Dragonspell - Donita K. Paul [79]
“The dragons will return immediately.” It was Shimeran’s strong voice in her head. “We will jump to safety.”
Kale’s throat closed, and she struggled to breathe. Her muscles felt like boards that would not move, would not jump, but would burn with fear as the others leapt onto the passing dragons. A small hand brushed her cold palm, grabbed a few of her stiff fingers, and squeezed. Kale looked down to see Seezle’s upturned face. The kimen smiled, her eyes bright with excitement.
“Now!” commanded Shimeran.
“No!” screeched Kale, but a thump on her back, squarely between her shoulder blades, knocked her forward. She tumbled off the cliff.
As she fell, cold air rushed around her, flapping at her clothing and sweeping through her hair. Seezle still held her fingers. The little kimen wrapped her body around Kale’s arm. Seezle forced that arm out straight and seemed to pull Kale away from the sheer wall of rock. Another kimen clung to her back. He, too, seemed to be directing her fall.
They hit the dragon with a great thwack. With her free hand, Kale grabbed the soft ropes crisscrossing around the creature’s torso. In a moment of scrambling, her feet found toeholds in the netting. Her cheek stung where the impact against the dragon had scraped off tender skin. Tension radiated pain through her body.
Seezle and Shimeran patted her. She heard their melodic voices telling her she was safe. Her fingers clutched the strong, silken cords. She could not open her eyes. She could not speak.
The air cleared, no longer wet, no longer laden with particles of dust and grit. The waterfall’s roar faded gradually. The rhythmic beat of dragon wings soothed her fright away. She could feel the rippling of huge muscles beneath her as the great beast breathed the night air and moved almost silently through the sky.
Dar?
“I’m all right. I’m on Merlander. You?”
I’m not hurt.
Silence. Kale searched her mind for a glimpse of the baby dragon’s presence. She dared not move a hand down to explore the pocket of her cape.
Gymn was there, groggy and curled up in a ball. She felt his mind stir, shudder in fear, and retreat into unconsciousness. Kale giggled.
Dar?
“Yes?”
Gymn’s all right. She giggled again and knew the sound had traveled to Dar’s mind. He fainted. Then he came to and remembered what happened and fainted again.
Kale heard the responsive chortle from Dar. The small sound blossomed into an explosion of mirth. She smiled and giggled again. Then she laughed and clung to the ropes. The laughter shook her with a rolling determination to empty her body of all tension. It wiped away the last vestiges of terror. With her eyes still clamped shut and her fingers wrapped around the ropes, she let her body react. Tears rolled down her cheeks. The kimens stroked her back and arms.
When her emotions settled and she lay exhausted against the ropes, a shiver coursed through her. The kimens moved quickly, tucking the moonbeam cape more securely around her wet body. She felt them scamper lightly over and around her. Being hundreds of feet in the air didn’t seem to bother Shimeran and Seezle at all.
Kale opened her eyes and watched as they climbed back and forth across the netting as if it were a tree rooted firmly in the ground. She examined the rigging clenched in her hand. She couldn’t identify the fibers twisted in an incredibly fine pattern.
Made by kimens. She’d seen examples of their delicate weaving in baskets sold at River Away’s market.
With one finger she touched the white dragon skin beneath the network of ropes. Pearlescent scales covered the hide. Her finger caressed one of the cool, smooth disks. Moonlight twinkled off each of the scales.
Kale noticed the grime on her fingers. Mist from the waterfall and dust from the crumbling cliff had combined to make a muddy coating on her skin. She needed a bath.
Not until I get off this dragon. Kale twisted her head cautiously to view the rider working with the dragon.
A giant! No, a urohm!
Shimeran took two steps along the dragon’s ridged back to the