47 - Legend of the Lost Legend Read Online Free PDF

bowl. I grabbed my
stomach, waiting for the pain to begin.
    I glanced over at Marissa—and saw her roll her eyes. “Another joke?”
Marissa asked Ivanna.
    “Another joke!” Ivanna confessed gleefully. Once again, she roared with
laughter.
    I swallowed hard. Why didn’t I guess it was another one of the woman’s mean
jokes? I hate it when Marissa catches on to things before I do!
    “I knew it all along,” I muttered.
    Ivanna stepped up to the table, the medallion bouncing as she walked. “The
soup isn’t poison. But don’t eat it yet,” she instructed. “I want to read the
noodles.”
    “Excuse me?” I replied.
    She leaned over my bowl, bringing her face so close that the steam misted her
cheeks. “Chicken soup noodles foretell your fate,” she whispered mysteriously.
    She studied the noodles in my bowl. Then she studied Marissa’s. “Hmmmm.
Hmmmm,” she kept repeating. “Yes. Hmmmm hmmmm.”
    Finally, she stood up and crossed her powerful arms over her chest. Her
cheeks were red from the hot steam off the soup.
    “Eat. Eat your soup now,” she instructed. “Before it gets cold.”
    “What did you see?” I asked. “In the noodles. What did they tell you?”
    Her expression turned solemn. “You must take the test in the morning,” she
replied. “I was right. I know why you have come to the forest. I know what you
seek.”
    She straightened the helmet on her head. “I can help you. I can help you find
it. But first you must take the test.”
    “Uh… what kind of test?” I asked.
    Her eyes flashed. “A survival test,” she replied.
    I swallowed hard. “I was afraid of that,” I muttered.
    “What if we don’t want to take your survival test?” Marissa demanded.
    “Then you will never find the silver chest!” Ivanna declared heatedly.
    I gasped. “Wow! You do know what we’re looking for!” I exclaimed.
    She nodded. “I know everything in this forest.”
    “But—but we need our dad!” Marissa stammered.
    Ivanna shook her head. “There is no time. You will take the test in his
place. Do not worry. It is not a difficult test. If you stay alive.”
    “Huh? If we stay alive ? Is that one of your jokes?” I asked weakly.
    “No,” Ivanna replied, shaking her head. “No joke. I never joke about the test
in the Fantasy Forest.”
    I was holding the soup spoon. But I let it fall to the table. “Fantasy
Forest? Where’s that? What is it?”
    Ivanna opened her mouth to answer. But before she could say a word, the cabin
door burst open.
    I felt a blast of cold air.
    And then a wild creature, covered in black fur, scrabbled into the room on
all fours. Snarling, it cast its bulging black eyes around the room.
    Then it snapped its jagged teeth—and, with a hoarse growl, leaped to attack
me.

 
 
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    I uttered a scream—and tried to dodge out of the way.
    My chair fell, and I fell with it.
    The chair clattered noisily onto the floorboards. I landed on my side.
    I tried to roll away. But the snarling creature sank its teeth into my leg.
    “Owwww!” I shrieked.
    Over my cry, I heard Ivanna’s booming shouts: “Down, Luka! Get down! Off,
Luka! Get off!”
    The wild creature gurgled. It let go of my leg. And backed away, breathing
hard.
    As I scrambled to my feet, I stared at the panting creature. It had a man’s
face. Hunched on its hind legs, it looked almost human. Except that it was
covered with thick, black fur.
    “Get back, Luka!” Ivanna screamed. “Back!”
    The creature obediently inched back.
    “Don’t be scared of Luka,” Ivanna said, turning to me. “He’s a good boy.”
    “What—what is he?” I cried, rubbing my leg.
    “I’m not sure,” Ivanna replied, grinning at the furry thing.
    Luka hopped up and down, grinning, making grunting sounds.
    “He was brought up by wolves,” Ivanna said. “But he’s a good boy. Aren’t you,
Luka?”
    Luka nodded. His tongue hung out of his open mouth. He panted like a dog.
    Ivanna petted his long, shaggy