Dragons of the Watch - Donita K. Paul [34]
She jumped to her feet and did her own version of Airon’s celebration dance. The purple dragon flew in circles above her head. Together they twirled out of the children’s section and through the many aisles of bookcases to the rotunda. Tak followed but refused to join in their exuberance.
When the three entered the round hall, Bealomondore stood with a book in his hand. “I heard you coming. I gather you’ve had some success.”
“I heard her. She told me more words to the song I was singing.” She came to a complete halt and lifted an eyebrow. “How did she do that? Not the mindspeaking, but knowing more words to a song I taught her minutes before.”
Airon flew to Bealomondore’s shoulder.
“All minor dragons collect information from the people around them,” he explained. “Singing dragons collect songs, as well as musical history. You might have heard the other verses, and the lyrics were buried in your brain. In that case, she dug the words out. Or she recognized something she had learned somewhere else and mined the information she had stored.”
Ellie smiled at her purple tutor. “It’s an interesting talent.”
“That’s only the surface,” Bealomondore said. “She can use her music to soothe anyone. She can mesmerize an assailant. Musical dragons have been known to unify dissenting crowds, bringing them to a common ground. Music, in their capable care, is medicine.”
“Oh!” Ellie clapped her hands together. “She can help reach the children.”
Bealomondore looked at the dragon and then at Ellie. “You didn’t hear what she just said?”
“No.” Her spirits fell. “She spoke, and I didn’t hear it? Have I lost the ability already?”
“Don’t be dismayed. It’ll take practice to get good at mindspeaking.”
Ellie went to Old One’s stack of books and sat on the floor beside them. The disappointment threatened to sweep her joy clean away. But that possibility could be thwarted. She chose to refuse the frustration and concentrate on improving her skill. She gave herself a lecture. This setback was no more taxing than getting to the goat barn and finding that she had to go back to the hills to find a stray member of the herd.
Tak came to her side and placed his head in her lap. She absent-mindedly rubbed behind his ears.
After a moment, she lifted her chin and asked, “What did she say?”
“She said, ‘We will practice, practice, practice until your mind’s ear is sharp. And then we’ll sing to the untamed masses.’ ”
Ellie smiled at the prospect of having a partner in reaching the children. She knew all too well that Bealomondore did not relish the task. She wanted to know more about Airon. Had she once lived outside this captive city?
“Has Airon ever seen an emerlindian with their pointed outside ears?”
She’d directed the question to the tumanhofer, but the dragon answered with a series of clicks and chittering.
Bealomondore nodded to Airon and turned to translate. “She says she has seen emerlindians, but it is the heart that opens the mind, not the shape of the ear.”
Ellie smiled at her two friends. “You know, I was determined to go to the royal wedding reception and the coronation. But if I had to be stuck someplace”—she tilted her head toward Bealomondore—“I’m glad it is here with you.” She smiled more broadly at Airon, who made noises she suspected were happy words. “And you.”
“So you had your heart set on Ragar,” said Bealomondore, “and quite frankly, I had no idea of where I would be going after Ragar. I had the invitation to the Amber Palace to paint the portrait. My parents, who used to be ashamed of me, wanted me to come to Greeston and enter their circle of friends. That would have netted a bounty of commissions for more portraits.” He sat on a stack of books. “What’s left of the troops I fought beside in the war want to spiffy up their uniforms and gear to march in the coronation parade. I should join them. I didn’t finish my study of the kimen village—another place I’d like to go. And the Valley of the Dragons always holds an appeal. The stunning landscapes make it easy to get lost in capturing the