Dragons of the Watch

  “No!” Dikendraval’s grip on her arm tightened. “I have a better idea. We’ll go be servants at the Muskagillians’ Ball.”

  “Servants? Your mother won’t let me go down to the street, but she’d let us masquerade as servants?”

  “Everyone does it. Well, all the young women. You get a chance to see all the fabulous ball gowns, hear the music, and all you do is carry trays into the public rooms and offer refreshments to the guests. It’s the only way you or I will ever get to see such grandeur. My mother and probably your aunt did the same thing when they were young.”

  Ellie looked at Aunt Tiffenbeth’s flushed face. Her aunt admired the people parading past. Her own heart had been set on seeing this pageantry, but after months in a bottle city with Bealomondore, all she wanted was to see him.

  She heard Dikendraval’s mother say, “The people in the next carriage are friends of Princess Tipper. The skinny old man is Wizard Fenworth. The tumanhofer beside him is a librarian and works for the wizard. His name is Librettowit. I thought Sir Beccaroon would be in this coach, but he may be in the parent carriage later on. The tumanhofer in the red coat is Graddapotmorphit Bealomondore, a very talented man who has a varied career from warrior to society darling. Five years ago, everyone who was anyone wanted a Bealomondore portrait hanging in their homes. Now he is more of a statesman than a pet of the upper classes.”

  The carriage passed directly under their balcony. Ellie and Dikendraval jumped up and down, waving their arms in the air, and calling out to Bealomondore.

  “Girls!” Aunt Tiffenbeth and her friend shoved past their spouses to bring the two young women in line.

  Dikendraval’s mother went so far as to wrap her arms around her daughter and hold her still. “You must be an example to our country guest. She doesn’t necessarily know how to behave, but you do.”

  Ellicinderpart and Dikendraval had listened to a three-hour-long lecture about correct behavior in polite society. The aunt and mother even pulled out a book on etiquette and read chapters from between the covers. Ellie agonized over whether or not they’d be allowed to serve at the Muskagillians’ Ball. In the end, Dikendraval’s father and her uncle took pity on the poor young ladies, cut short the scolding, and sent them off to get dressed.

  The uniforms for service were a deep purple with a white apron, white collar, and white band around the hem. They looked better than the few dresses Ellie had owned before joining her aunt and uncle. Her aunt had wrangled her curly hair into a snood to keep it back from her face as she served.

  Now she entered the back door of the Muskagillians’ mansion and could hardly contain her anticipation. Surely Bealomondore would be here. Dikendraval said everyone would be here.

  The house chef explained their duties. Each of the volunteer servants had a silver tray. They arranged the appetizers on the tray themselves from a huge table laden with mouth-watering morsels of food. They would tour the public rooms of the mansion until their trays were half empty. The young ladies would then return to replenish the appetizers. The cycle would be repeated until the guests sat down for a late supper. A few of the experienced servants would wait on the tables. The other girls were encouraged to gather in the kitchen and sample the leftovers.

  On her first foray into the public rooms, Ellie spotted Wizard Fenworth’s pointed hat. She meandered in that direction, hoping to deliver the message given to her by Wizard Pater. She also hoped to find out if Bealomondore had spoken to him about the bottle city and where her tumanhofer friend might be.

  Guests wanting a sample from her tray delayed her progress. She became impatient and had to laugh at herself. After all, the only reason she could mingle with this crowd was because of her duty to hand out the fancy slivers of food. She had to go replenish her refreshments twice before she finally found herself next to Wizard Fenworth, Lady Peg, and Librettowit.

  “I know you,” said Lady Peg. “I’m Lady Peg, but perhaps I don’t need to say that if I know you. And I do know you. I’m Princess Tipper’s mother. Do you know me?”

  “I know who you are, Lady Peg, but I don’t think we’ve ever met.”

  Tipper’s mother turned to Wizard Fenworth. “Do you know this young lady, Fenworth?”

  The wizard looked at Ellie with squinted eyes. He patted his robes, dislodging a lizard that crawled back into the folds of the elegant material. The wizard located the pocket he wanted and pulled out a pair of glasses. He perched them on his nose and studied Ellie.

