Read Online The Dragon's Champion by Sam Ferguson, Bob Kehl - Free Book Online

Orres?”
    Lepkin thought
for a moment before answering. He was angrier now than he had been in a very
long time, but there was nothing he could do to fix the situation now.
    “Lepkin, Natu is
harmless,” Dimwater said. “The ghost prays on a person’s fear and uses its
powers to render would-be intruders unconscious. Janik couldn’t have known that
Erik would be too strong for the Natu.”
    “Even so, you
ought not to have sent him here. He may have been strong enough to fend off the
Natu, but her wolf could have easily finished him.”
    “No offense, but
I wasn’t going to spend the rest of my evening being interrogated about the two
of you. You know how stubborn and determined the boy can be at times. If you
want to protect the boy, then perhaps you should answer his questions before
his curiosity gets him into real trouble.” Janik rose to his feet and stretched
his creaky limbs.
    Lepkin nodded
somberly. “I admit his incessant questions have driven me to imagine similar
solutions to shut him up, especially when he nags me about Gelleirt monastery.”
    “I, too, have
some questions about the monastery,” Dimwater added.
    “Not now, Dimwater,
please,” Lepkin said.
    “Very well,”
Dimwater said with a nod. “You should look at this.” She slid the paper across
her desk.
    Lepkin picked up
the paper and watched the magical image unfold. He was stunned to see Erik
standing and throwing a punch at Dimwater’s wolf. “He attacked your wolf?”
Lepkin whispered incredulously.
    “With his bare
fist,” Dimwater added. “You know as well as I that Silverfang has killed
several Shadowfiends who have made the mistake of invading my study. If the boy
is strong enough to break the wolf’s paralysis spell, then he is ready to learn
of his true calling.”
    Lepkin folded
the paper and set it down on the desk. “He is stronger than I thought.”
    “He is stronger
than any of us thought,” Janik said. “But, considering his bloodline, I suppose
his strength really shouldn’t surprise us.”
    “Did you tell
him about that?” Lepkin asked Dimwater sharply.
    “No, I did not,”
she replied.
    “Good. He must
not learn of that until he is completely ready.”
    “He’s your
apprentice,” Dimwater said reluctantly.
    Lepkin knew her
well enough to know that she disagreed with his decision, but he also knew that
she would respect his wishes. “Janik, forgive my temper.”
    “It’s alright,”
Janik replied. “I would have been a lot worse if someone had done the same thing
to one of my apprentices.”
    “Yes, well you
and your brother always did have bad tempers,” Dimwater chuckled.
    “Speaking of
Master Orres, he wants to see you about Spiekery and Lord Hischurn,” Lepkin
said dryly.
    “You spoke with
him?” Dimwater asked.
    “I ran into him
on my way to see you,” Lepkin replied.
    Lady Dimwater
started to tap her fingernails and chew her bottom lip. “Did you tell him about
Erik?”
    “No, I will
leave it up to you whether you tell him about that,” Lepkin replied.
    “With the way Erik
beat up our nephew, I might avoid bringing it up,” Janik suggested.
    “I have to
report about the wounded swordsman in Spiekery,” Dimwater noted. “Orres will be
furious if I don’t account for all uses of force.”
    “He is quite
particular about writing his reports for the king,” Lepkin agreed. “Either way,
I wish you luck.”
    “You’ll need
it,” Janik agreed.
     
    *****
     
    Erik lay on his
back in a pool of sweat. His arms ached, his legs were numb, and his stomach
burned. He tried to get up, but his body was depleted of energy. Even the late
night breeze from the window of his training room wasn’t enough to revive him.
    The door creaked
open and then slammed shut, echoing off the walls of the room. Erik tried to
turn his head, but he was so exhausted that he was only able to move his eyes.
The soft slap of leather boots stepped closer to him. Pit…pat…pit…pat. Then the sound stopped. A