Red by Liesl Shurtliff Read Free Book Online

nodded. “Those who possess The Magic Hearts will never die, but only grow stronger. This magic is possibly the most powerful of the three.”
    Powerful. I did like the sound of that, but I needed to know more before I could decide. “Exactly how does one possess these hearts? Do you collect them like tokens or charms?”
    The dwarf shrugged. “Few know of this magic’s existence, and I cannot say where it is found. I can only tell you that it exists.”
    “Why tell me about it if you can’t tell me where it is?”
    “You demanded the information, so it is my obligation to tell you,” the dwarf sneered.
    “Um, excuse me, Mr. Dwarf,” chirped Goldie, “but are these Magic Hearts by chance similar to a love potion? Because they sound very much like one.”
    The dwarf acted like he could neither see nor hear Goldie. “Now you must choose,
master.
” His voice dripped with disdain. “To which magic shall I direct you?”
    Which magic? Wine. Roses. Hearts. Each sounded equally promising and equally elusive. I liked the sound of The Wine Well, because Granny would love being young again. What if we could be girls together? She could be like my sister. We’d race through The Woods, climb trees, and talk to all the animals.
    I liked the sound of the roses because Granny loved roses, and she was Rose. It made sense, but what if she had to pick the rose herself for it to work? And The Magic Hearts…the dwarf said they were the most powerful of the three, but I had no idea what I’d be searching
for,
and he said even he didn’t know where to find them, so it really wouldn’t help me to request directions to that one.
    “I like the hearts one the best,” Goldie whispered in my ear. “Pick that one.”
    I brushed her off like a buzzing insect. “I’ll pick whichever one I please, thank you.”
    “Well?” said the dwarf. “Which is it?”
    I took a breath. “The Wine Well,” I said. “Tell me where the well is.”
    The dwarf smiled his big, unnerving smile. “A fine choice.” He pointed a stubby finger downstream. “Follow the stream until it becomes a river. When the river bends to the east, you go west and up the mountainside until you come to a large boulder shaped like a fish jumping out of the water. From the fish boulder, you travel north until you come to a graveyard.”
    “A graveyard!” Goldie shivered.
    I didn’t like it, either, but I wasn’t about to say so. I tried to sound brave. “And is the well in the graveyard?”
    “No,” said the dwarf. “But in the graveyard, the trees whisper.”
    “Whisper?” I asked. “Are the trees full of nymphs?”
    The dwarf seemed almost impressed. “A human who knows of tree nymphs!”
    “We’ve been trying to catch one,” said Goldie. “But it’s very difficult.”
    “Yes,” said the dwarf. “Slippery as a memory, those nymphs, but they will lead you the rest of the way.”
    “To the well?” I asked.
    The dwarf nodded. “Tree nymphs are fond of the well and fond of sharing it with others.”
    I nodded. Perhaps the tree nymphs had been trying to lead me there all along. Maybe they themselves drank from The Wine Well and that’s why their wings had curing powers. Now instead of catching a nymph, I could go directly to the source of power.
    “Thank you, Dwarf,” I said. “You’ve been very helpful. I hope to catch your beard again someday.”
    The dwarf scowled, his eyes dark as coal. “Drink deeply of the wine. Its effects are most beneficial.” He hopped across the stream, leaping nimbly from stone to stone, and disappeared in the tall grass. A wicked little laugh trailed behind him.
    “He wasn’t at all pleasant,” said Goldie. “Do you suppose all dwarves are like that?”
    “Granny says so,” I said, and walked quickly along the stream.
    Goldie trotted to catch up with me. “Do you think we’ll make it to the well before nightfall?”
    “We? You weren’t planning to come with me, were you?”
    “Of course! You’ll