Book 12 - The Golden Tree Read Online Free PDF

out at least a hundred times," Gylfie
said. "Which time?"
"You snuck out?" Coryn blinked. "Of course we did," Digger replied. "Did you get into trouble?" Coryn asked. Sometimes, Soren said.
"Was it worth it?"
48 "Always!" the Band roared in unison. "Wel , what time was this one?" Coryn turned to Soren.
Soren wiped the blood from his beak. "Wel . it was right after a visit from Trader Mags and we had this idea - we were always fascinated about the Others -"
"'Who isn't?" Coryn asked.
"Anyhow," Soren continued. "We had this idea that we would go find a new castle. or church, or - I don't know - one of those stone hol ows that the
    Others built, but one that Trader Mags hadn't
scavenged yet for al the goodies. We were going to get rich. I guess that was the main idea. Going to start our own business. I mean, we were young. We thought it would be fun going around sel ing things or swapping them."
"Otulissa said that the idea was stupid and that noble owls weren't meant for business," Gylfie said. "Remember? That was why she wouldn't come with us. She said it was vulgar."
"That is soooo Otulissa!" Digger said. "It probably was common, but it would have been fun," Gylfie said.
"Wel , did you go?" Coryn asked. "Oh, we did!" Soren said. "We flew first to Tyto thinking that if there were any undiscovered Others' ruins they
37 49 might be there. But we didn't find any. Then ... I don't know whose idea it was to head to the Shadow Forest..."
    "Mine!" Twilight chimed in. "I had dimly
remembered something from my very youngest days. You realize, Coryn, that I was orphaned very young. Never knew my parents."
I should have been so lucky, Coryn thought. "Had to teach myself everything. Orphan School of Tough Learning is what I cal it. For me, the great tree was more of a finishing school than anything else."
"If that's not a pile of racdrops, I don't know what is!" Digger blinked.
"Give it a blow. Twilight. Finishing school my talon." Gylfie stomped her tiny talons on the floor of the hol ow.
"Anyway," Soren continued, "we decided to go to the Shadow Forest. And we did find a ruin. There were no jewels, no great tapestries like the ones Trader Mags salvages scraps from, no paintings. There was something much more precious." "What was that?"
    "Bess," Gylfie said quietly.
"Bess?" Coryn asked.
"Yes, Bess - the daughter of Grimble!" There were tears now in both Soren's and Gyfie's eyes. 38 50 "And who is Grimble?" Coryn asked. "Was," Gylfie corrected, and wiped away a tear with her wing tip. "You see, Coryn, Grimble taught us to fly. It was because of Grimble that Soren and I were able to escape St. Aggie's."
Soren continued. "Grimble was kil ed when the Ablah General discovered him helping us to escape. There was a terrific fight. Grimble kept yel ing, 'Fly! Fly! Now's your chance!' I looked back and saw him bleeding on the ground, a wing half torn off."
"And did he die?" Coryn asked. "Oh, he died al right. But his bones brought Bess and us together."
"His bones!" Coryn blinked. "Is this a scroom
    story?"
"In a way," Gylfie said softly. "But it was because we had snuck out to look for precious things that we found Bess in that ruin. It was several moon cycles after her father had final y died. She would have rescued him if she could have. But she couldn't, so she did the next best thing and brought his bones to this secret place."
"Secret place!" Coryn was nearly jumping out of his feathers, "Tel me the story, please.".A child desperate to rescue a parent! How different from me. Would I ever dare rescue my mum, or...? Would I dare seek out my da's bones?
39 51 A shadow seemed to steal across Soren's gizzard, sending a deep chil through his hol ow bones. "I can remember her words almost exactly." Soren sighed.
"Tel it! Tel it!"
"Yes, you tel it, Soren," Gyhie said. Soren was the best storytel er of al . It was Soren's tel ing of the legends when he and Gylfie had been thrown into
    the moon-blaze chamber in St. Aggie's that had
saved them from