The Dragons Revenge (Tales from the New Earth #2) by J.J. Thompson Read Free Book Online Page B

admit that the
thought of losing you and your magic was frightening.”
    Simon looked at her with
surprise. It hadn't occurred to him that Clara actually depended on
him that much. It was a bit scary, but he was deeply honored at the
same time. And he felt a weight of responsibility settle on to his
shoulders.
    “ I understand, my
friend. Believe me, I do. I'll call you as soon as I can. And, since
I'll be back to being an apprentice wizard again, I'll be working
hard to research new spells.”
    “ Good.”
    Clara grinned impishly and
then hugged him.
    “ Take care on the
way home. My prayers are with you.”
    “ Thanks so much,”
he said as they walked to the door. “For everything. We'll talk
soon.”
    And with that, and a wave,
Simon left the hall.
    Outside, the cold shocked
him after the warmth inside and he shivered. Chief had finished
eating and snorted at Simon appeared.
    “ Yeah, yeah,”
he said to the horse as he removed the halter and put the bridle back
on that large head. He snugged it carefully under Chief's horns.
“We're heading home, big guy.”
    Simon tightened the saddle
and climbed up on the horse. He put on his mittens and they turned
and walked slowly toward the main gate.
    The streets were empty and
he looked around as they approached the wall.
    Clara and her people had
built something to be proud of here and he wanted to be able to help
them protect it. Monsters existed again and it was only a matter of
time before they turned their attention to the little town.
    So I'd better find those
dragon hearts and get off my ass and be useful again, he thought
darkly.
    He rode through the gate,
waved at the guard who was bundled up in so many layers that he
couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, and then allowed Chief to
break into a trot as they rode up the low hill toward the forest.
    They paused at the top and
Simon looked down at the postcard picture of the village below. He
had to smile at the sight and then he turned and chirped at the
stallion, who eagerly began to move, heading for home.

Chapter
4

    It was full dark when
Simon arrived home, feeling like a solid block of ice. His toes and
fingertips were numb and, when he dismounted outside of the back
gate, he had to hold on to the saddle for a few minutes until he had
stomped his feet enough to regain his mobility.
    Even cold and stiff
though, he made sure to settle Chief into his stall and rub him down
after his hard work. Then he made the big stallion a warm mash of
bran with a touch of honey and left him munching contentedly.
    The mares had been
thrilled to see them back home and Simon gave them all water and hay
before he finally left the stable.
    The tower was secure and
there were no signs of trespassers. He locked the back gate after
checking for footprints and headed inside.
    Fortunately there were
still a few embers glowing in the fireplace and he carefully used
some kindling to get a fire started before setting small logs on the
flames. Then he lit candles and went upstairs to change into some
clean clothes.
    The upper floor was very
cold and Simon knew that it would take an hour at least for the heat
from the fireplace to spread throughout the tower by way of the
ventilation system in the walls. So, after he got changed, he went
downstairs again, pulled his easy chair in front of the fire, made
some tea and bundled himself in blankets, trying to warm up.
    Finally he could feel all
of his extremities and began to feel warm and comfortable again.
    He'd been tempted to
search for the remains of the dragon that had crashed into his wall
at its death, but the darkness and frigid temperatures dissuaded him.
Tomorrow, he thought. I can stand being powerless for one more day.
    Simon sipped his tea and
stared into the fire, his mind blank of all thought. The crack and
spit of the flames was the only sound in the tower, punctuated by the
occasional howl of wind whipping around outside.
    Isn't it quiet, Simon
thought and shivered. He hadn't