Heir of Amber and Fire by Rachanee Lumayno (read aloud books .TXT) 📕

“You’ve been gone for at least three quarters of an hour. I told you I’d come looking for you if you were gone too long,” he chastised me.

I exhaled slowly, trying to calm myself down. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Let’s go back,” I said.

As we started to head back to camp, Beyan asked, “Can you create a light?”

I obliged, and we walked in silence for a while. In the glow of the magical sphere, I studied Beyan’s face. So young, and yet in many ways he seemed so much older than Rhyss, Farrah, or me.

Beyan broke the silence. “What?”

“Huh?”

“You’re staring at me. What is it?”

“Oh.” Flustered, I stalled for time. “I was just wondering... when do you think we’ll find Joichan?”

Beyan didn’t answer me right away. Then, “It depends. You’ve seen the dragons flying overhead; technically we’re in fire dragon country. They usually don’t live near the kingdoms, for obvious reasons. Except for Joichan, apparently. Being so close to so many dragons is difficult. I can feel the pull of their magic, and since they’re fire dragons, my body is constantly overheated.”

“That’s what it was!” I had seen the obvious signs, but hadn’t pieced it all together.

Beyan nodded. “Every seeker’s ability works differently, but the way it affects me is that I not only feel drawn to dragons, but I somehow mirror their essence. So if it’s an ice dragon I’m seeking, I feel the chill. And if it’s fire...”

“I can imagine that’s extremely unpleasant.”

“It was, when I was younger and untrained. I’m able to control the feelings better now. But every so often, the sensations can get a little... intense.”

“If you’re sensing every dragon in the area, how will you find Joichan?”

“Every dragon has a magical signature, even if they share a common essence. Luckily, my father told me how to spot Joichan’s signature. But it’s been a long time... We have to hope that Joichan still lives in the same place, or nearby.”

“If you don’t mind my asking...” I started.

“You’re wondering why I said I’d take you to find Joichan?” Beyan finished.

“Yes. I mean, besides the money you’ll receive in the end. I got the sense that if it was any other dragon I wanted to find, you wouldn’t have taken the job.” I trailed off, wondering if I had offended Beyan. “We don’t have to discuss it if you don’t want to.”

Beyan drew in a deep breath. “No, you’re right. I specifically wanted to find this dragon. Need to find him. It’s not exactly a secret. It’s just not something I like to be reminded of.”

We had just about reached the camp. Beyan stopped suddenly, grabbing my arm to stop me from moving forward.

“What — ?” I began.

“Shh.” He motioned me to silence. In a low voice, he hissed, “Extinguish the light.”

Hastily, I brought my palms together and the light instantly went out. Beyan whispered, “There’s someone at the camp. Come on.”

He moved forward, so stealthily I couldn’t hear his footsteps. In the near dark I couldn’t follow his movements with my eyes. Cursing him mentally, I carefully picked my way after him, hoping I would be able to stay just as silent.

In the embers of the firelight I could see some shadowed figures moving through our camp. I quickly counted four individuals. I eyed my pack in the distance, wishing I hadn’t left my dagger in my bag. Even if I wasn’t as adept with a weapon as the others, I would have felt a lot better with one in my hand.

Heart beating fast, I could feel the blood pounding behind my temples as I tried to calm my breathing. Panicking wouldn’t help any of us now.

And then I saw a glint of metal as the moonlight reflected off the upraised knife one of the intruders held. Blade raised high, he was about to slit the throat of the sleeping Farrah.

There was a whistle of air to my right, little dull flashes of light, and then a strangled gargle from the man as he fell to the side. Beyan straightened from his throwing stance and ran into the camp, any pretense of quiet discarded. I ran after him.

Immediately alert, Farrah and Rhyss both jumped out of their bedrolls. Rhyss grabbed for his sword, barely parrying a blow from another bandit. Farrah pointed at the fire pit, and the blaze roared to life, illuminating the area and exposing the men who had snuck into our camp. Our horses, still tied to the trees, neighed in alarm at the sudden movements. Looking around, I tried to assess the situation.

Rhyss seemed evenly matched with the assailant who had engaged him in combat. Even though Farrah had said her magic was useless in a fight, she had a dagger in her hand and she and Beyan were harrying another thief. A man lay unmoving by the fire pit, having had the misfortune of meeting Beyan’s knife.

That left one thief unaccounted for. Where was he?

A hand grabbed my arm. I shrieked. The bandit smiled at me, his grin revealing a row of dirty teeth. His unkempt and wild hair matched his equally disheveled clothes. I tried to tug my arm away, but the more I pulled, the harder his grip became.

“Ooh, a feisty one,” he leered. His breath was as disgusting as his clothes. “Don’t put up a fight, pretty, and I promise it’ll go easier on you.”

He grabbed at the front of my dress. The collar and part of the bodice ripped, revealing my gold necklace with its moonstone pendant. In the light of the fire, the jewel glowed unnaturally.

“What’s this?” The man eyed my necklace with interest. I tried to kick him, but failed to make contact as he easily sidestepped my blows. Greedily, his filthy fingers reached out toward the pendant.

I shouted. Not a spell; I wasn’t thinking straight enough for that. I just knew I did not want this man getting a hold of my necklace. It was more than a pretty bauble. It was a