Read Online Dragons of the Valley by Donita K. Paul - Free Book Online

way up to his shoulder, then smiled.
    “You found something, sir?” asked Hollee, trying to be still and not wiggle with anticipation.
    “What? No. No, no. Just a touch of aches in the old bones. Elbow to be exact. The hat is certainly useful.” He pulled out his arm, flexed the joints, and then dove into his inner pockets once more. “Here, here,” he announced as he removed two limp pouches. He handed them to Bealomondore. “A bag of money. A bag of food.”
    The tumanhofer shifted the sword to lie across his other arm so he could take the pouches.
    Fenworth grinned. “I’ve found the lot.” He began loading Bealomondore’s arms with packages and various items. “A tent, a blanket for when it’s freezing, a cooling sheet for when it’s unbearably hot, cooking spices, cooking utensils, eating utensils, maps, traps, wraps, and this thingamajiggy, a perpetual lamp, an antidote for most poisons, a hunting knife, a soldier knife, and a butter knife. That should do it.” He patted his sides. “Oh, wait.” He reached in one more time and produced a small brown paper bag. “Tea.” He held up a finger again. “You’ll need a garment to carry your belongings in. I’ll mention it to Winkel.”
    The tumanhofer’s expression changed from suspicious to outraged. “Are you giving this to me?”
    “Yes.”
    “I don’t need all this,” Bealomondore sputtered. “I’ve never owned a sword, and I don’t want to. And I don’t need money and food. I don’t need any of this. What are you up to?”
    Wizard Fenworth held up a finger while he delved into his robe pockets with the other hand. “Oh, but you might go on a quest, and then you’d need them.”
    “I’m staying here.” He looked around for a place to dump his armload of unwanted treasure.
    “Yes, yes, I think that’s it.” Fenworth stopped examining his pockets and gestured to Hollee to come. “We’re going to visit the enemy. Artist, are you sure you don’t want to join us? A gruesome beast might make a good subject for a drawing.”
    Bealomondore shook his head slowly from side to side. “I’m staying here.”
    Fenworth opened the door and looked back over his shoulder. “Last chance.”
    Bealomondore’s jaw tightened. He spoke through clenched teeth. “Have a good trip.”
    “Thank you. We will. Come, Hollee. I must say I like your name. I like the way it uses the tongue so aptly.” He pronounced her name again with great relish. “Hollee. Hollee, it will be a pleasure scouting with you.”
    Hollee jumped up and skipped out. She pulled the door closed behind her and zipped to catch up to the wizard’s long strides. He stopped short, and she just avoided running into the back of his legs.
    “The statue. I must take
Evening Yearns
with us. We wouldn’t want something to happen to it while we’re away.”
    “But I thought they needed to be together.”
    “Yes, yes, quite right. But I took on the duty of keeping that statue safe. How can I keep it safe if I leave it here?”
    “Will we be gone long?”
    The wizard shrugged. “A day, a week.”
    Hollee thought the statues looked fine in the kimens’ glen. A natural backdrop of trees, grass, and bushes with small animals and butterflies added to the scene. Fenworth yanked one statue out of the serene setting and maneuvered it into a hollow with Hollee’s help.
    “There now, ready to go.” He marched off again, only to come to another abrupt stop with Hollee running into the back of his legs.
    “I must have my walking staff.” He looked up at the trees for a moment, and just before Hollee asked if she could help find the staff, he took off his hat and retrieved it from within.
    “I put it in here to be fixed. Remember that, Hollee. Broken things should be put in the hat, left for mending, and pulled out when needed. Unbroken things should be stored in hollows. But you know all about hollows.”
    Yes, she did, and she had been in one of his. She remembered her night in his hollow