Dragons of the Valley - Donita K. Paul [38]
Bealomondore pondered this news. He looked up at the darkening sky and noted the threat of rain. Even in this forest he’d jokingly referred to as enchanted, the possibility of storms loomed. He turned back to his task of cleaning up. “We must come to his aid. But how?”
“You and Princess Tipper only have two of the statues. We need the third.”
“But Fenworth left here to go to Ragar. We’ll just send for him. That’s no problem.”
“If he had arrived, it would be no problem. But Wizard Fenworth and Hollee have not been seen or heard from since the day they left the Starling Forest.”
“Fenworth isn’t in Ragar?”
“No.”
“Then he and Hollee have been missing for almost all of the two months we’ve been here? Why didn’t the people in Ragar tell us?”
“Probably because they weren’t expecting him to come and so didn’t realize he was missing.”
“Do you suppose this Grawl …”
Maxon shook his head. “We’ve been watching him. It seems his main function is to locate places that are key to the defense of our nation. He has also been hunting down persons of consequence.”
“Persons of consequence?”
“Leaders in the military and local authorities.”
“And what happens when he finds these people?”
“They disappear.” Maxon fidgeted with his hair. “While you’ve been sequestered here in the Starling Forest, more than thirty individuals have gone missing.”
“Could be the slave trade.”
Maxon shook his head again. “Slavers want young people who have the capacity to work hard. And most often, the captives are taken closer to the shore. The missing persons are older and from towns and cities scattered across our eastern territories.”
“We’re in the East.”
“And so is The Grawl.”
Bealomondore tossed several brushes, pencils, and charcoal sticks into a box and closed the lid. “Does Tipper know of her father’s illness?”
“Taeda Bel has gone to tell her.”
Maxon hoisted a small tablet of paper to his shoulder and took it to Bealomondore’s open door. The artist followed with his newest sketch and the easel.
The kimen folk reminded the tumanhofer of ants. They could carry objects that appeared to be too heavy or cumbersome for them. Between Bealomondore and Maxon, they toted all his belongings into the safety of his bower.
A light rain chased them into his enclosure with the last of his painting gear in their arms.
After storing his supplies, Bealomondore offered his kimen refreshment. He searched through piles of stuff. “I brought some daggarts back from lunch. If we can find them, we’ll eat them. And we’ll ask Tipper over for tea to see how she is doing.”
Maxon grinned and began his own search.
A gush of wind fluttered the branches that made up his closely woven walls. A moment later, Tipper called from outside, “Let me in, Bealomondore. We must talk.”
He sprang to the door and opened it quickly. A spray of raindrops flew in with the wind. He shut the door as soon as Tipper and Taeda Bel passed him.
Rain spots dotted Tipper’s apparel. She shivered, and Bealomondore hurried to his bedroom and brought back a blanket to wrap around her.
“You heard about my father?”
Bealomondore nodded as Tipper plunged ahead. “We must do something!”
Maxon and Taeda Bel whispered in the corner. Bealomondore drew Tipper’s attention to the two kimens with a gesture.
He patted her arm and turned to the little people. “Ahem, I think Tipper and I would like to discuss this matter in private. You will excuse us, won’t you?”
Maxon looked surprised. “You’d turn us out in the rain?”
He chortled as he opened the door. “I’ve never seen a wet kimen. I assume you run between the raindrops.”
The kimens laughed good-naturedly and bowed before they left.
Bealomondore reached for a chair and placed it next to his guest.
Tipper clutched the blanket closer as she sat. “Why did you send them away?”
“I don’t believe they would be in favor of any plan we make.”
“Why?”
“I am remembering the way we arrived in this village. Much care was taken to keep us from knowing the exact location. If we are to leave, they might impose some rigorous falderal to keep from revealing