Chosen Sister Read Online Free PDF Page B

infected.”
    Reina approached and let him wash it, although it stung horribly.
    “Now, are you able to wash mine?” he asked. “Don’t let the blood worry you … if we bandage it, it should be fine.”
    “I’m not afraid of blood.” Reina frowned.
    Even if he was trying to be nice and do the right thing, she didn’t appreciate the wizard’s patronizing tone, and none of his spells had gone exactly right yet. However, she washed his shoulder and bandaged it just as he described. While he might not be a good wizard, he was the only one they had—and the only one who knew where they were headed.
    “Where are we going now?” She tied off the bandage.
    “Erm, well, we’ll have to circle through the woods until the harpies get off our trail. Then we’ll still make our way to the Stream of Eternal Pouring and get the sword.”
    “Do we go right now?” Austyn asked.
    “I think it’s better if we make camp and rest for a day or two before moving on,” the Gold Wizard said. “I’m weak after using so much magic and wounded too. Plus your sister is scratched up.”
    Reina glanced back the way they’d come but couldn’t see the edge of the woods. Thick trees surrounded them, and the fading light darkened them in shadow. It gave her an ominous feeling. She still didn’t like knowing that only a little way back, harpies flew around trying to find them. “I think we should find a better camping spot.” One further in.
    The Gold Wizard stood up with a groan. “I agree. This way.”
    Reina was tired. The woods got darker, and she had to take care not to trip on roots and rocks while she followed the Gold Wizard into the thickening darkness. Moonlight didn’t reach the ground through the branches overhead, and she and Austyn kept stumbling. She heard the Gold Wizard bang into some bushes and curse. Then he turned back to them.
    “I don’t want to light a fire. We’re too close to the edge of the woods. We’ll just have to sleep here and find a better camp tomorrow.”
    “But I thought the harpies can’t come in the woods,” Austyn said, sounding pitiful.
    “They can’t, but other things can.”
    Austyn whimpered. Reina drew him close.
    “Don’t worry,” the Gold Wizard said. “I’ll protect us. We’ll be perfectly safe.”
    “Yeah,” Reina said, squeezing Austyn. “Remember, he used all that magic on the harpies. We’ll be fine.” She didn’t believe it herself, however; she thought the Gold Wizard had mostly botched the harpy business. The more she saw of his magic, the less it impressed her, although she still desperately wished she could learn it. For one thing, she was sure she could do a better job at it. Perhaps if the Gold Wizard showed off less and concentrated more, things would go better. But she didn’t mention any of this. It would only worry Austyn and start a fight with the Gold Wizard. He didn’t seem willing to admit he wasn’t the best.
    The Gold Wizard parted some branches and lay down under a bush. Reina pushed Austyn in after him and then lay down so that Austyn was between them, keeping him warm and safe. Within minutes, she heard from their breathing that they’d both fallen asleep.
    Although she was tired, sleep wouldn’t come quickly to her. She stared up through the tangle of branches, seeing a single star looking down through everything at her. It seemed to whisper hope to her. And even though she wasn’t the Chosen One, even though the Gold Wizard seemed incompetent, even though everything had gone wrong, she found herself happy to be here, out in the woods, on an adventure.
    When she woke at dawn, stiff, cold, and annoyed, Reina had finished with adventures. She felt a wave of homesickness as she stood, staring at the endless trees. She longed to be by the kitchen fire, stirring a pot of oatmeal for her mother, watching her father put on his boots to go out to the fields. The trees looked cold and unfriendly compared to the memories of home.
    Reina tried to