Read Online The Dragon Knight's Curse (The Dragon Knight Series Book 2) by D.C. Clemens - Free Book Online Page A

my undertaking, but I played it safe and lied anyway.
    On asking if he could help look for what I needed, I told him a friend of mine was seeking some rare works to add to their collection and so I wondered what writings we had extra copies of. He brought me the thick registry tome and we looked through its texts. While pretending to look through unrelated works, I scoured for the mention of Summertide , which I found under its proper category.
    According to the archive, we had two of the three editions of the poem, neither of which was the original. The dead end meant I had to move on to other collections in Ecrin. Before I left home on horseback, I made sure to find a scroll written in Old Voreen so I at least recognized what the language looked like. To keep up appearances, I also marked down a pair of works I knew my “friend” not to have and said I would return later if a transaction would occur.
    A similar pattern held in the next three libraries I visited with Bell, each located in the manors of friends near the castle. When noon arrived, which I concluded more by my gurgling stomach than the fiery clock in the sky, I decided we deserved a break. Owen’s home wasn’t far away, and since I figured I should check his family’s collection anyway, I directed my steed to his sea-hugging house to fill my need there.
    Western Ecrin didn’t actually have many good beaches, but the Vealora family’s Ruby Manor was positioned near a nice little strip of white sand. Even under the best conditions the Lucent Sea was always a bit rough on this side of Alslana, but a few of the more skilled servants could cast a calming spell over the shore if they had to. Giving it its name, the Ruby Manor was constructed from a combination of red brick and mahogany, and kept to Alslana’s typical open-air style on the bottom floor.
    The gatekeepers readily recognized me and had the entry opened before my horse broke out of his trot. As I handed the reins to a servant, he informed me that the older masters of the home were away, but the young lord was eating his meal on the balcony with a few of his friends.
    Going up to the large, curved balcony revealed that his company included the Vernon siblings, two brothers who I didn’t care for, and his cousin Sabrina. She had a crush on Owen that went back a few years. As only child prone to bouts of illness, Owen picked up his friends from anywhere and the Vernon brothers had taken advantage of that. They never did anything overtly malicious, if perhaps act too much like uncouth tavern patrons at times, but the fact they sometimes neglected his easily granted friendship did not sit well with me.
    Using my years of ingrained experience, I politely conversed with everyone and delicately ate my steamed fish until I excused Bell and myself. Owen’s library was hardly large enough to fit six shelves of books and scrolls, something viewed as mildly embarrassing for such a prestigious family. At least it meant my investigation would be quick here.
    Near the end of my search, Owen came in and said, “The brothers left. Sabrina was wondering if either of you would like to join us in a game of charades or cards.”
    “Sorry, maybe later. We’re a little busy right now.”
    “Doing what?”
    “Looking for a book.”
    “Which one?”
    “Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t appear you have it anyway. I suppose I’d be a little worried if you did.”
    “You’re not making sense.”
    “Good, then I’m being successful in my mysteriousness. We’ll have to go once I’m done.”
    “Well, you’re no fun today.” He walked out of sight before I heard his steps come back in. “Oh, if you’re that interested, my dad has a big shelf full of books in his study.”
    “He’s not big on epic poems, is he?”
    “No, but my mother is. She actually keeps her favorite in there.”
    Bell gave me a sidelong glance before asking him, “Do you know which that is?”
    “Her favorite? That would be