Read Online The Hearts of Dragons by Josh VanBrakle - Free Book Online Page A

They were more like emotions, and not all of
them were pleasant. There was joy and celebration, yet there was also fear and
pain.
    Then, with a cry of
agony, one of the voices stopped. The shock sent Minawë sitting bolt upright.
    The rapid motion
nauseated her. Minawë fell backward and lay for a moment with her eyes shut as
she waited for the world to stop spinning.
    “Welcome back, lazy,” a
voice said from somewhere nearby.
    Minawë smiled. “Thanks,
Iren.”
    There was a hesitant
sigh, then, “Not exactly.”
    Minawë opened her eyes.
Rondel sat in a chair next to her. “Sorry about that,” Minawë said. The old
woman brushed it off, but on closer inspection, Minawë could tell Rondel had
been crying.
    When Rondel caught
Minawë staring at her, she stood and walked to the door. “How do you feel?” she
asked, her back turned.
    Minawë sat up carefully.
She and Rondel were in a bedroom of a Kodaman tree home. “Dizzy,” she said.
“What happened to me?”
    “You passed Dendryl’s
test,” Rondel replied. She gestured to her right. The Chloryoblaka leaned against
the wall. “I have to admit that I didn’t know if you would survive it. You’ve
been asleep for four days.”
    “You should have more confidence
in your friends,” Minawë said with a smile. “Iren slept for a week after he
helped me get to Ziorsecth, and I never gave up believing that he would come
back to me.”
    Rondel faced Minawë, and
though the old woman’s eyes still looked puffy, her grin was genuine. “It
cheers me to hear you say that,” she said. “I’m sure Iren will come back this
time too. But just to be safe, why don’t we go to him?”
    A flash of memory came
to Minawë. Rondel’s injured hand was in a fresh sling, a reminder that the
Stone Dragon Knight was searching for Iren. They had to reach him first! Minawë
leapt to her feet, but she felt so wobbly she had to sit back down.
    “We’ll go after him soon
enough,” Rondel said. “Give yourself a minute to recover.”
    While Minawë waited for
her head to clear, she asked, “Where are we?”
    “In Yuushingaral, in
your room in the queen’s tree. I carried you here after you passed out at the
crater. Are you hungry?”
    “Now that you mention
it, I’m starving.”
    “I made some food. Can
you manage, or should I bring it to you?”
    Minawë’s brow furrowed.
There was no way Rondel could have known when Minawë would wake. Had the old
Maantec been cooking all this time just so some food would be ready when Minawë
revived?
    At this point Minawë was
too hungry to think about it. She stood again, and this time she kept her feet.
“I’m all right now,” she said. “I’ll come with you.”
    They left the room and
headed to the tree house’s second floor, which contained the kitchen and eating
area. Rondel had assembled a forest feast: smoked trout, shiitake mushrooms,
and an assortment of roots and tubers. She’d even located a wooden bottle of
the Kodamas’ maple brandy that Mother had liked to hide for special occasions.
It didn’t surprise Minawë that Rondel would know where to find it.
    Minawë attacked the
food. She devoured her trout fillet and didn’t hesitate when Rondel offered up
her portion. The old Maantec smiled. “I was going to ask how my cooking is,”
she said, “but I think I know the answer.”
    A sheepish grin sprouted
on Minawë’s face. She had crumbs and grease all over her. She wiped her mouth,
doing a poor job of playing the regal queen she was supposed to be. “It’s
delicious,” she said. “Thank you.”
    When they’d both
finished, Minawë rose. “We should head out. Iren isn’t getting any closer.”
    Rondel pursed her lips.
“Are you sure you feel all right? You just woke up. Dendryl’s test is no simple
task. You can rest another day if you need to.”
    Minawë’s eyes narrowed.
Ever since she’d awoken, she’d felt something odd from Rondel. The mysterious
timing of the food, the warm smiles, and the kind