  He nodded. “I know her.”

  “Who is she?” asked Lady Peg.

  “Perhaps we should ask her.”

  “But if we know her, we shouldn’t have to, should we?”

  “Definitely not.” The wizard took off his glasses, a bug sitting on one lens, and addressed his librarian. “Librettowit, what is the etiquette in this society when you meet someone you know at a formal gala event but the person in question comes to you without a proper name?”

  Librettowit shook his head. “We do know her name.”

  Fenworth turned to Lady Peg. “Not to worry, dear lady. We do know her name.”

  “We do?”

  “Librettowit says we do.”

  Ellie felt like she was the birdie in a game of birdnet. The conversation bounced around among the three friends and left her standing there, holding the appetizers. Would jumping into this conversation between royalty and distinguished guests from another country be rude?

  “Well,” said Lady Peg, “I’m certain I know her face. I don’t know this dress except that it is being worn by all these lovely, helpful young women. But the face was on another dress. I’m certain of it. Not actually on the dress but above it. Not exactly above the dress as in floating. That would be unsettling. But attached to a body that was in the dress.”

  Ellie started to giggle. Bealomondore had tried to explain Lady Peg’s penchant for wandering thoughts. Now Ellie understood.

  Her laughter caught their interest, and the three focused on her.

  She smiled at them all. “I have a message from Wizard Pater for Wizard Fenworth.”

  Wizard Fenworth clapped his hands together. Butterflies escaped from his wide sleeves. “Bealomondore’s mysterious lady in the portrait. Ellicinderpart Clarenbessipawl. His bride-to-be!”

  Lady Peg’s face glowed at the announcement. “You’re right, Fenworth. But Bealomondore gave you the message, did he not?”

  She stepped forward, and Ellie just managed to keep from spilling her tray as she was embraced by the royal mother of Princess Tipper.

  “Ellie!” The voice behind her sent shivers up her arms and through her heart. Lady Peg released her and turned her around.

  Bealomondore grabbed the tray and thrust it into Lady Peg’s hands. He gathered Ellie into his arms and kissed her. Her first thought was relief and pleasure. He still loved her. Her second thought was that she was a serving girl being embraced by one of the elite. This should be done in private or perhaps, some would say, not at all. Her third thought was she didn’t care.

  He released her enough to look into her eyes. “I’ve been here for two months. Two long months, waiting for you. Fenworth explained that you came out of the bottle at your own time. We couldn’t go back to dissolve the bottle because we needed your soaked clothing as well to have enough of the memories.” He pulled her close again, her head on his shoulder. “Oh, it feels good to hold you.”

  Ellie heard Lady Peg behind her. “Yes, isn’t this sweet? Long-lost love. Not years, of course, but months. Still, that’s hard for young lovers. Would you like an appetizer? These little lemon cakes are especially tasty, but I haven’t tried those brown crinkly ones because they look like bugs, and I always associate bugs with headaches or upset stomachs. Would you like to try one of these brown things, Fenworth? Librettowit?”

  Her voice faded, and Ellie peeked. The princess’s mother had taken over her job, circulating among the guests, offering refreshment.

  Bealomondore gave her a last squeeze an
d let her go, with only his arm still around her waist. “My parents are here.” He stretched his neck and looked around. “I want you to meet them, and then we can dance and feast and dance some more. I’ll introduce you to many of my friends.”

  “I can’t meet them now. I’m supposed to be serving.”

  “You can’t. Lady Peg went off with your tray.”

  She felt the bond sizzle between them as if reconnecting. He studied her face, then nodded.

  “This is my cousin’s house. I’ll find her, and she’ll take you upstairs to her room where she has dozens of ball gowns. Then when you’re comfortably attired, our evening can begin.”

  Bealomondore sat in the foyer at the base of the grand staircase and literally twiddled his thumbs. When he became aware of what he was doing, he stopped. Then his knee jiggled. He kept trying to reach Ellie through mindspeaking, just to tell her to hurry up. There were too many people in the house, and she was too far away and probably busy. His cousin had hugged Ellie and dragged her off with the enthusiasm of a young hostess with a special guest.

