Dragons of the Watch - Donita K. Paul [30]
Bealomondore fiddled with a cloth napkin on the table. “And then there is the fact that two of the dragons came with me into the city two months ago.”
She didn’t say anything but stopped chewing.
He looked sheepish, and he should. He was about to unload some fanciful tales and actually expected her to believe him.
“Det and Laddin,” he said. He bravely made eye contact, but she squinted in what she hoped was a discouraging manner. It didn’t work. He plunged on.
“Their names are Det and Laddin. Paladin gave them into my care, or maybe me into their care, during the war. I was on the front lines, and Det is gifted in geography. He can recall maps he has only glanced at. He saved me and my men more than once by knowing where a ravine ended or what lay downstream.” He glanced up at her, then back down at the napkin. “And Laddin is a green dragon … healing. Green dragons are healing dragons.”
Ellie resumed chewing and swallowed.
“There’s tea,” said Bealomondore.
“Thank you. I’d like tea.”
He stood and walked behind the librarian’s counter, where he fetched a teakettle and two teacups.
After he poured, he offered sugar and cream. She shook her head and took a sip of the warm, dark brew. It wasn’t a tea she recognized, but her mother had only brought home one of the two varieties available in the village.
“Delicious,” she said.
“It doesn’t come with our meals. It’s always here. I suppose the librarians fixed tea during their workdays. Or perhaps they had little tea parties for the children.”
Ellie set the cup down on the table. “Possibly.”
She looked at the teakettle. “That is such an unusual contraption. Does it sit on a stove?” She turned toward the counter behind the librarians’ desk.
“No.” Bealomondore pronounced the word slowly. “As with many things in Rumbard City, I am at a loss to explain how this works. If you fill the kettle with water and put it on a circle that looks to be part of the counter, the circle turns red and the water boils. So you could cook there if you wanted to.” He laughed. “I’m a better cook over a campfire.”
That made her cast him another inquiring look, but he chose to change the subject.
“Det and Laddin don’t particularly care for sifting through all these books, so they joined the watch. It suits them to nose around the city, flying a routine inspection tour every night. And it helps the overworked members of the watch.”
She refused to ask a question since it would only encourage him to invent more falderal. He didn’t need any encouragement.
“There are five dragons in the watch. With Det and Laddin, they have seven. They keep an eye on things. That’s how I knew you’d entered the city. They told me, and I went looking for you.”
She nodded and finished her tea. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood. She wanted to say something extremely clever to put this prankster in his place, but she couldn’t think of anything other than, “I don’t believe a word you say,” which seemed unsatisfactory as a stinging rebuff.
She stood straight, trying to look as dignified as Mistress Clamber did when she walked down the sidewalk of the village. She turned to stride off in a stately manner but stopped short. Along the top of one of the short bookcases, seven dragons, no bigger than kittens, sat staring at her. They were many different colors, quite beautiful. Their wings either folded against their bodies or extended out from their torsos as if at a casual stance. They looked intelligent.
Ellie finally managed to think of something to say. She curtsied. “Good morning.”
The dragons flew into the air, did flips and dazzling acrobatics. The flash and dance of the display mesmerized Ellie. One of them sang, and although Ellie didn’t recognize any of the words, the tune reached into her heart and created a bubbling wellspring of joy.
Bealomondore came and stood beside her.
“Can you hear them speaking to you?”
She started. “No, they aren’t saying anything. That purple one is singing—you can see her lips move. But the others are silent.”
“Well, you wouldn’t see their lips move