Read Online Ruler of Beasts by Danielle Paige - Free Book Online Page B

blood. Under other circumstances, he might have eaten her. Obviously he wouldn’t dream of snackingon the Queen of Oz—and his friend—but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t smell like something delicious, especially if he was hungry. He closed his eyes, letting his hunger overwhelm him. His stomach growled again. He let everything else fall away—the king, the warriors, the cavern, the impossible task at hand. He was back in the Forest of the Beasts, hunting for his prey. He crouched low, lashing his tail, his nose to the ground. There it was again: the faintest scent of breathing, living flesh.
    â€œWhat do you think you’re doing?” shrieked the Nome King, but the Lion ignored him. He was on the prowl in the forest, ears tuned to the slightest rustle, all his senses on full alert, placing his paws carefully and noiselessly. There, in the bushes ahead, was his target. He gathered his strength, his muscles coiling like springs, and pounced.
    He landed with a clatter of pebbles and opened his eyes. He’d dislodged a tarnished silver figurine from the floor of the cavern, where it was mostly hidden by a pile of gravel. It was duller than the other statuettes, and the rough silver face looked nothing like Ozma. He knew without question that this was the one.
    â€œYou weren’t supposed to hide her,” he said to the Nome King. “That’s cheating.” He nudged the figurine with his paw. The Nome King leapt to his feet, his white face purple with rage.
    â€œI won’t have this!” he shrieked. “I won’t tolerate you, you fleabag!” But he was too late. At the Lion’s feet, the figurine grew rapidly until it was life-size. The dull silver metal turned iridescent, like oil on the surface of a pond. The multitude of colors swirled together and turned green before dripping away,revealing the queen. She smiled up at the Lion.
    â€œI knew it would work,” she said, flinging her arms around his neck and burying her face in his mane. “I knew . My brave, wonderful Lion!” But she was almost sobbing, and the Lion guessed that she’d been nowhere near as certain she would survive as she insisted. His heart leapt with sympathy and fondness for the brave, beautiful queen. She’d trusted him with her life, and she’d had enough faith in him to believe he could rescue her. Her crazy gamble had paid off—because of him. He felt tremendously close to the queen in that moment. He knew he’d be as willing to risk his life for her as she had for her kingdom.
    The Nome King was sputtering like a teakettle, impotent with fury. Ozma rolled her eyes. “He always was a bad loser,” she said, and snapped her fingers. His warriors exploded silently into columns of silver smoke. The clanking noise of his digging machine ground to a halt and its fire went out. The huge cavern immediately cooled to a comfortable temperature. The Nome King stood alone in front of them, speechless with rage and brandishing his fists. Ozma snapped her fingers again and he froze into place, pinned by her magic.
    â€œYou have something that belongs to Oz,” Ozma said cheerfully, skipping over to him and lifting the ruby necklace over his head. “I’ll take this back now, thanks.” His eyes blazed with fury but his power wasn’t enough to break Ozma’s spell. This whole quest had been proof that Ozma’s power was far greater than the Lion had realized.
    Ozma fastened the necklace around the Lion’s neck. Somehowit expanded without his seeing it change, so that by the time she fastened the clasp it was big enough to fit him. The cool stones rested on his chest like a breastplate. He stared down at them, lost in their entrancing sparkle.
    â€œCareful,” Ozma warned, snapping him out of his reverie. “That’s old, old magic, dear Lion. It’ll trap you if you’re not careful.” She turned to face the Nome