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time. Tend to Leetu first.
In the corner of the next dungeon, they found Leetu s form rolled against a cold stone wall. Moisture
oozed from the rocks and flowed down on the emerlindian. Leetu slept in damp clothing and a shallow
puddle that smelled heavily of rusty iron.
Shimeran put his fists to his hips and glowered at the tenants of the dungeon.  Where is the kimen who
stands by her friend at this hour?
The wretched prisoners shook their heads, cowering away from the angry, two-foot-tall kimen.
Dar moved to stand by Shimeran and spoke quietly.  Do you think they even saw Leetu s kimen
companion?
Shimeran shrugged off the question.  I will know why the emerlindian was left alone. He knelt beside
Leetu. He felt her forehead and shook his head.  Her skin is hot, yet she shivers. Let us see what we can
do for her.
Dar, Kale, and Shimeran moved Leetu s body, limp and feverish, to a drier spot.
 This one is near death, announced Shimeran in a solemn voice.
A fierce denial rose to Kale s lips, but she bit it back. It had taken them a long time to reach their
comrade.
I don t really know if Gymn can cure someone so weak.
With help from Dar and Shimeran, Kale laid her cape on the dirty floor and moved Leetu onto the
woven moonbeam material. Kale sat down next to her and tenderly pulled Gymn from his pocket-den at
the edge of the cape. She held him close to her chest, nestled in her folded arms.
 Wake up, little one, she cooed to the dragon.  We have work to do.
Gymn wrinkled his nose against the putrid smells of the dungeon and tucked his head against Kale s
sleeve. With a forefinger, she lifted his scaly chin. The young beast blinked his eyes in the kimen s light.
She remembered Shimeran had called the golden glow  hope.
 We must try, she told Gymn. She peeled him off her arm and laid him against Leetu s pallid cheek.
The emerlindian did not stir. Kale left one hand on the healing dragon and placed the other on Leetu s
soiled arm.
A sparkling voice called to them.  You ve come to rescue the emerlindian. What s happened here? Only
an hour ago this place was like a tomb. Nothing living but me and the Paladin warrior.
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  Seezle! Shimeran s voice rang with displeasure.  I should have known. Where have you been?
 Easy, big brother. I went to get fresh water, a blanket, and some food.
Kale looked quickly at the small female kimen. From under the folds of her garment, Seezle produced a
loaf of bread, a flask, and a heavy, folded cloth.
Shimeran grunted.  The emerlindian cannot eat. We will dribble some water into her mouth. These
comrades will eat the food. I know not when they last ate, but their journey has been long and  tis not
over yet.
Kale gladly accepted the drink and bread. Although they still had some provisions in their stores from
Granny Noon, it had been some time since they d eaten. While Kale s cape with its full hollows was
within easy reach, Dar s belongings were back in the forest with Celisse. Truthfully, she hadn t thought
about food and how hungry she was until she saw Seezle s offering. Kale shared with Gymn. Dar
eloquently thanked the kimen and set right to work on the scant meal.
With the edge taken off her hunger, Kale turned back to her role with the ailing emerlindian and Gymn.
She wondered if the healing process would be as exhilarating as it had been when they worked on
Celisse s wounds. Leetu s wounds were deep in her being old, not fresh and inflicted by an evil
touch. Celisse s wounds had been to the surface flesh, relatively newly dealt, and delivered by an arrow
rather than the physical touch of wickedness. This would not be a simple healing.
Feeling unequal to her task, Kale positioned herself next to Leetu with Gymn again on the emerlindian s
cheek. Hoping Wulder would strengthen her poor efforts, the o rant girl placed her hands in the correct
position to complete the circle.
Kale felt Dar and Shimeran move away. They would plot the freedom of the other prisoners. Kale
would concentrate on Leetu.
When Dar nudged Kale s shoulder, she realized she must have fallen asleep. She lay beside Leetu, her
hands still touching the emerlindian and Gymn, making the healing circle.
 Kale. Dar s voice penetrated the fog of her mind. She raised her head without letting go of the circle.
She tried to focus on Dar s face but found that his long sideburns on fuzzy cheeks blurred with the rock
wall behind him.
He spoke quietly.  Shimeran has gathered all the kimens who live within the fortress.
 They live inside? Her voice felt hoarse.
 Yes, as uninvited tenants. In fact, Risto doesn t know they are here.
Dar s eyes traveled around the dingy cell. He looked ill at ease. She noticed Shimeran s light had been
replaced with a torch on the wall.
Dar fingered a small metal pick and held it up for her to see.  I am undoing the locks while the kimens
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are gone.
 We re alone?
 We are never alone. Dar s word echoed strongly on the solid walls. He straightened his shoulders.
She struggled to understand the doneel s words. The intense process of healing Leetu shielded her
thoughts from the things going on around her. He had said someone was gone, and they weren t alone. It
didn t make sense.  Gone? Who s gone?
 The kimens. They ve gone out to gather more of their people. Those kimens who are used to being
inside the walls will guide kimens from outside into the fortress. Our hope is there will be one kimen to
help each of these prisoners escape.
Kale nodded. Her head sank back to the ground.
Some time later she felt a touch on her wrist. She opened her eyes. Dar bent over her, fastening a
slender green rope on her arm.
 What is that? she whispered.
 A glean band. It will protect you when the hornets attack.
Kale sat up, letting go of both Leetu and Gymn.  Hornets? Groggy from her sleep and the healing, she
looked around the room for a battalion of stinging insects. Instead, she saw a dungeon devoid of
prisoners.
 Not here yet, said Dar as he placed the same kind of bracelet around Leetu s limp arm.  I am learning
the most amazing things, Kale. Kimens have warriors and arm themselves with natural weapons. They
plan to bomb the bisonbeck soldiers with hornet nests. Clever, don t you think?
Kale shook the muzzy feeling from her brain.  Dar, what s going on? Did the magic return and cover the
people, or are we really alone? How long have I been asleep? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]