzzle of Librettowit gloating.
He wouldn’t gloat at something the dragon said, so he must be proud of himself for … what?
Something he said.
Hollee looked up at Fenworth. “Librettowit reminded you when we first got here to seek an audience with Sage, and you didn’t do it.”
He waved a hand in the air. “I had a lot on my mind.”
She nodded. He did. He always did. If she’d known about it, she could have reminded him. Librettowit could have reminded him. Sometimes dealing with incredibly intelligent people took a lot of tact. That was probably why Winkel chose her to accompany the wizard.
She tilted her head back and let the sun warm her face. Even for a kimen, Hollee had untold skill in diplomacy. She decided to gloat and relish her fantastic expertise.
Gazing at a tiny cloud, she gathered words in her mind to define her cleverness. When she felt sufficiently armed, she closed her eyes and thought.
She handled problems with a great deal of sound judgment and discretion. With insight and discernment, she engaged acute perception in employing just the right methods for smoothing out a dispute.
She giggled. What she did was accept each player in the row and let it all blow over. Her job was to be of good cheer. And she excelled at amiability.
Opening her eyes, she saw that Fenworth was halfway to being a mullytawny tree. She grabbed his arm.
“Look, Wizard Fenworth.” She pointed to where the cloud had been some time ago. “Here comes a dragon. Call him down from the sky. Ask him to take you to the island. I could swim.”
The wizard shook off some leaves and glared at her.
“Do you know what you are, Hollee?”
“Amiable,” she answered with a smile.
“I was thinking bossy.”
43
Sage Advice
“Ah!” said Wizard Fenworth as he sighted the dragon flying toward them. “This is a dragon I know. It’s Gus, and she’ll be willing to give us a lift, no doubt.”
Hollee watched the dragon land. She didn’t admit it to her wizard, but the riding dragons made her a bit shy.
The dragon swung her huge head around to stare at the wizard.
“Oh dear, tut, tut.” The wizard shook his head. “Maybe not.”
“Maybe not what?”
“Gus seems a bit peeved with me.” He sighed deeply. “She may not want to accommodate us by giving us a ride to the island.”
“Oh dear,” said Hollee. “Oh dear, oh dear.”
“Perhaps you could speak to her.”
Hollee took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat. “Pardon me, Miss Gus. My name is Hollee, and I come from the Starling Forest.” She waited for a response.
The dragon’s face grew less fierce, and she tilted her head as she examined the small kimen.
Without taking her eyes off Gus, Hollee spoke to Fenworth. “I don’t think I can hear her. I wonder if she can hear me.”
“She can hear you. She hears through her ears. You have to hear through your mind, and it’s her choice whether you hear her or not.” The wizard took off his hat, bunched it into a ball, then shook it out to put it back on. “Well, try again.”
Hollee just looked at him, wondering why he was so fidgety.
He raised his eyebrows and pointed to Gus. “Ask her, and ask politely.”
“Miss Gus,” Hollee began, “we need to seek the ad—”
The ground rumbled beneath her feet. The dragon shook. Hollee turned toward the wizard and found he was shaking too.
“What? What’s happening?” she asked.
Wizard Fenworth’s mouth turned down at the corners. “The confounded beast is laughing at you. You are the first to call her ‘Miss Gus.’ ” Small creatures poured out of his clothing and made their escape, flying, crawling, and slithering away. A couple of lizards cantered off toward the high grass.
“I don’t think you have any visitors left, Wizard Fenworth.”
“Never mind that. Ask her while she’s in a good mood.”
“Miss Gus, we need to consult with the venerable Sage. Would you be