Pib's Dragon by Beany Sparks Read Free Book Online

cave. Instead he’d sneak
in and move things around, or he’d use the jewels to form pictures
or messages. However, there was always a smiley face made of rubies
left. It had basically become his signature, despite his dislike of
rubies. He’d been surprised when he’d snuck in one day to find a
smiley face, made up of emeralds, next to the word Hi. Those two letters had started a series of very short
conversations between him and the dragon, ones that Pib was
starting to look forward to.
    Pib was walking around the cottage
getting ready for his daily visit to the dragon’s cave when he was
hit with the sudden urge to see Wil. His gut was telling him to get
to his brother, and since he never ignored his gut, within seconds
Pib was racing to where his brother was building the mansion,
trying not to imagine the worst. His serval form was speeding
along, only slowing down when they got close to the structure.
Prowling through the trees, Pib tried to figure out what had set
off his instincts, and then he saw it—Wil was standing next to the
dragon from the tavern, facing the three lords who had at least a
dozen soldiers standing behind them with weapons.
    Shifting back into his human form, Pib
checked his weapons and started to make his way over to his
brother. Since no one looked to the side, he was able to get close
enough to hear their conversation just in time.
    “ Your agreement doesn’t
mention you getting help,” Harry said, sounding smug.
    Pib could see Wil restraining his
growl, but just barely. “My agreement also doesn’t say I can’t hire
anyone to assist with the build.”
    “ Then perhaps we should
redo the agreement,” Harry said, causing Pib’s temper to
snap.
    “ Or I could just gut you
all here and now and save everyone the hassle,” Pib said, using his
most conversational tone. Everyone spun around and finally noticed
him as he walked over to stand just in front of Wil. He’d noticed
the smirk on Wil’s face, along with the suspicion on Dray’s
face.
    If he’s the same dragon
I’ve been playing with, I think my cover is just about to be
blown…
    Harry, Perry, and Larry all sputtered
but also retreated a few steps until they were closer to their
soldiers, some of whom were looking at Pib with unease.
    “ You can’t do that!” Harry
exclaimed.
    “ Well, if you’re going to
continue to make problems for Wil, I just might. Don’t think that
you’re going to be able to change the contract just to screw him
over.” Pib narrowed his eyes as a thought crossed his mind. “And
don’t think that you can destroy this house like you did the others
just to keep him either.”
    Seeing the way their faces paled, Pib
knew he was right. The lords had organized for the other properties
to be destroyed so they could keep Wil under their thumbs. He heard
Wil snarl behind him just before his brother leaped past him. When
one of the soldiers moved to intercept, Pib heard a dragon roar,
but he was already moving. A blade was in his hand for a second
before he launched it at the soldier threatening his brother. The
blade twisted through the air before it lodged in the shoulder of
the man’s sword arm.
    His scream caused everyone to stop in
their tracks—everyone except Pib, who calmly walked over to the man
and yanked the blade out of his shoulder. He wiped it on his shirt
to clean the blood off and placed it back in its hidden
sheath.
    Turning to the lords, he said, “This is
your final warning.” Lifting his hands, he dropped his hood and
glared at them, internally snickering when the soldiers all dropped
their weapons, turned, and ran off. Even the injured one on the
ground made his escape. Obviously they recognized him. When the
lords realized their guards had abandoned them, even they turned
and ran off as fast as they could, which wasn’t nearly as fast as
the soldiers.
    Once they were out of earshot, Pib
chuckled and turned around only to come face to face with a
familiar dragon’s