Calling on Dragons Read Online Free

and went slowly around the end of the lilac. “Now, then—good heavens.”
    Standing on the far side of the lilac was an enormous white rabbit. He was at least six feet tall, not counting the ears that drooped miserably down his back. Apart from his size, he did not seem unusual to Morwen: he had bright black eyes, a pink nose, and long whiskers. His front paw was caught in the branches of the lilac bush.
    â€œI don’t suppose you can do anything about this,” the rabbit said gloomily. He tugged at his paw and the top of the lilac waved wildly to and fro.
    From the apple tree, Murgatroyd hissed again. The rabbit cringed. “Stop that, both of you,” Morwen commanded. “I think I can help if you’ll hold still. What is your name, by the way?”
    â€œKiller,” said the rabbit in the same melancholy tone.
    Morwen blinked, then shook her head. Rabbits had the oddest ideas about appropriate names. Perhaps it was because they had to come up with so many of them. She peered into the tangled heart of the lilac, then reached through the outer branches and tapped one of the fat trunks at the center. With a reluctant creak, the trunk bent slowly outward, freeing Killer’s paw.
    â€œMy goodness,” said the rabbit. He looked at his paw as if he were not quite sure it was properly attached, then shook it, then wiggled its toes. “My goodness gracious. Thank you very much, ma’am.”
    â€œMorwen. And I would still like that explanation.”
    A low, warning growl of agreement came out of the apple tree, and a moment later Murgatroyd scrambled down through the apple’s branches to the fence rail.
    Killer gave the cat a nervous look and began backing away. “It isn’t a very interesting story. I’m sure you all have better things to do.”
    â€œAll?” Morwen glanced back over her shoulder. Fiddlesticks, Miss Eliza, Aunt Ophelia, Jasmine, Trouble, Chaos, and Scorn were lined up in a long row at the bottom of the garden, staring at the rabbit. They made an intimidating picture. When Morwen looked at Killer again, he had retreated another couple of feet. Morwen glared.
    â€œI, ah, was just going,” said the rabbit. “You see, I’m late.”
    â€œFor what?” Morwen demanded.
    â€œSomething important, I’m sure. Not that it matters. I’m always late, you see. It runs in the family; my brother even got himself a big gold pocket watch, and he still can’t get anywhere on time.”
    â€œIn that case, it won’t matter if you’re a little later. How did you happen to get caught in my lilac bush?”
    The rabbit sighed. “I wanted something to eat, and this thing—you say it’s a lilac?—looked large enough for a meal. It takes a lot to fill me up, now that I’m so big. Only I couldn’t reach the bit I wanted, and when I tried, the branches twisted around and I got stuck, and then
he
snarled at me—” Killer broke off, cringing, as Murgatroyd demonstrated the snarl for Morwen’s benefit.
    Morwen frowned at the rabbit. “How long have you been six feet tall?”
    â€œSeven feet, eleven inches,” corrected Killer, “counting the ears. Since this morning. And it’s no fun, believe me. I’m hungry all the time, and I don’t fit in my hole, and I can’t hide under bushes the way I used to.”
    â€œAnd how did you happen to grow so large so quickly?”
    â€œI don’t know.” Killer sighed again and his ears lifted and dropped expressively. “I was just nibbling at my clover patch when all of a sudden everything started shrinking. The next thing I knew, I was nearly eight feet tall—counting the ears—and there wasn’t enough clover for a snack, much less breakfast. It didn’t even taste right,” he finished sadly.
    â€œBefore or after you started growing?”
    The rabbit’s ears stiffened as he frowned