Dragons of the Watch - Donita K. Paul [120]
Ellie remembered Bealomondore’s calm voice as he spoke to Wulder. He put a lot of trust in Wulder being real and interested in what Bealomondore said. Often her tumanhofer friend would list the things he liked, thanking Wulder for His provision. And he would list his concerns.
Sometimes he sounded like he was thinking things over aloud, but most of the time it sounded as if he was actually talking to someone. And he often sat, with his eyes closed, a small smile on his lips. Ellie would notice through their bond that a peace flowed through him, a peace she had never felt on her own.
In imitation of what seemed to work for Bealomondore, Ellie began to pray. “Wulder, please keep us safe. Keep Yawn occupied somewhere else. Allow more of the children trapped in Yawn’s hold to escape and come to us.”
For a moment she stopped praying. Did she really want more children to care for? No, if she was honest, she didn’t. Where did those words come from? She decided to try again and to keep control of what her mouth said.
“Wulder, please keep us safe. Keep Yawn away. Help us get to the library quickly and without any trouble. If any of Yawn’s brutes have decided to leave him …”
There it was again. She didn’t want to pray this way.
“Wulder, please let the key we need be among the keys we found. Help Orli identify the right key, and help us find the door to the underground city. Help us to decide what to do with all the children.” She stopped before she could add “even those from Yawn’s group.” What was the matter with her?
“Please help us to get the children safely out of the city. If we have to find the wizard first, please lead us to him. And there’s a bottle of memories we should find as well as the key. I guess we need help in a lot of things.”
She stopped speaking again. Her heartbeat no longer raced. She scurried behind the small band of children and Tak with an air of excitement instead of fear. Det said the key looked like the one Orli had shown them in mental images. They might soon be out of the bottle and back with friends and family.
Who would take care of the children they rescued? There were very few urohms in Chiril. She and Bealomondore had decided that a few urohms must’ve been away from the city when the wizard set up his punishment. Urohms were living in Chiril, but in very limited numbers. Surely they would adopt these children. But who would take care of the children still caught in Yawn’s snare? How could they possibly leave without them? And Yawn, such an unhappy child, filled with anger and pride.
“Wulder, please rescue all the children.”
She hesitated once more, the library steps visible at the end of the street.
“Yes, Wulder. All the children. And Old One. And the minor dragons.”
“Maa!”
“And Tak.”
Out in the streets of Rumbard City, Ellie had felt exposed. She’d expected Yawn and his gang to pounce. The sun had shone brightly, the birds sang, the dragons chittered, the air smelled fresh, the flowers bobbed their heads in the gentle breeze. And still she had expected disaster. Now that she was in the underbelly known as the subter, she knew this was where Yawn would attack. The setting held dark corners, unidentifiable noises, and the chill in the air brought goose bumps on her arms.
Each of the children had a lightrock. Bealomondore carried a lantern. Orli’s body glowed as he flew above them. Still there was not enough light to suit Ellie. The plastered walls were dank and mildewed, with long brown stains flowing from top to bottom. Pipes and girders crisscrossed the low ceiling. How would a grown urohm stand up straight in these tunnels?
Bealomondore squeezed her hand. “This is man-made. When we get to the tumanhofer city, you’ll see something more along the lines of caves and caverns. Of course, the tumanhofers widened tunnels and flattened floors and enlarged caves to accommodate the citizenry. Have you ever seen drawings of Tuck?”
“Yes.