Read Online Dragons of the Watch by Donita K. Paul - Free Book Online
Authors: Donita K. Paul
Ads: Link
“Jump, and I’ll catch you.”
She slid off the bench, and he caught her waist easily, then lowered her to the ground.
He pulled his hands back, and turned to survey the fountain and the small park around it. “Well, where’s Tak? We have a bit of a walk.”
Ellie’s eyes fell on the words blazoned in gold across the front of the huge white building: Rumbard City Library.
Bealomondore led her around to the back of the building to a vent, and she watched as he unscrewed one of the two bolts that held the cover. The two other holes for screws were empty. Once he removed one, he slid the slatted metal sheet down. The grate made a steep and slippery stairway to climb. After Bealomondore helped her navigate the slats, he went back down to help Tak enter.
Ellie assisted the tumanhofer in lifting the cover into place and then holding it while he reinserted the screw. The tumanhofer wedged the loose bolt in between the wall and the cover in such a way as to keep it from swinging down and revealing the secret entrance.
Darkness shrouded the immediate area, but Ellie could see light in the distance. Tak trotted between stacks of wooden boxes. Ellie hurried to catch up.
Sunshine poured through a circular skylight in a round room surrounded by bookcases. Around the edges of the rotunda, plants in huge pots overflowed with thick, tangled vegetation that climbed the walls on its way to the ceiling. Some of the foliage qualified as trees in Ellie’s opinion.
In the center of a white marble floor, sofas and comfortable chairs sat on a lush patterned rug. Several small tables nestled up to the seats.Books were piled high on one table, with more books stacked by the chair next to it.
Drawn to the place where someone obviously spent a lot of time reading, Ellie tiptoed as if she might disturb the unseen patrons of the library with her footsteps. She started at Bealomondore’s voice directly behind her.
“Old One has chosen a varied selection of reading material.”
She put her hand to her chest and spun to face him. “Don’t do that again,” she whispered.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Bealomondore pulled a contrite face.
Ellie didn’t trust him when he looked so abashed and preferred his cavalier demeanor much more. She could label him vain and arrogant and not have to fight the urge to depend upon him. She feared that he would gain her confidence only to trick her somehow.
In Glenbrooken, strangers, sophisticated strangers, were watched until proven proper, moral, and reliable. The villagers, her family, all the neighbors, everyone had manners, but no one was as polished as this well-to-do tumanhofer. She knew family and friends would readily lend a hand, but could Bealomondore be trusted? In Rumbard City, she was without the counsel of older, wiser voices. She would have to discern on her own from the evidence before her.
Bealomondore scaled a stack of books and climbed into the chair. “It’s here. Come on up.”
Curious, she followed his route to the top and peered over the arm of the chair to where Bealomondore struggled with a huge book. He dragged it to the back of the chair and propped it up against the cushion.
As he opened it, he glanced up at Ellie. “I think this is Old One’s journal.”
“His private journal?”
Bealomondore had the grace to look a bit embarrassed. “Well, yes. But he has to know someone is reading it because I never put it back in the position I found it. Some days it isn’t here. And sometimes I think he is writing
to
me because he mentions things that happened years ago like he wants me to know the history.”
“Then why doesn’t he just sit down here and wait for you, then tell you to your face?”
Bealomondore shrugged. “Perhaps if we ever find him, we can ask.” He looked at the open pages and back to Ellie. “Come down and read with me. See what you think.”
She slid down the upholstered arm and landed on the soft seat cushion. Her raggedy
She slid off the bench, and he caught her waist easily, then lowered her to the ground.
He pulled his hands back, and turned to survey the fountain and the small park around it. “Well, where’s Tak? We have a bit of a walk.”
Ellie’s eyes fell on the words blazoned in gold across the front of the huge white building: Rumbard City Library.
Bealomondore led her around to the back of the building to a vent, and she watched as he unscrewed one of the two bolts that held the cover. The two other holes for screws were empty. Once he removed one, he slid the slatted metal sheet down. The grate made a steep and slippery stairway to climb. After Bealomondore helped her navigate the slats, he went back down to help Tak enter.
Ellie assisted the tumanhofer in lifting the cover into place and then holding it while he reinserted the screw. The tumanhofer wedged the loose bolt in between the wall and the cover in such a way as to keep it from swinging down and revealing the secret entrance.
Darkness shrouded the immediate area, but Ellie could see light in the distance. Tak trotted between stacks of wooden boxes. Ellie hurried to catch up.
Sunshine poured through a circular skylight in a round room surrounded by bookcases. Around the edges of the rotunda, plants in huge pots overflowed with thick, tangled vegetation that climbed the walls on its way to the ceiling. Some of the foliage qualified as trees in Ellie’s opinion.
In the center of a white marble floor, sofas and comfortable chairs sat on a lush patterned rug. Several small tables nestled up to the seats.Books were piled high on one table, with more books stacked by the chair next to it.
Drawn to the place where someone obviously spent a lot of time reading, Ellie tiptoed as if she might disturb the unseen patrons of the library with her footsteps. She started at Bealomondore’s voice directly behind her.
“Old One has chosen a varied selection of reading material.”
She put her hand to her chest and spun to face him. “Don’t do that again,” she whispered.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Bealomondore pulled a contrite face.
Ellie didn’t trust him when he looked so abashed and preferred his cavalier demeanor much more. She could label him vain and arrogant and not have to fight the urge to depend upon him. She feared that he would gain her confidence only to trick her somehow.
In Glenbrooken, strangers, sophisticated strangers, were watched until proven proper, moral, and reliable. The villagers, her family, all the neighbors, everyone had manners, but no one was as polished as this well-to-do tumanhofer. She knew family and friends would readily lend a hand, but could Bealomondore be trusted? In Rumbard City, she was without the counsel of older, wiser voices. She would have to discern on her own from the evidence before her.
Bealomondore scaled a stack of books and climbed into the chair. “It’s here. Come on up.”
Curious, she followed his route to the top and peered over the arm of the chair to where Bealomondore struggled with a huge book. He dragged it to the back of the chair and propped it up against the cushion.
As he opened it, he glanced up at Ellie. “I think this is Old One’s journal.”
“His private journal?”
Bealomondore had the grace to look a bit embarrassed. “Well, yes. But he has to know someone is reading it because I never put it back in the position I found it. Some days it isn’t here. And sometimes I think he is writing
to
me because he mentions things that happened years ago like he wants me to know the history.”
“Then why doesn’t he just sit down here and wait for you, then tell you to your face?”
Bealomondore shrugged. “Perhaps if we ever find him, we can ask.” He looked at the open pages and back to Ellie. “Come down and read with me. See what you think.”
She slid down the upholstered arm and landed on the soft seat cushion. Her raggedy
Similar Books
