Donita K. Paul

“I thought you had to go to The Hall?" she said."To learn?" Dar looked genuinely surprised. "No, Kale, Wulder is everywhere, therefore His lessons are everywhere.""I know Wulder made all things, and Pretender tried to copy His work. But I didn't know Wulder is everywhere. How could that be?""You're thinking of Wulder as having a body and moving from place to place." Dar stood and pivoted in a circle with his arms outstretched. "Wulder is everywhere. You can see His power by recognizing His work. When a flower opens, that's His work. When the stars twinkle at night, that's His work."He paused, facing her. He let his arms fall to his sides. "Look at me, Kale. Right now, I am standing with Wulder all around me. I'm under His protection, within His will, standing on His pledge. And Wulder is, at the very same moment, in me.""Me, too?" asked Kale."Yes." Dar knelt in front of her, his earnest face only inches away. She looked into his dark brown eyes and saw strength and peace. She wondered at his patience with her. Often her marione masters gruffly explained things they thought she should already understand.Dar winked before he continued, his funny face serious and yet cheerful at imparting what must be old knowledge to him. "So many people don't know who Wulder is or what He's capable of doing. Their ignorance doesn't make Wulder less of a being; it makes them less. Until they know, they can't be whole."He leaned back and sighed, spread his arms out in a gesture of explanation, and continued, "It's so simple, Kale. Everything hinges on His willingness to be involved with our world. When a mountain stands instead of tumbling down. He's holding it there. If He were to leave..." Dar shook his head. "If He were to leave, all that He holds in order would spin out of control. But He will never leave.”

“Focus on what's ahead. Use what is behind.”

“Not all tongues that wag cohabit with a brain.”

“Fenworth nodded. "Yes, yes. Urgent, deadly, insidious. The world is in peril and we must rise against evil." The old wizard released the general and patted him on the shoulder. "Tea and cake first, don't you think?”

“There can be as many wrong reasons to do the right thing as there are stars in the sky. There might even be more than one legitimate right reason. But there is never a right reason to do the wrong thing. Not ever.”

“Fenworth owned a world-famous library. More rooms held books than beds. Pillows stuffed in niches and comfortable chairs scattered throughout each room offered abundant paces to curl up and read.”

“The odd thing, my dear," said her father, "is that once one has ceased trying to protect self, one finds one's self in a very comfortable position.""Where?" asked Kale"In Wulder's care.”

“I am an author of Christian Fantasy. My first 7 books were Christian Romance, but I came over to the Dark Side when I heard there were cookies.”

“Wear pink. It confuses the enemy.”

“Contented children are valuable, as is the peace that surrounds them.”

“I shall not tell your husband and you shall not tell my wife."Tell them what?"That you and I were outwitted by a ropma."That would be shamful."Girl, we could never live it down.”

“Wear pink!' her mother had said. 'It confuses the enemy.”

“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.”

“There's nothing like a mission to save the world to liven up a vacation.”

“Now it's like a fog has lifted. I sense Leetu just as clearly as I can see the moon.'Your eyes are closed, and the moon as a haze around it.”

“To the wise, a prick on the finger avoids a hole in the heart.”

“Well then,' said Femworth as he came to his feet, 'let's go. Sounds like a delightful challenge before supper. Stimulate the appetite, or kill it. Interesting either way.”

“It's a wisdom that comes from seeing how things work. Things you want to happen always take a long time.' She pointed one little finger at the meech dragon and shook it in his face. 'You may read books and know bunches, but I have lived life longer than you.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? ...She said 'children.' I bet that's anyone under a couple of centuries old. Let's go.”

“A mouse slid out from under his hat and scrambled down his sleeve, across his lap, and down to the floor.Nothing,' said Fenworth, 'should distract from a wizard's dignity.”

“Wouldn't it be most logical for her to change herself into a living thing, like a cat or dog, a bird or mouse?'That would be the easiest transformation, but Risto is above doing something simple.'Still, I'd be happier if Dibl would quit eating those bugs. Dibl, stop it. You might eat Gilda.”

“Come close now,' ordered Fenworth. 'Time for an exit. I think we'll whirl, Kale likes to whirl. Hold hands. Let's stay together, children. I want no one lost.”

“Fenworth!'Yes?'You bore me with your prattle.'Oh, regrettable that. Why don't you seek the company of someone who doesn't prattle? Seems like a good solution to your problem.”

“Most uncomfortable! Did we lose anyone? Head count! Lee Ark, Leetu, and Brunstetter. Three. Should we count the meech egg? No, I think not. Don't drop it, Brunstetter. I'm to take it home and raise it. Ridiculous. Being a parent at my age. Where were we? Oh, yes, three. One o'rant, two kimens, two minor dragons. Eight. A librarian and a diplomat. Ten.”

“Gymn says your fine. He's examined your internal organs and found nothing lacking.”

“He fainted. Then he came to and remembered what happened and fainted again.”

“Perhaps it's rude to notice when a wizard does something strange.”

“We are stronger together.'Dar looked into Kale's eyes...He turned to Lee Ark and nodded pointedly at the hole through which Kale stared. 'It seems to me that we have a problem in this togetherness thing.”