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

back. But the two old people would not give up. Red-faced, they sweated and puffed, pulling at the pole with all their might.
    And at last, Lief saw Jasmine and Barda pulled out of the sand’s grip. With a horrible, sucking sound it released them and they flopped together onto dry land — wet, filthy, and covered in slime.
    Moments later it was his turn. His body popped from the ooze and onto the bank like a cork from a bottle — so suddenly that the two old people tumbledbackwards and sat down hard. They gasped, clutching each other and laughing.
    Lief lay, panting on the ground, gabbling his relief and thanks. Hard against his back was the hook that had saved his life, but he did not care. He found that he was still clutching the piece of wood, and laughed. Rough and rubbishy as it was, it, too, had played its part. He was glad it had not been lost in the sand. He sat up and looked around.
    The two old people were picking themselves up, chattering excitedly to one another.
    “Efas era yeht!” cried the old woman.
    “Egamad on!” her companion agreed.
    “What are they talking about?” muttered Jasmine. “I cannot understand a word they say.”
    Lief glanced at her. Her face was thunderous.
    “Do not frown at them so, Jasmine,” he whispered urgently. “They saved our lives!”
    “They nearly took our lives, with their foolish ‘Ring and Enter’ sign,” she snapped. “I do not see why I should be grateful to them!”
    “They may not have put the sign there,” Barda pointed out calmly. “It may have been here longer than they have. It looked very old — broken and battered.”
    Suddenly, Lief had a terrible thought. He looked down at the piece of wood he held in his hand. It, too, looked very old. And it, too, had a jagged edge, as though it had been broken away from something larger, a long time ago.
    Slowly he rubbed away the moss that still clung to one side. His face began to burn as faded words and letters became visible.

    In his mind’s eye he fitted this piece of wood to the sign on the other side of the quicksand.

    Silently, he held up the piece of wood so that Jasmine and Barda could see the words. Their eyes widened and they groaned as they realized how they had made the mistake that had nearly been their death.
    The two old people were bustling up to them. When they in their turn saw the piece of broken sign, they exclaimed and looked shocked.
    “Ti was yeht!” cried the woman.
    “Ti wonk ton did yeht. Sloof!” growled the man. He took the piece of sign from Lief’s hand and shook his head. Then he pointed across to the other side of the quicksand and made breaking movements with his hands.
    Lief nodded. “Yes, the warning sign was broken,” he said, though he knew they could not understand him. “We were fools for not realizing that, and for rushing forward as we did.”
    “The sign has been broken for years!” muttered Jasmine, still angry. “The piece that has fallen off is covered in moss. They must have known. And why is there a bell hanging from the tree?”
    “If a ring of quicksand surrounds their land, perhaps they rarely leave it,” Barda murmured. “If that is so, how could they know what is beyond?”
    The old woman smiled at Lief. Her smile was sweet and merry. She was pink-cheeked, with twinkling blue eyes, and she was wearing a long blue dress. Her apron was white and her grey hair was tied in a knot on the back of her neck.
    Lief smiled back at her. She reminded him of a picture in one of the old storybooks in the bookshelf at home. It made him feel warm and safe just looking at her. The old man was also comforting to look at. He had a kind, cheery face, a fringe of grey hair around a bald patch on his head, and a bushy white mustache.
    “Nij,” the woman said, patting her chest and bowing slightly. Then she pulled the old man forward. “Doj,” she said, tapping him.
    Lief realized that she was telling him their names. “Lief,” he said in return, pointing