Read Online Unlocking the Spell by E. D. Baker - Free Book Online

dock where they waited, huddled together, while he went to speak to the ferryman.
    â€œHave any dwarves ridden on your ferry lately?” Liam asked the man.
    The old man took a licorice root out of his mouth long enough to say, “Maybe.”
    â€œTwo males? One was older than the other?”
    â€œMaybe,” said the man.
    â€œWould this help loosen your tongue?” Liam asked, showing the man a coin.
    The man’s mouth widened into a grin. “That it would,” he said, snatching the coin from Liam’s hand. “Two dwarves rode my ferry less than a week ago. They argued the whole way across. Seems they hadn’t seen each other in a while. From the things they said to each other, I think they were brothers and the younger one was the black sheep of the family. He was surly and unfriendly. I was glad when he got off my boat. The older one was all right, though. I didn’t mind him.”
    â€œDid they say where they were going?” asked Liam.
    â€œNope,” the old man said, tucking the coin in his leather pouch. “I didn’t ask them either. But they headed north when they reached the road.”
    When the ferryman left to start loading horses and cargo, Liam found his way back to the girls.
    â€œDid you learn anything about the dwarf?” asked Annie.
    â€œJust that he’s unpleasant and isn’t getting along with his brother,” Liam replied. “They did go this way, though, so we’re headed the right way.”

    After the storm of the night before, the trip across the river was rough, with whitecaps slapping the ferry so that water ran over the sides, drenching shoes and hems. People were too busy trying to calm their horses and keep their footing to pay much attention to each other, but Annie noticed that the young men looked in Gwennie’s direction the moment they set foot on dry land. She was glad she had kept hold of her sister’s elbow the entire trip when the young men turned away, no longer interested.
    Before the other travelers had gathered their horses and started out, Gwendolyn was already studying the forest on either side of the road, looking for Beldegard, while Liam wandered off, his eyes on the ground. Annie was about to ask him what he was doing when he called her over and pointed at a small footprint with a leaf design in the center. “Now we know for sure that we’re following the right dwarf,” he told her.
    The ferryman kept casting odd looks at Annie and her companions, so they finally walked down the road until they were out of sight of the river. They hadn’tgone far when they heard crashing in the forest and Beldegard bounded out, his mouth split in a huge grin.
    â€œIt’s about time!” he said, nudging Gwendolyn even as she bent down to kiss his furry head.
    â€œI’m sorry it took us so long, dear one,” said Gwendolyn, “but we had to wait for the next ferry trip over.”
    â€œNow what?” asked Liam. “You said we had to cross the river, and here we are.”
    Beldegard began to walk with Gwendolyn by his side. “According to Rose Red, the dwarf claimed to be from the Dark Woods,” he said over his shoulder. “I know of no Dark Woods, but there is a Dark Forest in Dorinocco, and it looks like the dwarf is headed there.”
    â€œAnd if we don’t find him in this Dark Forest?” Liam called as he waited for Annie to join him.
    â€œThen we keep looking until we do find him,” the bear prince replied, then turned his head to talk to Gwendolyn.
    Liam was scowling when Annie began to walk with him. “We should set a time limit on this expedition,” he said.
    â€œWhy don’t we give it a week?” asked Annie.
    â€œI was thinking more like a few days,” said Liam, his mouth set in a grim line.

Chapter 7
    Annie plucked a chunk of cheese off the tip of Liam’s knife. They had been walking all morning and had