Dragons of the Watch - Donita K. Paul [102]
The agile figure was too quick and too short to be Old One. His build was not thick enough to be one of the urohm children. His wispy form floated, and his robes swayed as he moved forward. At times he seemed to have no substance at all.
“If I believed in ghosts, Tak, I’d say we’re looking at one. But I don’t believe in ghosts, and I doubt you have formed an opinion.”
Whoever he was, he didn’t travel alone. Tiny, shimmering birds of many colors swarmed around his head. These creatures drifted apart and re-formed, very much like Verrin Schope did when his three statues were not aligned correctly. The flickering made it hard for Bealomondore to determine which species they were, and it piqued his curiosity.
“I wish I had a spyglass.”
The gray figure came into view once more. He drifted toward the fountain, with his hovering assembly swarming close to the peaked hat on his head.
Bealomondore whispered his suspicion. “A wizard’s hat.” He patted Tak on the back. “Let’s go get a better look.”
Tak kept up with Bealomondore as he plunged down the stairs. The tumanhofer stopped at the door and listened. He heard nothing that sounded suspiciously like undisciplined ruffians, so he peeked out. Seeing nothing to deter him, he dashed down the alley in the direction of the mysterious visitor.
At each corner, he paused to make sure no gangs of children lurked between him and his goal. Det circled, bringing back information. Sometimes Bealomondore had to make a detour as the young varmints wandered in their play. Tak seemed to have a sixth sense about which direction would be safest. Finally Bealomondore realized that the minor dragon communicated to the goat.
The tumanhofer laughed at himself as he rubbed the fur between Tak’s horns. “That explains a lot. I suppose Amee, with her special talent, facilitated your ability to hear the dragons mindspeak. But if you start mindspeaking to me, I won’t be responsible for my reactions.”
“Maa!”
“Don’t do that. It makes it seem like you understand me.”
“Maa!”
“Well, I suppose you do to some extent, but I refuse to have conversations with you.” He rubbed between Tak’s stubby horns. “At least not when someone might hear me.”
Det flew back and perched on Tak’s back. The goat looked over his shoulder. “Maa!”
Bealomondore objected. “Let’s have a conversation I can understand.”
Det’s description of the elusive figure raised even more questions. The apparition was neither man nor beast. It had no substance. Det could see right through it and through the colorful winged creatures hovering about its pointed head. Det made it clear that they were not birds but were more like the wusstbunters that had attacked Old One and Orli.
“Well,” said Bealomondore to his audience of two, “wusstbunters weren’t phantoms. They were real enough to leave bites the size of my thumb, and plenty of them.”
Whatever they followed managed to keep just beyond a point where Bealomondore could round a corner and get a clear view. The pictures Det projected with his mindspeaking reflected the information he’d conveyed, a hazy shape somewhat the build of an o’rant. And the pointy top could be a wizard’s hat.
“I believe he’s going to the main fountain.” Bealomondore acted on his hunch and took a quick, direct route through a warehouse and a fancy eatery to one of his favorite lookouts.
Det reported that the figure continued on a path that would take him to the circle.
In a moment, the shadow appeared a mere dozen feet from where Bealomondore hid. Still, the precise nature of the being eluded the tumanhofer.
Yes, the thing looked vaguely like an o’rant. But no o’rant Bealomondore had ever encountered could be seen through.
Up close, the objects in flight around the pointed form looked more like tiny bats than birds. Their iridescence