Dragonspell - Donita K. Paul [95]
“I’ll try.”
“Who is Leetu?”
“The emerlindian.”
“I know many emerlindians, my dear.”
“The emerlindian we brought with us. The one who is sick.”
“Four thousand, six hundred, thirty-two emerlindians.” Fenworth tapped one bony finger against the palm of his other hand. “That’s how many I know. Living, of course.”
Kale feared the wizard would get off track, and she’d never bring him back to the subject of her friend’s health.
“Leetu Bends. Paladin assigned her to the quest. She was injured by mordakleeps. We’ve been helping her, but you must cure her.”
“Why would I do that, my dear?”
“Because Paladin said…”
“Oh yes, of course, I do remember something…Where is this Leetu?”
“In your kitchen, in a hammock the kimens put up.”
“Ahhhh.” The wizard tapped a finger to his temple. “I know which one of my guests you speak of. Quiet young woman, speaks nary a word. Rather uninteresting on the whole, but we shan’t hold that against her. Mordakleeps, you say? Nasty.”
He started walking down the hall in what Kale hoped was the direction of the kitchen. She would have had to go out the door and around the castle to the main entrance to find her way back.
After many twists and turns they came into the warmth of the cozy common room. The kimens and Gymn sat on one of the stuffed chairs while Dar read to them.
Fenworth marched across the room and stood beside Leetu.
“Time to get up,” he barked. “Enough already of dwelling on your misfortune. Revolting creatures, those mordakleeps, but that’s behind you now. If you’re going to live, get up and live.”
Leetu opened her eyes, blinked twice, sat up, and swung her legs out of the hammock.
“Hungry, I bet.” Wizard Fenworth patted her rather awkwardly on the shoulder. “Dar will take care of that.”
He turned to Kale. “You come with me.”
He bolted out the front door with Kale scrambling to make it outside before the door slammed behind him. That was another one of Fenworth’s tricks for disappearing. Grateful that the planking around the castle was tightly woven, Kale scurried to keep up without having to mind her steps too carefully.
“I’m going to answer another question for you.” Fenworth stopped and leaned against a tree, suddenly relaxed, as completely relaxed as he had been energized one second before. “Only fair. No, not the one you didn’t ask, because we’ve forgotten all about that one. This is a bonus question, one for free.”
Kale stood panting. She nodded.
“I have been given information that leads me to conclude the probable purpose Risto intends for the meech egg. I know what he’s up to! No good, of course.
“Part of this information comes from Librettowit’s excellent summation of Risto’s past deeds, which reveal his interests. Part of it comes from my informants, various intelligent animals who can get close to almost anyone without that person, Risto in this instance, being aware.
“Risto thinks he can best Pretender.” Fenworth gave a mirthless laugh and shook his head sadly. “That’s the problem all too many times, ambition, pride. In some cases it’s dangerous to want to be better and prove it. Think of me trying to be better than Wulder. Preposterous! Think of me trying to create something. Foolish beyond measure. I am a lowly wizard privileged to use the gifts of Wulder, and then only in the way He designed them. Yet these imbeciles go about doing evil, and if that isn’t bad enough, they try to top each other in just how evil they can be.”
“What is Risto planning to do?” asked Kale quietly. She dreaded the answer, but she wanted to hear it. She wanted to know what they were facing. She didn’t want Fenworth to talk and talk and never get around to telling her.
“He is going to create another race to do his bidding.