Read Online Chronicles of the Red King #3: Leopards' Gold by Jenny Nimmo - Free Book Online

Guanhamara and touched her dress, pinching the soft blue material between mud-stained fingers. “What mighty fine clothes,” marveled the girl.
    Guanhamara beamed at her. “I’ll find you some clothes just like mine,” she said, taking the girl’s hands.
    “Where have you come from, you poor thing?” asked Elin.
    “Castle Melyntha, ma’am,” murmured Zeba.
    “Not ma’am,” said Elin. “Just Elin.”
    Petrello was eager to follow the queen. Leaving the children with his brother and sister, he ran to the aerie. But the king was already gone.
    The queen was sitting with her arm around Eri. The old man held his head in his hands while he ground his teeth and uttered obscure and ancient oaths.
    Petrello’s presence was ignored.
    Enid, the dragon, waddled around the room, emitting hot snorts of distress and constantly getting in Llyr’s way as he ran around, turning over caskets, lifting rugs, and feeling in the pockets of the different robes that hung on the aerie walls.
    Wyngate was methodically sifting through the crystals on the table. “It might be here,” he said. “You could have —”
    “No,” cried Llyr, motionless at last. “The Seeing Crystal is always kept in this.” He held up a red velvet bag embroidered with a golden eye. “I replaced it before we left to begin the Vanishing. Someone has taken it. Let’s not deceive ourselves any longer.”
    Petrello couldn’t help himself. He had to ask, albeit apologetically, “How do you know when to use the crystal, Llyr? I mean, it’s a silent thing, and you can’t always be looking at it.”
    Eri raised his head. “It is not a silent thing, boy. It calls us when danger is close.”
    “Oh!” Petrello’s mouth fell open. “I see.” He felt foolish.
    “Your father will be in the cameldrome,” said the queen gently, “if you’re looking for him.”
    “I am,” said Petrello.
    As he hastened down the steps, he murmured to himself, “The Seeing Crystal is not silent.” He should have guessed. How else would the wizards have known when to use it?
    Petrello quickly made his way through the crowded courtyard. There were now five courtyards within the castle walls. The first was always bustling with activity for it was where the most necessary functions of the court had been established. Here were the stables, the dining halls, meeting places, and the Hall of Corrections.
    In the second courtyard, cooks, carpenters, and smiths worked in the open air or in covered areas beside the walls. In the third, the king’s sister, Zobayda, had re-created a Spanish garden with fountains, palms, and climbing roses. A gentle warmth permeated this quiet place constantly, a climate created by the king especially for his sister. Zobayda was almost always there, reclining on velvet cushions and reading, or sewing clothes for her nephews and nieces.
    The fourth had been filled with sand. It was here that the king kept Gabar, the camel that had accompanied him all the way from the secret kingdom. King Timoken still liked to share his problems with Gabar. The camel was his oldest friend. The fifth courtyard lay empty; it had only been in existence for a year.
    Today, the third courtyard appeared to be deserted. Zobayda was still in her room, recovering from the shaking she had endured during the unexpected Vanishing.
    Petrello could see his aunt sitting in her window, watching the fountain below her. Or was she? Petrello waved, but Zobayda didn’t respond. She was staring intently at something on the other side of the fountain.
    Droplets of sunlit water tickled Petrello’s face as he walked closer to the raised pool surrounding the fountain. A stone mermaid rose from the center and water splashed from the giant conch shell that she held aloft.
    As Petrello walked around the fountain, he felt a hot breeze on his ankles. He looked over his shoulder and saw the dragon, Enid, lolloping toward him. She was overweight and slow on the ground, but she could still fly,