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

expression grew skeptical, as if he were trying to tell whether she was joking or not.
    “Do you not know raw magic clusters when you see them, Little Miss? Or are you trying to imply something about the quality of my merchandise?” his accented voice purred.
    Penny frowned and lowered her head. “No, no…that’s not what I meant,” she shrugged. “I’m just―I’m not from around here.”
    “Indeed,” the man replied with a nasty tone that said he did not believe her. “Anyway, it’s fifty diamond Yuebells for the large clusters just there―and they’re of excellent quality, I promise you that.”
    “ Fifty? Isn’t that a bit high?” Penny asked in awe.
    The man seemed to be losing his patience. “Times are hard, Little Miss. Magic is growing scarcer by the day. The people continue to live wasteful lives, in spite of the shortage. But I expect a foreigner wouldn’t know that,” he said with a raspy laugh.
    Not knowing how to react to this, she shrugged and walked away to a bench to puzzle over this strange form of magic. The air was rife with the crispness of early autumn, balancing out the sun’s heat.
    Penny’s rest was interrupted by vague noises of excitement in the center of the square. A man with an entourage was making his way through a crowd gathering around a wooden platform. At the same time, someone else appeared to be pushing in the opposite direction, leaving a trail of disgruntled people. The cause of the commotion emerged and Penny’s jaw dropped. His cape and top hat made him easily recognizable as the magician she had met in the coffee shop.
    It…it can’t be Simon Shaw!
    He stepped out from the wall of glaring people and straightened his clothes out, huffing. Penny charged in his direction.
    “ Hey, you! ” she yelled in what she suddenly knew was English. Several bystanders glanced over at her outburst.
    Simon gave a little gasping scream when his eyes fell on Penny, and he broke into a relieved smile. His grin faded when Penny grabbed him by the front of his shirt.
    “I knew you had something to do with this!” she snarled.
    “P-Penelope Fairfax! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Simon sputtered, his voice high pitched and nervous.
    “Care to tell me why? How did you get here?” Penny demanded.
    “Oh, you have no idea what I’ve been through. It was awful,” Simon moaned, grasping her shoulders.
    Taken aback, Penny broke away from him. “Start talking. Now.”
    Simon’s expression was anguished. “You and I are both in huge trouble…like the we are probably going to die kind of trouble. Please, you’ve got to help me. That lady―the one with the wings―the one who sent me here―she wanted me to give you something…s-so I could make up for getting us into this mess. She said you’d know what to do with it,” Simon said in a frightened whisper, rummaging around in his pockets with trembling hands.
    “Whoa―slow down. What are you talking about?” Penny stuttered.
    From behind the crowd came the sound of brass instruments blaring fanfare. Out of the crowd, a tall man with a strip of gauzy cloth covering his right eye ascended the wooden platform and marched toward the center of it, waving as the crowd cheered. The man was dressed in finery and his long brown hair was pulled back into a bristled ponytail. Amongst the din of applause, Penny heard Simon give a terrified whimper and turned just in time to see his face drain of color.
    “What’s wrong?” she asked as Simon wobbled backward. Without attempting to answer her, he dashed away as fast as his legs could carry him.
    “ No, wait! ” Penny rushed after him, making a desperate grab for his cape. Simon proved to be too quick and disappeared into the crowd.
    The man on the platform was in the middle of announcing something to the crowd. “—and I promise each and every one of you the magic miners have been working grueling hours to find more resources. Word has been sent from His Majesty the