Read Online Earth's Magic by Pamela F. Service - Free Book Online Page B

“If your mother would drop by, maybe she could give you some pointers. And I wish she would come. We’ve got a job for her.”
    “Want Mama? I call.”
    With that, the little dragon raised its head and let out a piercing screech. Merlin clapped his hands to his ears. Seconds later the other baby dragons had scurried into the courtyard and were adding their screechings to the call. Curious people poured from the building and retreated almost immediately as the volume of sound rose.
    After the calling finally ended, Merlin found himself crouched on the ground with his arms over his head. He tried to shake the ringing from his ears and got unsteadily to his feet. Sil had left his shoulder and was sitting with the other two, looking expectantly up into the western sky.
    People were cautiously coming into the courtyard again. Arthur walked up to Merlin. “What was that incredible sound? My ears are throbbing.”
    Merlin looked into the sky where the dragons had fixed their gaze. “I think that was you getting what you asked for.” He pointed to where a white speck, which at first had looked like the evening star, was drawing closer. Soon they could make out the shape of a glowing white dragon. Hastily the crowd moved back from the center of the courtyard as the great wings stirred up dust and the dragon settled among them.
    “Mama! Mama! Mama!” came the cry from three small, scaly throats.
    Blanche lowered her head and examined the three. “Nice-lookingchicks, all right. So, kids, you hooked up with this lot, did you?”
    Her red eyes glared around at the people still crowded into the courtyard. At that, the three dragonlets split up, Goldie leaping onto Rus’s back, Sil scrambling onto Merlin’s shoulder, and Red onto Arthur’s.
    Blanche snorted. “Well,
one
of you seems to have made a good attachment. So, babies, you needed me for something?”
    Arthur forced himself to step forward. “Actually, madam, I have need of you.”
    Settling comfortably onto her haunches, she said amicably, “Ah, Pendragon, how can I be of assistance?”
    “It appears that there is a major battle looming. One that involves both our world here and the Otherworlds.”
    She snorted out a sulfurous cloud. “Yes, I have heard. At least this time if the world gets destroyed, it won’t all be the doing of you humans. Not that this is a big improvement. Destroyed is destroyed.”
    “We are hoping that we can prevent the world from being destroyed—with your help.”
    “Hmm. Well, there’s nothing like becoming a mother to make one suddenly care about life going on. What do you have in mind?”
    “I need to send a team of two as rapidly as possible to all of the shires allied with us. Their job will be to help in the battle preparations and to tell them when and where their forces need to assemble. The time may be too short to rely on horses, but no one is as swift as a dragon.”
    “That last is certainly true, but you are asking me to carry people again? I rather thought I was through with that. Yet I suppose as long as your team doesn’t include that annoying, meddlesome teenage wizard of yours, I’m game.”
    “It would be Welly and Takata.”
    Takata boldly stepped forward, tossing back her long black braids and staring confidently at the large dragon. More hesitantly, Welly followed.
    Blanche scrutinized them. “Humph. That young warrior I carried before certainly hasn’t gotten any lighter, and his girlfriend is a solid mass of
heavy
muscle.”
    “But, Blanche,” Welly said nervously, “I know you’re awfully short of treasure, for a dragon, I mean. And I’m sure if you help, the King will be able to find some awfully nice stuff for you.”
    Blanche shot an indignant gout of flame into the air. “I will
not
be bribed! True, I could use some real treasure. It is only my due as a respectable dragon. But I am not to be bought!” Smoke curled around her face, nearly hiding her thoughtful scowl. “Still, this promises to