The Villain Keeper by Laurie McKay Read Free Book Online Page B

stop me?”
    Rosa was waiting on the front porch. Her clothes were layered, her outer shirt green with strange writing, her pants a bright purple. She looked Caden over with a furrow in her brow.
    â€œHe wants to run,” Tito said.
    Rosa paced and the porch creaked. “Why?”
    Tito rolled his eyes. “Beats me.”
    Brynne and Sir Horace were somewhere on the mountain. Caden needed to run so he could contact Brynne, then he needed to return to Rosa’s prison afterward so he could learn more about the missing Jane Chan.
    Rosa walked up to him. “It’s not easy.”
    Well, better the training then. “Good,” Caden said.
    â€œLeave your coat. You can’t run with it.”
    â€œYes, I can,” Caden said.
    In the gray morning light, it was hard to make out herexpression. She was either angry, amused, or both. Not that it mattered. Caden wouldn’t give her his coat. He crossed his arms and waited.
    â€œLet me rephrase,” she said. “I don’t want you to get your coat dirty. It’s muddy and still drizzling, and your coat is wool. If you want to wear it, you can just watch with me from the porch.”
    Caden needed to run. The simple solution was to leave his coat. Still, he hesitated.
    His sword was taken, his horse a fugitive. Brynne was in the mountains, hiding from the police. While he believed that he, Brynne, and Sir Horace would get back and that he’d complete his quest and make his father proud, at this moment, his coat was all he had of his home.
    Rosa softened her expression. “It’ll be here when you get back.” She pulled off the green garment. Her undershirt was a bright orange and looked like a mini sun against the gray morning. “Here, you can borrow my army sweatshirt. It’s special to me.”
    Caden didn’t want to give her his coat, yet he needed to get to the mountain. Slowly he took his coat off, folded it, and handed it over. The sweatshirt she gave him in return felt nothing like it. He pretended not to care.
    â€œThe more difficult the training, the better,” he said.
    She tucked his coat under her arm. “If that’s what you want,” she said. “Run at least to the orange tape. It’s the property line.”
    â€œI’ll run to the peak,” he said. The longer run would give him more time. And if he were to talk to Brynne, he’d need it.
    â€œFine,” she said. “But I expect you back in twenty-five minutes.”
    Tito groaned, and mumbled that he was stopping at the property line, but Caden ignored him. Besides, running a mountain was good training. Dragons lived in rugged terrains. Well, not in Asheville it seemed, but in most other places with steep slopes, rocky paths, and fiery names.
    Beyond the protection of the porch, the drizzle and air were cold. Caden’s boots squelched in the mud as he dashed past Tito, into the forest, and up the path. He ran past a pine tied with orange tape, and was high uphill when he stopped. Both Brynne and Sir Horace knew the signal—two quick whistles—and Brynne certainly had used magic to track Caden and would be near.
    Caden whistled, but it wasn’t Brynne who answered by whistling back or Sir Horace who answered with a loud whinny. Instead, Caden heard a whisper rustle through the trees. “I’m here.”
    Caden froze, unsure of what he’d heard.
    â€œI’m here, little brother.” The voice was soft and strong, and sounded like his slain brother, Chadwin. It called to him like a warm fire on the coldest of days. It smelled like his father’s castle. Caden felt hope blossom in his soul.
    Caden had seen Chadwin bleeding with a dagger in his back, and, later, cold and still in the Winter Castle tomb. Yet,unknown magic had brought Caden to Asheville. Perhaps it had also awoken Chadwin, and he had become stranded here, too. Maybe he wasn’t dead. Maybe it’d been a mistake. It