Dragonspell - Donita K. Paul [85]
Paladin twirled so fast Kale’s legs flew out behind her. Cold, crisp air tingled her skin. She giggled in response to Paladin’s deep laughter.
When the spinning slowed, the wooden floor appeared again beneath their feet, and Kale found herself sitting on the pallet across from Paladin. Her fingers were cold, her breath came fast, and she could see in Paladin’s expressive face the same exhilaration she felt. Suddenly shy, she ducked her head.
It’s like being in a family, an important family. He said he loves me. If only I had something to give him.
He took her hand again.
His question surprised her. “Would you like to give me something?”
Cautiously, she looked up, wondering if he was mocking her. What did she have to give someone like him? His face reassured her. She nodded.
He released her hand and sat back.
A fiddle appeared in Kale’s lap.
“Ah, a beautiful instrument,” said Paladin. “Will you give it to me?”
Kale felt tears behind her eyes. Would she ever understand what he tried to tell her? She jerked her head up and down and handed over the fiddle.
A ring appeared on her finger. Paladin asked for it, and she gave it. A hat on her head. A bag of coins. A flower. A bottle of perfume. Each appeared, and she willingly gave each to the mysterious man who sat before her. The last item, a picture in a frame, she held limply in one hand.
“What is it, Kale? Why are you distressed?” he asked. “Don’t you enjoy giving me gifts?”
She shrugged, fighting the sadness in her heart.
“They don’t mean anything to me,” she answered. “They aren’t mine.”
“What would make this painting yours?”
“If I painted it, or if I earned the money to buy it.”
“But isn’t it easier for me to just give it to you without the struggles?”
Kale watched the painting in its frame dissolve into nothing, leaving her hand empty. As the gift disappeared, a feeling of hope filled her soul.
She lifted expectant eyes to Paladin. He was going to answer her question.
“What is it that I can give you?”
“You’ve already given me all that I want, Kale. You’ve pledged to be in my service. You’ve given yourself. As you continue this quest, give me every thought, every action, every deed. It’s so simple, Kale. It’s what you are and who you are, what you do and what you think and feel. That is your gift to me.”
Kale’s heart cringed within her breast. The disappointment tore her with a pain intense and cruel.
“It’s too hard to understand. I can’t do it.”
Paladin took the bowl and spoon from Kale’s lap and set them on the floor. He stood before her, reached down to grasp her hands, and pulled her to her feet.
“Dearest Kale, neither Wulder nor I ask you to understand, only to do. Don’t waste effort on trying to understand the impossible. Know that the impossible is not impossible for Wulder. The unfathomable is understood by Him. Allow Him to take care of that which is beyond your capability. And you…” He stroked a stray lock of hair off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. “You concentrate on doing that which is before you.”
He grinned. Kale looked upon Paladin’s face and caught his enthusiasm, his anticipation of life. She breathed in deep as if to absorb his aura of confidence through the air around him. Her face broke into a smile to answer his. His next words sounded like a cheer in her ears.
“Enjoy your accomplishments, and leave the incredible, the insurmountable, the daunting tasks to Wulder.”
“I will,” she answered.
The mysterious mist stirred with a sudden, quick breeze and swiftly escaped the confines of the pinewood cabin. Sunshine flowed in the window. Morning birds chorused outside.
Paladin patted her shoulder. “First, may I make a suggestion?”
“Of course.” She couldn’t help but beam at him. Her heart felt full of love and hope.
He leaned closer and whispered confidentially. “First, let’s see if