Deltora Quest #2: The Lake of Tears Read Online Free PDF Page A

from the chimney.
    “Barda!” he cried, his voice cracking. “Jasmine!”
    He heard them exclaiming and running towards him, but he could not tear his eyes away from the little house. As they reached him, he pointed and they gasped in amazement.
    “I never thought to find people living here!” exclaimed Barda. “What a piece of good fortune!”
    “A bath!” cried Lief happily. “Hot food! And perhaps a bed for the night!”
    “‘Ring and Enter,’” said Jasmine, reading the sign. “Very well, then. Let us obey!”
    Lief stretched out his hand and rang the bell. It made a cheery, welcoming sound, and together the friends ran through the bushes and onto the green lawn.
    They had taken only a few steps before they realized that something was terribly wrong. Desperately they tried to turn back. But it was too late. Already they were sinking — to their knees … their thighs … their waists …
    Beneath the green-covered surface of what they had thought was a fine flat lawn — was quicksand.

F loundering, terrified, they screamed for help as the quicksand sucked them down. Already they had sunk nearly to their chests. Soon — soon they would disappear under the treacherous green surface that they now knew was simply a thin layer of some slimy water plant.
    The fruit and sticks that Lief had been carrying had scattered and sunk without trace, but the big piece of wood he had found was still lying on the surface of the quicksand between the three struggling friends. It floats because it is flat and wide, Lief thought through his panic. It is floating where nothing else will.
    There was a shout, and he saw, hurrying from the little white cottage, two plump, grey-haired figures carrying a long pole between them. Help was coming. But by the time it arrived it would be too late. Too late.
    Unless …
    Lief reached out for the flat piece of wood and just managed to touch its edge with the tips of his fingers.
    “Jasmine! Barda!” he shouted. “Hold on to this wood. At the edges. Gently. Try to — to stretch out and spread yourselves flat, as though you were swimming.”
    They heard him. They did as he asked. In moments the three companions were spread out around the piece of wood like the petals of a giant flower or the spokes of a wheel. High on Jasmine’s shoulder, Filli chattered with fear, clutching her hair with his tiny hands.
    They were no longer sinking. The wood was holding them almost steady. But for how long could their balance last? If one of them panicked — if the wood tipped one way or the other, it would slide under the quicksand and they would go with it and be lost.
    “Help is coming!” gasped Lief. “Hold on!”
    He did not dare to raise his head to look for the two old people in case the movement disturbed his balance. But he could hear their gasping cries. They were very close now.
    Oh, quickly, he begged them in his mind. Please hurry!
    He heard them reach the edge of the quicksand. He could not understand their words, because they were speaking in a strange tongue. But their voices were urgent. It was clear that they wanted to help.
    “Taem hserf!” the man was panting.
    “Knis ti tel ton od!” the woman exclaimed in answer. “Tou ti teg!”
    There was a splash. The quicksand surged and rippled. Lief clutched at his piece of wood and cried out. Green slime and sand covered his mouth, his nose … Then he felt something catch him around the back, curving under his arms, holding him up, pulling him forward.
    Choking and spluttering, he opened his eyes. Whatever was holding him — a large metal hook, perhaps — was attached to the end of a long wooden pole. Jasmine and Barda had caught hold of the pole itself. Like him, they were being towed slowly towards firm ground by the two old people who heaved together, grunting with the effort.
    There was nothing the three friends could do to help themselves. Progress was agonizingly slow. The quicksand sucked at their bodies, holding them