Guardian of the Gold Breathers by Elise Stephens

Author:Elise Stephens
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: dragons, fairy tales, coming of age, young adult, fantasy, action and adventure, magic
Publisher: Dragon Moon Press
Published: 2016-06-23T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Tall white-blossomed hawthorns with knobby roots twisted and fed straight down into the depths of a shining pool, bright as a mirror. The place felt enchanted, like a mushroom ring that gave shelter to those who stepped inside. It was the only section of this forest where the sun had been let through, as if a hole for one giant round cookie had been cut into the treetops.

Michael was shaking out a blue and white checkered cloth, spreading it on a flat shelf of rock that bordered the pool. Liam looked at the water, then at the basket of food. Aidan had draped his head over the pool and was biting at his reflection. A few firebugs skimmed the surface, swooping and spinning lines of light over the flashing blue depths.

Liam’s love for swimming won over his stomach’s cries. He removed his shirt and plunged into the pool. As the water closed over his head, he felt the crown slip. He’d forgotten to remove it. He caught it in one hand as his toes skimmed the pool’s bottom. It felt smooth as a polished bowl. He plunged his head below the surface over and over until the smell of cheese pie and ripe peaches called him out. He watched with perplexed wonder as he moved through the pool without causing a ripple or wave. The strange sapphire waters stayed smooth as glass, no matter the commotion he made in them.

Liam shook himself dry and pulled his shirt over his head as Michael held out a ham haunch. Aidan snapped at it.

“Your dragon is hungry, and I think you’d best be the one to feed him,” Michael said.

Liam curled up cross-legged beside them and tore off a large piece of meat for Aidan, then remembered the hare from earlier and gave over the entire haunch.

“Welcome to your celebration feast, Master Finley. I congratulate you on keeping your wits about you. Many a wanderer has roamed that maze for days before finding the solution. ” Michael offered him a china plate with crumpets, jam, a peach, cold ham, and a generous wedge of cheese pie.

“Where did you find all of this?” Liam gaped at the food. He strongly doubted that Michael had the skill to cook. How could a blind man manage an oven? Liam was too famished to care. He sank his teeth into the pastries until jam dribbled down his chin and baked cheese smeared his nose. As he washed his hands and face in the pool, preparing for a second helping, Michael poured him tea from a little metal pot and allowed Liam to add as many spoonfuls of sugar as he liked.

“That crown you found is not just a pretty piece of silver, you know,” said Michael.

Liam pulled the crown down into his lap to look more closely at it.

“It is made of Snow Silver,” Michael said, “forged through an ancient process in the mountains of the Far Country. The coolness of this metal protects its wearer from the hot breath of fire.

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