Dragonspell - Donita K. Paul [132]
A soft note from Dar’s flute echoed through the large chamber, bouncing off rock walls ninety to a hundred feet high.
He played a restful tune first. Metta flew to perch on his knee and joined him. They chose a rousing marching song next. When they were finished, Lee Ark smiled at them and ordered everyone to get ready to move on. Librettowit couldn’t get his shoes back on his swollen feet. Gymn came and, with Kale, healed the ache and the swelling.
“Sorry for the delay,” the tumanhofer said. “Librarians aren’t used to being on the march, you know.”
“Don’t worry about it, friend,” said their marione commander. “I’m not used to traveling with a healing dragon. It seems prudent for us to take a few more minutes here and allow Kale and her small friend to minister to us all.”
In a half an hour, while Metta and Dar provided music, Kale and Gymn refreshed all the members of the party, except Shimeran and Seezle, with a brief healing.
The party fell in behind the tumanhofer again, and they headed out. The minor dragons ran back and forth across Kale’s shoulders in a game of tag, until she caught each one and put them inside the cape at her waist. She felt them burrow through the cloth folds to their pocket-dens.
“How much farther?” Leetu asked Librettowit.
“Two more vaulted chambers, a twisty tunnel, and the main cavern.”
In the twisty tunnel, Kale’s nerves began to zing. She caught up to Leetu. “I feel something.”
The emerlindian nodded. “Something is following us.”
They walked on a few more minutes, Kale looking twice at all the shadows and over her shoulder repeatedly.
“Leetu, I think there are hundreds of them, whatever they are.”
“Yes, they follow Risto’s command to stop us before we leave the mountain.”
“Shouldn’t we tell Lee Ark?”
“I already have.”
“Oh.” Kale looked at Lee Ark. He walked with every nerve on alert. Towering next to him, the urohm moved his head from side to side in constant vigil. “Brunstetter?”
Leetu nodded. “And the kimens, and Dar.”
“What is it out there?”
“Schoergs.”
Kale closed her eyes for a moment. I’m not going to be surprised. After all this, I should have known that schoergs weren’t made up to scare little children into being good. I wonder if they look anything like how the old fairy tales describe them. She shuddered and opened her eyes.
Now she watched the shadows for something as tall as she was, wiry, covered with black fur, having a thick body, skinny arms and legs, huge yellow teeth, and small beady eyes. They could crawl up and down walls like huge spiders. They could flatten themselves and slip through small holes.
The questing party came out of the twisty tunnel and into a huge cavern. Across the expansive floor a smaller tunnel led straight out of the mountain. Kale could see the round arch of daylight from where she stood. She could also feel the anticipation of a thousand fierce schoergs waiting to attack.
“Run!” Lee Ark’s command came a second before a screech cut through the cavern. In one moment, every surface of the wall behind them and to the left swarmed with rapidly moving dark, shaggy bodies. Brunstetter scooped Wizard Fenworth over his shoulder and took off across the open space. The meech egg bounced against Kale’s back as she ran, almost as if it wanted to push her forward with its own panic.
Lee Ark, Dar, and Leetu reached the entry to the gate tunnel a moment after the kimens. They all turned to face the enemy with their weapons ready. Brunstetter set Fenworth down and joined the line. Librettowit and Kale arrived last.
Lee Ark’s stern face turned to the o’rant girl. “Go through the tunnel, Kale. We’ll hold them here.