  He thought they might never come down. Surely they weren’t doing the hair and nails and all the other falderal women normally did before a ball. If they were, he’d get to dance only the last dance with his fiancée.

  He felt her coming. Her spirit felt like a spring bubbling out of a forest glade, fresh snowmelt providing crystal-clear water. He stood and waited at the bottom of the steps until she came into view.

  She looked stunning, a portrait of grace and innocence. How could he have found someone so perfect? He thought about the chances of them both falling into a bottle city and smiled. This was not by chance. This meeting was orchestrated by Wulder.

  Floating in the wide skirt of golds and browns, with a snug bodice of pale gold satin, she looked like a doll his sisters had played with, a beautiful porcelain doll with perfect form and dark coloring. He’d have to start another portrait of Ellicinderpart tomorrow. The first did not do her justice.

  He took her hand at the bottom of the stairs and nodded to his cousin, who had accompanied Ellie. He led her into the ballroom and swirled her onto the dance floor the minute they stepped through the doors.

  Her words breathless with excitement, she protested. “I don’t know how to dance like this.”

  “But you’re dancing.”

  “I think it’s the bond we have between us. I think your mind is telling my body what to do. Bealomondore, we are even breathing in rhythm.”

  He pulled her closer for a tight turn. “I think our hearts are beating as one as well.”

  “Bealomondore, I love you.”

  “And I love you, Ellicinderpart.”

  They maneuvered through three steps that parted them and brought them back together. Words passed between their minds and hearts, unspoken but truly committed.

  “May it ever be so.”

  “I’ll just do this little thing I call a swirl.” Fenworth lifted his arms while Ellie and Bealomondore watched.

  “Wait!” Ellie reached for the wizard’s arm. “I’ve been told about the swirling. Where are we going?”

  Wizard Fenworth shook his head as if clearing it. “To rescue the inhabitants of Rumbard City. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be doing? I had it clearly marked on my calendar. Today the urohms of Chiril who wish to participate in assimilating the orphans into society will gather at Bellsawyer. That’s their part of this endeavor. Am I not right?”

  “Yes sir,” Ellie said. “But are we going to swirl into the bottle, or next to it on the outside?”

  Fenworth looked at her for a long moment. “Inside. I’ve tried to understand your reasoning, but you are thinking like a tumanhofer. When Librettowit pulls that trick, it always bamboggles me.”

  He rubbed his hand down his beard. Ellie watched to see what would crawl out and was disappointed when a reptile head poked through the shanks of hair and then pulled back.

  “Quite possibly you should ask your questions of him, not me. Where is he? Shouldn’t he be here? I seem to remember him going on about studying Tuck.”

  “Yes,” said Ellie, “that’s another reason we need to wait.”

  “I’m here! I’m here!” Librettowit rounded the corner, carrying a portfolio of papers. “Let’s go.”

  Bealomondore squeezed with the arm he had around Ellie. She squeezed back. The tales she’d heard about swirling were disconcerting. She closed her eyes as the room seemed to whirl around her. Random sounds punctuated the roar of wind: cattle mooing, a crack of thunder, a child crying, and someone singing, not very well.

  The odd sensations ceased, and she opened her eyes. Children sat at the long dining hall tables. Wizard Pater read as he ate, his face buried in the pages, unaware of their arrival. The minor dragons flew from their perches and did circles above their heads, chittering a happy melody. Tak bleated and ran to greet Ellie. She let go of Bealomondore and wrapped her arms around the goat’s neck.

  She looked over his body at the children. They smiled and waved in between scooping spoonfuls of soup into their mouths. She wondered what this spell was called.

  Librettowit was already making notes, examining the architecture and sketching things of interest.

  “Pater,” said Wizard Fenworth. “It’s been centuries since I’ve seen you.”

  The trapped wizard lifted his head from the reading and slowly took in his visitors. He smiled, closed the book, and got up. “Do you require sustenance? We have a fine pot of green stew.”

