DragonFire by Donita K. Paul Read Free Book Online Page A

“What’s going on with them, Kale?”
    “Gilda is tired. That’s all. Remember, for many years she escaped that bottle for only short lengths of time. And conversely, she feels claustrophobic in this tunnel. She longs to be out in the open.”
    Bardon didn’t respond. But he didn’t dampen soon enough the frisson of apprehension that shivered through his soul.
    “Why are you worried?” Kale asked.
    “Gilda may not be an asset on this quest. Whatever it is that Paladin wants us to do, I’m sure it will be arduous. Gilda has always been pampered.”
    Kale turned to study Regidor. Bardon felt her emotions well up, but not a muscle in his wife’s face betrayed her turmoil.
    Bardon whispered. “Regidor appears strong, sophisticated, intelligent, and unflappable.”
    “Yes,” Kale agreed, “but his vulnerable spot walks beside him.”
    Gilda fussed over a smudge on her dress. Bardon and his lady exchanged a look.
    Bardon sighed.
I’m not sure Gilda’s loyalty to Wulder is stronger than her love of self.
    Pat flew from some distance ahead of them and circled Kale’s head, chirring a distress signal.
    “What is it?” asked Bardon.
    “Druddums.”
    “Druddums?”
    “A lot of druddums.”
    Granny Noon stopped and turned to face them. “I hear them,” she said and came back to clutch Bardon’s arm. “We need to get out of their way.”
    “Get as close to each other as possible,” Bardon ordered. “Kale, a shield!”
    Regidor hurried to join them, pulling Gilda with him.
    She joined hands with her meech wizard colleague, and within a second, they had thrown up a barrier as clear and hard as glass but unbreakable. The six minor dragons flew in circles around the top of the protected questers.
    The noise increased. A stampede of small, dark creatures hurtled through the tunnel. Some slammed into the protective sphere, but most of the steady stream of animals separated, ran around the obstruction, then merged again as a treacherous torrent. The glistening shell vibrated against the disturbance but did not shatter.
    Kale and Regidor maintained the shield after the inundation of druddums subsided.
    “My,” said Granny Noon. “I’ve never seen the likes of that before. Whatever do you suppose got into them?” She patted first Kale’s arm and then Regidor’s. “Thank you for your quick action. That could have been quite unpleasant. But we’re all safe.”
    Regidor started, and the protective bubble expanded and contracted as if with a hiccup. “Where’s Gilda?”
    Bardon looked around in amazement. The female meech was gone. “Where is she?” he repeated.
    “She was inside the shell.” Kale, too, peered from side to side as if hunting for a lost child. “She was here. I saw her!”
    Regidor dropped Kale’s hand and touched the inside of their haven. “She couldn’t get out any more than those druddums could get in.”
    “Then,” asked Kale, “where is she?”

          7          
    A NOTHER D ANGER
    Kale and Regidor released the shield. Although Regidor moved slowly, examining minute details of the walls, ceiling, and floor of the tunnel, Kale felt the growing panic in her friend.
    She turned to the wise emerlindian. “What do you think has happened, Granny Noon?”
    “Gilda was startled. There’s no telling what a meech dragon of a skittish nature will do.”
    “I’ve always thought of Gilda as languid, not skittish.”
    “Under the draining influence of that horrible spell, of course she lacked vigor.” Granny Noon gestured toward the tall dragon as he ran long fingers over a fissure in the limestone wall. Ardeo hovered close by, providing as much light as possible.
    “Try to imagine Regidor without his enthusiasm for life. Most meech are insatiable in their exploration of nature. They abound with vitality. In Gilda’s case, since her release from the spell, I’ve discerned an unsettled inclination. She’s as edgy as she is eager.”
    Kale’s eyes widened as