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.Leetu stood to one side of the passage under an outcropping of lightrock.Her face and hair reflected the blue luminescence.Kale looked past her companions for a door, a gate, an opening, but saw none.“You will now pass out of my authority,” said Granny Noon, “into realms that hold danger, not only for you, but for all of the seven high races.I am not to walk with you, but I do follow you with my hope.You will be strong.You will be courageous.Each of you will give of yourself for the good of the others.Do not let fear enslave you.Do not let frenzy bind you.Seek truth.Seek honor.Obey your call to serve Paladin.”The air beside Granny Noon quivered.Ripples of iridescent colors radiated from the stone floor to the arched ceiling.Granny Noon embraced Leetu Bends, patted her on the back, and kissed her cheek.The young emerlindian returned the affectionate gesture and then silently slipped into the shimmering air.The lights held her for a second, and then she was gone.Dar stepped up and bowed with his usual grace and flourish.Granny Noon chuckled, leaned over and hugged the doneel, pressing her brown cheek to his furry side whiskers where the drooping eyebrows mingled with his long mustache.Kale watched Dar leave Granny Noon’s side and walk into the gateway.Again, the radiance sparkled and held his figure for a moment before he moved to beyond where Kale could see.Kale stared as if she would suddenly be allowed a glimpse of the other side.“Well, young o’rant girl,” said Granny Noon, “are you frightened?”“Yes, very.”“Excited?”“That, too.”“You will do well, Kale Allerion.”Kale’s eyes snapped from watching the shimmering gateway to the face of Granny.“Allerion? I’ve never had any name but Kale.”“Now you do.” Granny Noon came close, embraced Kale as she had Leetu, and gave her a parting kiss.“Go, child.Your destiny is on the other side of the gateway.”Kale hung back.“Granny Noon, I’m not worthy.”“None of us is, dear.”Kale looked into Granny Noon’s dark, dark eyes.Kindness, strength, and courage shone in their depths.Kale nodded with a jerk and turned to the gateway.Mesmerized by the constant ebb and flow of prismatic colors, she felt Granny Noon’s presence behind her.Granny Noon rested her small, strong hands on the o’rant girl’s slender shoulders.She felt reassured by her gentle squeeze.“Trust Wulder,” said the old woman’s mellow voice in her ear.“Follow Paladin’s lead.That’s best.You’ll be fine.” The pressure of Granny Noon’s fingers on her shoulders eased up.“Take a deep breath now, and go.Sometimes the passage kind of pinches your lungs.”Kale inhaled deeply, lifted her chin, squared her shoulders, and stepped forward.11THE LEGEND OF UROHMLeaving behind the azure glow reflected off cold stone walls, Kale entered a kaleidoscope of colors shot through with tiny explosions of light.The air thickened around her.Her body pushed through the lights and colors and sticky air and emerged under a sunny sky, surrounded by trees and the fragrance of fresh rain and sweet flowers.A soft breeze brushed against her cheeks and tousled her short curls.“Breathe!” shouted Dar.She barely heard him over a thunderous rushing noise in her ears.Pressure built in her chest, and her lungs felt coated with fire.Her eyes stung, tearing up, blurring her vision.“Breathe!” Dar repeated.He sprang to her side and thumped her on the back between the shoulder blades.Kale coughed and drew gulps of air through her mouth and into her lungs.Her breathing came rapidly and took a minute or two to regain a natural rhythm.Dar guided her to a log and had her sit.Gradually, she noticed the rich and varied greens of trees and underbrush and the lush display of giant wildflowers on prolific vines.The vivid colors made her blink.The roar in her ears separated into birdsong—sharp caws, twitters, chirps, whistles, and melodious trills.A legion of forest insects added to the din.“We’ll eat our noonday meal here,” said Leetu, lowering her pack to the ground.“After a little rest, we’ll begin our trek to The Bogs.”“Where are we?” asked Kale.“Fairren Forest,” answered Dar.“About five miles west of Bedderman’s Bog.Granny Noon wouldn’t put us down in the swamp.Too easy to step right out of the gateway into something nasty.” Dar chortled.“Or even someone nasty.”“What kind of creatures live there?”“Not as many flesh-eaters as you would think.”“Dar!” Kale heard Leetu’s reprimand given directly to the doneel’s mind.His response was muffled as he ducked his head and rummaged in his pack, “Well, it isn’t completely terror-free.But there’s a good chance we won’t be accosted by gruesome bisonbecks or odious mordakleeps.”“Dar…” Leetu glared at the little doneel.“What?” He spread his hands in a gesture of innocence.“Eat your lunch,” she commanded.“Fine, if you see no reason to worry about bisonbecks who do the bidding of Risto”—he sat down on a log and pulled out his lunch—“or mordakleeps who team up with anything nasty and currently have a wonderful working relationship with that same evil wizard Risto, then why should I worry? Why should we warn Kale?”Leetu’s scowl turned darker.Dar lifted his sandwich to his mouth, but had one more thing to say before he bit into it.“Actually, I agree with you.Worrying now over an encounter that might occur later would only ruin our digestion.”Leetu threw her hands in the air in a gesture of exasperation.She turned away from the doneel and faced Kale.“Just eat,” she commanded.“We have a long way to go.It isn’t necessary to conjure up visions of disaster.Paladin has equipped us to handle whatever comes.”The emerlindian sat down and pulled out a book as well as a packet of food.She glared once more at Dar, who chewed contentedly without showing the least concern that he had upset the leader of their expedition.Kale reached into the left-hand hollow inside her cape and pulled out one of the packets Granny Noon had provided.When she opened the bundle wrapped in a gauzy cloth, she found a sandwich made of tasty jimmin poultry.The lettuce popped with freshness when she bit into it, and tomato juice ran down her chin.Her stomach rumbled in appreciation, but her mind dwelt on something other than her hunger.She firmly ignored Dar’s hints at danger
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