Backyard Dragons Read Online Free PDF

trudged out behind him. This time, Knights filled the corridor, passing them in both directions. Justin greeted several. He stopped in front of one. Claire stopped with him.
    “Elder Yun. You look good. Have you met Claire yet?” Justin gripped her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.
    “No.” The hunched Asian man gripping a wooden staff stood only an inch taller than Claire. Deep wrinkles creased his weathered, spotted face. A wispy halo of white hair danced with every movement of his head. His sparse eyebrows rose to reveal filmy eyes.
    When he reached a thin, gnarled hand for Claire, she recoiled, afraid the slightest touch would break him. “Nice to meet you,” she stammered.
    “The young ones, they’re so predictable.” Yun wheezed as he withdrew his hand. His mouth stretched, and Claire couldn’t tell if he smiled or frowned. “I’d heard this one was feisty.”
    Justin chuckled and bowed his head. “We’re both up past our bedtime.”
    “Bah.” Yun thumped his staff on the floor. “You kids. Go on, I’ll meet her again some other time.” He waved them off and shuffled away.
    Justin tugged Claire by the arm, getting her moving again. They reached the spiral stair sooner than she expected, and when she looked back, she couldn’t remember passing the kitchen this time.
    “Yun is the oldest Knight. He’s been the oldest Knight since before I started. I have no idea how old he is, but he rarely leaves the Palace anymore.”
    Claire touched the wall as they climbed the stairs, not sure she had enough energy left to climb them without aid. “Why not?”
    “We heal constantly inside the Palace. It lessens chronic pain and extends our lives.” A shadow crossed Justin’s face. “Usually.”
    She knew his elder mentor had died recently and wondered if it had been from something the Palace couldn’t fix, even temporarily. They reached the fourth-floor landing, and she patted his arm. “I got it from here.”
    He nodded and opened the door for her. “Sleep here if you want. Come home whenever you’re rested.”
    “Thanks.”

Chapter 5
    Justin
     
    Justin stepped out of his sycamore and picked his way through the woods to the house. In the light of the full moon, he spotted a paper turkey taped to the front window. With all the coloring inside the lines, he guessed it was Lisa’s handiwork. Missy hadn’t yet mastered the patience for such delicate work.
    The bird stared at him in mute disapproval for his late return. He sighed and paused in the mud room to take his boots off. When he flipped the lights on for the kitchen, he found a pink post-it note on the table with messy crayon scribbles. Lisa had been practicing so hard on her writing but still had a long way to go.
    Unable to decipher it, he checked in the fridge and found a plate tucked inside a crinkled freezer bag. He pulled it out and set the plastic bag aside. Marie had made Biscuit Stew, which he regretted missing the first time around. Peas and carrots rolling around on the side of the plate reminded him of Missy “accidentally” flicking them across the table.
    With a smirk, he stuck the plate in the microwave and rinsed the plastic bag while he waited for his food to heat. Tomorrow, he needed to watch Missy all morning while Marie’s parents handled their routines. If he took Missy to the store with him, that chore would be done before the rest of the kids got home from their last day of school before the holiday. Except he’d given Claire the day off from school. Whenever she turned up for the day, she needed to train.
    He’d never fought with a dagger and had no good plan for teaching her that skill. He couldn’t think of any Knight who used a dagger or could train her. Leaning against the counter, he remembered Kurt’s first visit to the house, not long after Lisa was born.
    At the time, Justin had two months of high school left, and Marie had dropped out with a year and a half to go. They’d moved in here only by the