Read Online Aster Wood and the Blackburn Son by J B Cantwell - Free Book Online

caved in. I didn’t want to tell the story again. But Kiron raised his hand in my direction. He expected me to be the one to tell it, regardless of my personal problems. I took a deep breath.
    “I’m…well…I’m Almara’s descendant. Before he died, we were on a quest together, his original quest, actually, to get to the Book of Leveling.” I shifted my weight, uneasy with all these eyes on me. The last time I had stood before a group of people and told my story, back in the Solitary village, I had ended up running for my life with a stolen piece of their history in my fist.  
    “But what is it?”
    “It’s a guide,” I said. “A roadmap to balancing the Fold.”
    Several of the men stared blankly, and I realized I needed to continue.
    “Have you all heard of Jared?” Most nodded. “Well, before Jared died up on that mountain, he stole the gold balancing points in eight of the planets in the Fold. And when he realized what he had done, that the planets were out of balance, he used the power he had left to try to draw Earth closer, so he could take gold from there and level these planets again. Only it didn’t go as he had planned, and the force of his spell killed him. Lucky for us, before that he had written a guide for himself, a plan with the details about where the gold had been taken from, and how much. The Book of Leveling.”
    “And you have this book?” the old man asked.
    I looked towards him, relieved at the kind tone of his voice. I nodded.  
    I dropped my pack to the ground and dug out the book. The men gathered around me and, opening to a blank page, I ran my hand over the surface. As the words appeared, several of them gasped. But those closest remained quiet and serious, reading the instructions over my shoulders. Finally Finian spoke.
    “And how are we to find this gold?” he asked, turning to face me. “There is no gold left in the Fold. Surely even a child like yourself must know this.”
    I bristled. I was tired of taking my beatings without complaint.
    I dug into my pocket and pulled out the gold medallion I had wrenched from Cadoc’s neck back in the dragon’s cave and dangled it in front of Finian’s nose.
    Nobody gasped this time. Nobody breathed. Even Finian’s mouth hung open in shock. I had to stifle a laugh when I looked over at Kiron and found he wore the same look as the rest.  
    The seconds stretched on as the group remained silent. But then a voice rang out clearly through the grove.
    “Oh, he knows it,” said the voice. “Though from what I remember of Aster Wood, he likes a good challenge.” Footsteps crunched over fallen twigs from the trees that towered above, and from between two large trunks emerged a very, very old man.  
    Though he didn’t look his age in the slightest.  
    Owyn Gildas stood before us, gripping his staff and smiling broadly. Stonemore’s most abused prisoner had returned.

CHAPTER EIGHT

    The group immediately gathered around him. He looked like he had been through hell. His hair stood on end in several places, and large gashes were cut into his cheeks and forearms. But still he smiled at his group of friends. Kiron was the first to speak.
    “You made it,” he said gruffly. “I feared you hadn’t survived.”
    “Oh, I survived,” he said. “Only to come back home and find the place brimming with fools.” He looked around at the men, amused. “Finian, flowers do look wonderful on you.” Finian scowled, ripping the crown of purple blooms from his head.
    “You wouldn’t be so smug had you experienced it, yourself,” he snarled.  
    Owyn’s smile faltered, and his cheerful demeanor seemed to melt. He walked up to Finian and stood not more than two inches from his face.
    “Oh, I suspect what I’ve experienced would have killed one like yourself,” he said quietly. Finian lowered his eyes. Then Owyn turned away, and his smile returned.
    “You and the girl did a number on that mountain, my boy,” he said to me, his eyebrows