Read Online Raven Rise by D.J. MacHale - Free Book Online Page B

Rellin was saying to the knights, but every so often a raucous cheer erupted from the troops. Whatever Rellin was saying, he was firing them up.
    â€œAlder!” came a surprised shout.
    Alder bent his knees, ready to be attacked. He turned to see a Bedoowan knight jogging toward him along the treeline. Alder wished he had thought about the possibility of there being guards in the woods. He would have been more careful. Now it was too late. He crouched, ready to fight, until he saw that the knight wasn’t in attack mode. If anything, he looked happy to see Alder. The guy had a big smile on his face. Alder relaxed. Slightly.
    â€œWhere have you been?” the knight called to him excitedly.
    Alder recognized the man. It was Graviot, one of the knights from Alder’s troop. Graviot was a friend, though he knew nothing of Alder’s calling as a Traveler. Graviot reminded Alder of himself…or at least of the knight Alder used to be. Graviot was younger by a few years. He was also big and clumsy and absolutely honest to a fault, just as Alder had been so long ago. It pained Alder to think that he himself was no longer as honest and naive. He had seen too much of Halla to be able to hold on to the person he once was. He had a moment of sadness for the loss of his own simple life, but shook it off quickly. Alder knew he had to be careful with the knight, friend or not. Too much had happened since he’d been gone to assume anything.
    â€œI traveled with Pendragon and the boy Siry,” Alder answered. “Remember? We unearthed the tak to help a tribe far from here.”
    â€œOf course I remember,” Graviot answered. “We did not think you would be gone for so long. Many things have happened. We will soon be at war.”
    â€œWhy is that?” Alder asked. “What has happened? Have we been attacked?”
    â€œIn a way, yes,” Graviot answered.
    â€œThe Lowsee attacked us?” Alder asked, surprised.
    Graviot’s eyes narrowed. “How would you know of the Lowsee problem if you have been away?”
    Alder couldn’t admit that he’d seen images of the Lowsee preparing for battle as he flumed through time and space. He had to come up with a plausible response to keep Graviot on his side.
    â€œI never trusted the Lowsee,” Alder answered quickly. “It was only a guess.” It was also a total lie, but Alder was getting used to being less than honest.
    â€œYou were wise not to trust them,” Graviot continued. He bought it.
    â€œYet I did not expect them to attack us,” Alder added. “They are a peaceful tribe.”
    â€œThey did not attack us with weapons,” Graviot continued. “But they are trying to crush us just the same.”
    â€œHow?”
    â€œBy withholding their triptyte” was Graviot’s answer.
    Alder knew about triptyte. It was a mineral the Bedoowan had used to create light within their castle. Before the castle was destroyed there was an elaborate system of tubes that snaked across every ceiling. When darkness fell, triptyte glowed brightly. It was a clean source of light that was much safer than fire. It was also a cause for shame, because the Bedoowan had not shared the technology with the Milago. They kept the Milago in the dark. Literally. When the Bedoowan castle crumbled and the Milago village was rebuilt, that changed. Triptyte lights were erected throughout the village. It was an incredible step forward, allowing the Milago village to continue operating into the night without the fear of an accident caused by fire. Many said that triptyte was what helped create a modern Milago.
    Alder also knew that the triptyte came from mines on land that was controlled by the Lowsee.
    â€œWhy would they withhold the triptyte from us?” Alder asked.
    â€œBecause we are no longer mining glaze,” was his answer. “The triptyte was paid for by glaze. Once the Milago stopped mining, we could no