A Tale of Magic... Read Online Free PDF Page A

daily chores.
    “So you are awake,” she said with one eyebrow raised. “Is a simple acknowledgment too much to ask for?”
    “Good morning, Mother,” Brystal said cheerfully. “I hope you slept well.”
    “Not as well as you, apparently,” Mrs. Evergreen said. “Honestly, child, how do you sleep through those dreadful bells every morning? They’re loud enough to wake the dead.”
    “Just lucky, I suppose,” she said through a large yawn.
    Mrs. Evergreen laid a white dress at the foot of Brystal’s bed and shot her daughter a scornful look.
    “You left your uniform on the clothesline again,” she said. “How many times do I have to remind you to pick up after yourself? I can barely manage the laundry for your father and brothers—I don’t have time to clean up after you, too.”
    “I’m sorry, Mother,” Brystal apologized. “I was going to get it after I finished the dishes last night, but I guess I forgot.”
    “You’ve got to stop being so careless! Daydreaming is the last quality men look for in a wife,” her mother warned. “Now hurry up and get dressed so you can help me with breakfast. It’s a big day for your brother so we’re making his favorite.”
    Mrs. Evergreen headed for the door but paused when she noticed a strange scent lingering in the air.
    “Do I smell smoke ?” she asked.
    “I just blew out my candle,” Brystal explained.
    “And why was your candle burning so early in the morning?” Mrs. Evergreen said.
    “I—I accidentally left it on during the night,” she confessed.
    Mrs. Evergreen crossed her arms and glared at her daughter. “Brystal, you better not be doing what I think you’re doing,” she warned. “Because I worry what your father might do if he finds out you’ve been reading again.”
    “No, I promise!” Brystal lied. “I just like sleeping with a lit candle. Sometimes I get scared in the dark.”
    Unfortunately, Brystal was a terrible liar. Mrs. Evergreen saw through her daughter’s dishonesty like a window she had recently cleaned.
    “The world is dark, Brystal,” she said. “You’re a fool if you let anything tell you otherwise. Now hand it over.”
    “But, Mother, please! I only have a few pages left!”
    “Brystal Evergreen, this is not up for discussion!” Mrs. Evergreen said. “You’re breaking the rules of this house and the laws of this kingdom! Now hand it over immediately or I will fetch your father!”
    Brystal sighed and surrendered her copy of The Tales of Tidbit Twitch from under her pillow.
    “And the others?” Mrs. Evergreen asked with an open palm.
    “That’s the only one I have—”
    “Young lady, I will not tolerate any more of your lies! Books in your bedroom are like mice in the garden—there’s never just one . Now give me the others or I will fetch your father.”
    Brystal’s posture sank with her spirits. She stepped out of bed and led her mother to a loose floorboard in the corner of the bedroom where she kept a hidden collection. Mrs. Evergreen gasped when her daughter revealed over a dozen books in the floor. There were texts on history, religion, law, and economics, as well as fictional titles of adventure, mystery, and romance. And judging by the distressed covers and pages, Brystal had read each book multiple times.
    “Oh, Brystal,” Mrs. Evergreen said with a heavy heart. “Of all the things for a girl your age to be interested in, why does it have to be books ?”
    Mrs. Evergreen said the word like she was describing a foul and dangerous substance. Brystal knew it was wrong to have books in her possession—the Southern Kingdom’s laws clearly stated that books were for male eyes only —but since nothing made Brystal happier than reading, she repeatedly risked the consequences.
    One by one, Brystal kissed each book’s spine like she was saying good-bye to a small pet, then passed it to her mother. The books piled over Mrs. Evergreen’s head, but she was used to having her hands full and had no