Read Online The Angel of Elydria (The Dawn Mirror Chronicles Book 1) by A. R. Meyering - Free Book Online

about it for a while. A few inches on the map were sure to be long, arduous miles of dangerous and untamed territory. “It’s a fair idea, in theory, I suppose. I’m not sure about this, Professor. But I’ll trust you on this.”
    “Just Hector, if you don’t mind,” he said stiffly as he counted out several Yuebells in his palm and set them on the bar next to their empty plates.
    Collecting their bags, Hector consulted with the bartender about lodgings and then led Penny up to their assigned room. Inside was a single bed, and after an awkward silence broken only by some throat clearing and false starts from Hector, he managed to say he would be happy to sleep on the floor.
    Penny retreated to the bathroom. After double checking that the door was locked, she took a long, hot bath, emerging in a cloud of steam and feeling much cleaner, but somehow more worried than ever. She was careful to avoid Hector’s gaze as she scurried into the bed and burrowed under the covers. An overwhelming sense of exhaustion had taken hold over her body, but something prevented Penny from finding sleep. After about twenty minutes she saw the light fade from the room and listened to the muffled sounds of Hector curling up on the floor in a corner of the room. Penny sighed to herself.
    The reality of her situation began to solidify in her mind, bringing a gripping feeling of nausea that refused to ease. Penny thought of her mother and her face screwed up as she suppressed a whimper. Thoughts of her warm quilt at home, her stack of unfinished books, and the smell of banana muffins in her kitchen exacerbated the spinning in her head to a state of acute discomfort.
    How am I going to get through this? I can’t. I’m not cut out for this; I’m not strong enough. Things like this shouldn’t happen to people like me.
    Anxiety fought to keep her awake and alert, but her eyelids grew heavier. The sounds of the night and Hector’s soft breathing seemed farther away. In a half-conscious desire for comfort, her shaking fingers grasped the tiny silver pendant she had taken from her mother’s store. Last night seemed like years ago. Penny drifted away, and for a few quiet hours, left behind the turmoil of feeling lost somewhere under Elydrian skies.

 

     
    T he peculiar town came to life again the next morning, and as Penny ventured into the marketplace alongside Hector, she had to admit that Dewthorne was far less intimidating than it had seemed at night.
    In the center of the town were a collection of stalls and a row of shops, all sporting a splendid array of goods. Penny and Hector bought some fresh glazed rolls to chew on while they wandered through the crowded aisles in search of useful goods to take with them on what promised to be a long and uncomfortable journey. Hector purchased medicines, cooking utensils, and blankets, as well as several other practical finds, such as bandages and a small knife for cooking. Nearby, a group of musical performers played a jangling tambourine, reedy pipes, and a huge, twisting horn that sang aloud in a melancholy voice. Captivated by their sound, Penny slipped away from Hector as he haggled with an irritable-looking man selling talismans.
    “Mom would love it here,” Penny said to herself as a dragon swooped overhead, landed, and went about inspecting some pottery.
    Stepping under the shade of the canopies, Penny discovered an object so peculiar and beguiling that it startled her just to behold it. Laid out in a corner of the square on a dirty blanket, a man wearing a fancy turban and a shining sash over his face sat before a collection of wondrous stones, each in a different pearly, iridescent color. They appeared to be filled with vein-like cracks and fibers, and sparkled and hummed. She gathered up enough courage to speak to the man, feeling her usual awkwardness with strangers return.
    “Erm, excuse me, sir―what is this stuff?” she asked, pointing at the cluster of stones. The man’s