  “No, no,” said Fenworth. “We’ve come to dissolve the bottle. I will need a few things from you, but I think we can manage it. My librarian brought along some notes on bottle cities and the dissolution of such.”

  Ellie looked up at Bealomondore and whispered, “He thinks they can manage it? Bealomondore, are we stuck in the bottle again?”

  Bealomondore shook his head. “They’ll take care of it.”

  As the children finished eating, they got up, took their dishes to the kitchen, then walked quietly to the door leading to the big hall. Once beyond that door, they shook off the spell.

  Toady gave a leap, twisted in midair, and came barreling back into the room. She threw her arms around Ellie. “Don’t go away again. He makes us behave!”

  “We’re all going to get out of here, and there are urohm parents waiting to take you to a new home.”

  “Really?” She jumped up and down, then tore out of the room to inform the others. “We’re going to have parents!”

  The last boy at the table finally emptied his bowl. He got up and moved to the kitchen as if he were being led to his own execution. Ellie wondered if he had to do the dishes. But he deposited his bowl in the sink. He made his trip to the door of escape with his shoulders slumped and his chin on his chest.

  “Yawn?” Ellie said as he passed.

  He didn’t respond, but she thought it was because of whatever spell Wizard Pater had used to influence his behavior.

  When he crossed the threshold to the other room, he turned and looked at Ellie, Tak, and Bealomondore. Ellie smiled at him, and he slunk back into the room to stand before them.

  “Do you know who Wulder is?” he asked in a gravelly voice.

  Ellie and Bealomondore answered in unison, “Yes.”

  “Wizard Pater told me lots about Him.” He paused and shuffled his feet. “Do you think there’s going to be parents who will take me?”

  Ellie’s heart hurt. She put an arm around the tough leader of the gang. “Yes, I think so.”

  Yawn didn’t look at her. He studied Tak. “Do you think we could find parents who can forgive like this Wulder does? I think I’m going to need parents who know how to forgive. At least for a little while.”

  Ellie nodded. “That’s what we’ll look for.”

  “Wizard Pater says I have bad habits but that they’re just habits, they aren’t really me. And you can get rid of habits.” Yawn put his hand on Tak’s head and rubbed between the horns. “I’m doing
better. Wizard Pater says so.”

  “I’m sure,” Ellie said, praying that it was true, “that you will do better and better now that you don’t have to be with only children all the time. And your parents will teach you things. That will be interesting. It’s harder to be good when you’re bored. You’ll get older. It’s easier to decide to do right things.”

  “It’s the practice,” said Bealomondore. “The more you practice doing good, the easier it is to make the right choices.”

  Yawn nodded. “Yeah, Wizard Pater says something like that.”

  A low rumble vibrated the floor. The dragons jumped and chittered.

  Ellie looked at Bealomondore.

  “Let’s go check it out,” he said and started toward the door.

  Ellie took Yawn’s hand and pulled him along with them. Tak dogged her steps as if to say she couldn’t leave him behind again. The minor dragons made a ruckus as they flew over their heads and sped to the source of the noise.

  The air became thick.

  Dust poured in through the door to the subter. The children coughed.

  “Put cloth over your noses,” Bealomondore ordered. He put his own nose in the crook of his elbow and rushed to the open door to close it. “Let’s move away from this room.”

  “Tut, tut, no need,” said Fenworth from the hallway. “It will clear away in no time. I’ve summoned a stiff breeze from the ocean. I think it was the ocean. Not being on the surface obstructed my accuracy.”

  The wizard went to the door and opened it. After sticking his head out and looking in both directions in the tunnel, he motioned them forward. Everyone followed him as they made their way out of Tuck and into Rumbard City. When they stepped on the surface, Old One and Orli were there to meet them.

  “The city’s gone,” exclaimed Cinder, the first of the children to see outside.

  Old One looked around and nodded in agreement. “It never should have been here in the first place.”

  Wizard Fenworth put his hands on his hips. “I wasn’t expecting this. How about you, Pater?”

  The wizard nodded. “I thought Wulder would take our spell one step further. I’ve been asking Him for years to wipe away our mistakes and give us a new chance.”