Read Online Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Cornelia Funke
Ads: Link
really juicy. Nice and crunchy, too!”
“Huh! Silly brownie talk!” said Stonebeard, scowling at Sorrel, but even so he took two tiny steps backward to be on the safe side.
“Dragons don’t eat anything that breathes,” said the fattest dwarf, taking cover behind a rock. “They live on moonlight. All their strength comes from the moon. They can’t even fly when it isn’t shining.”
“Oh, very clever, aren’t you?” Sorrel put the strugglingLeadengleam back on the grass and leaned over the others. “So tell me how you knew we were here? Have we been stupid enough to land right on your doorstep?”
The four of them looked anxiously up at her. Stonebeard nudged the smallest of them. “Go on, Graniteface,” he growled. “Your turn now.”
Graniteface stepped forward hesitantly, fingered the brim of his hat, and looked uneasily up at the two giant figures facing him. “No,” he said at last, his voice trembling, “we live a good way farther up the mountain. But our scalps were prickling this morning. Usually they only do that when we’re near the castle.”
“And what does that mean?” asked Sorrel impatiently.
“Our scalps prickle when there are other fabulous beings somewhere near,” replied Graniteface. “Humans and animals don’t have the same effect.”
“Which is lucky,” sighed Leadengleam.
Sorrel looked suspiciously at the four of them.
“You said something about a castle just now.” Ben knelt down in front of Graniteface and looked inquiringly at him. “Do you mean the castle up there?” he asked.
“We don’t know anything!” called the fattest dwarf from behind his rock. “Not a thing!”
“Shut up, Gravelbeard!” said Stonebeard.
Graniteface looked at Ben like a frightened rabbit andhastily retreated to join the others. But Stonebeard took a step toward the human boy.
“Yes, that’s the castle we mean,” he grunted. “It makes our scalps prickle so hard it’s unbearable. That’s why we haven’t been there for years, even though the mountain where it stands has such a strong smell of gold it’s enough to lift the hat off your head.”
Ben and Sorrel looked up at the castle.
“Who lives there, then?” asked Ben, not liking the sound of this.
“We don’t know!” whispered Graniteface.
“No, no idea,” muttered Gravelbeard, giving Ben and Sorrel a nasty look.
“And we don’t want to know, either,” growled Stonebeard. “Evil things happen up there. We don’t want to know, do we, brothers?”
The four all shook their heads again and drew closer together.
“Sounds as if we should fly on as soon as possible,” said Sorrel.
“I told you we ought to avoid yellow!” Ben looked with concern at Firedrake, but he was still sleeping peacefully and had merely turned his head over on the other side. “We didn’t fly far enough south. But you wouldn’t believe me.”
“Yes, all right, all right!” Sorrel pensively chewed herclaws. “Nothing to be done about it now. We can’t leave this place before sunset, and Firedrake needs to sleep all day or he’ll be too tired to fly tonight. Right.” She clapped her paws. “This is a good chance to stock up with provisions. How about it, boys?” She leaned down to the mountain dwarves. “Know where to find any nice tasty roots or berries?”
The four little men whispered to one another. Finally Stonebeard stepped forward, looking important, cleared his throat, and said, “We’ll show you a place, brownie, but only if the dragon will pick up the scent of the rocks for us.”
Sorrel stared down at the dwarf in surprise. “What good would that do you?”
Here Gravelbeard stepped forward, too. “Dragons can scent treasure,” he whispered. “Everyone knows that.”
“Really?” Sorrel grinned. “Who told you so?”
“It says so in the old stories,” replied Stonebeard. “Tales of the time when there were still dragons here.”
“There used to be lots of them here, lots and lots,” added
“Huh! Silly brownie talk!” said Stonebeard, scowling at Sorrel, but even so he took two tiny steps backward to be on the safe side.
“Dragons don’t eat anything that breathes,” said the fattest dwarf, taking cover behind a rock. “They live on moonlight. All their strength comes from the moon. They can’t even fly when it isn’t shining.”
“Oh, very clever, aren’t you?” Sorrel put the strugglingLeadengleam back on the grass and leaned over the others. “So tell me how you knew we were here? Have we been stupid enough to land right on your doorstep?”
The four of them looked anxiously up at her. Stonebeard nudged the smallest of them. “Go on, Graniteface,” he growled. “Your turn now.”
Graniteface stepped forward hesitantly, fingered the brim of his hat, and looked uneasily up at the two giant figures facing him. “No,” he said at last, his voice trembling, “we live a good way farther up the mountain. But our scalps were prickling this morning. Usually they only do that when we’re near the castle.”
“And what does that mean?” asked Sorrel impatiently.
“Our scalps prickle when there are other fabulous beings somewhere near,” replied Graniteface. “Humans and animals don’t have the same effect.”
“Which is lucky,” sighed Leadengleam.
Sorrel looked suspiciously at the four of them.
“You said something about a castle just now.” Ben knelt down in front of Graniteface and looked inquiringly at him. “Do you mean the castle up there?” he asked.
“We don’t know anything!” called the fattest dwarf from behind his rock. “Not a thing!”
“Shut up, Gravelbeard!” said Stonebeard.
Graniteface looked at Ben like a frightened rabbit andhastily retreated to join the others. But Stonebeard took a step toward the human boy.
“Yes, that’s the castle we mean,” he grunted. “It makes our scalps prickle so hard it’s unbearable. That’s why we haven’t been there for years, even though the mountain where it stands has such a strong smell of gold it’s enough to lift the hat off your head.”
Ben and Sorrel looked up at the castle.
“Who lives there, then?” asked Ben, not liking the sound of this.
“We don’t know!” whispered Graniteface.
“No, no idea,” muttered Gravelbeard, giving Ben and Sorrel a nasty look.
“And we don’t want to know, either,” growled Stonebeard. “Evil things happen up there. We don’t want to know, do we, brothers?”
The four all shook their heads again and drew closer together.
“Sounds as if we should fly on as soon as possible,” said Sorrel.
“I told you we ought to avoid yellow!” Ben looked with concern at Firedrake, but he was still sleeping peacefully and had merely turned his head over on the other side. “We didn’t fly far enough south. But you wouldn’t believe me.”
“Yes, all right, all right!” Sorrel pensively chewed herclaws. “Nothing to be done about it now. We can’t leave this place before sunset, and Firedrake needs to sleep all day or he’ll be too tired to fly tonight. Right.” She clapped her paws. “This is a good chance to stock up with provisions. How about it, boys?” She leaned down to the mountain dwarves. “Know where to find any nice tasty roots or berries?”
The four little men whispered to one another. Finally Stonebeard stepped forward, looking important, cleared his throat, and said, “We’ll show you a place, brownie, but only if the dragon will pick up the scent of the rocks for us.”
Sorrel stared down at the dwarf in surprise. “What good would that do you?”
Here Gravelbeard stepped forward, too. “Dragons can scent treasure,” he whispered. “Everyone knows that.”
“Really?” Sorrel grinned. “Who told you so?”
“It says so in the old stories,” replied Stonebeard. “Tales of the time when there were still dragons here.”
“There used to be lots of them here, lots and lots,” added
Similar Books
