Dragon Stones (Book One in the Dragon Stone Saga) Read Online Free PDF Page B

extremely difficult,
and it requires telepathic abilities.
    Some independent mages learned how to
communicate with dragons, but it always took years of training.
However, it is said that elves can communicate with dragons
effortlessly, as they can with all creatures.” She picked up the
gem, sticky with honey, and traced the image with her finger. “It’s
beautiful, isn’t it? I’ve never seen one up close. It’s green, so
it would have been from an emerald dragon. That’s—that’s all I know
about them.” She placed the gem back on the table.
    “This is incredible!” Elias grabbed it and
held it up to the light. “Grandmother, be reasonable. It’s
valuable, and we could use the money. Let’s sell it to Frogar.”
Frogar was the village junk merchant. Unpopular for his sour
character and greed, he was also useful, because he would buy
almost anything—if the price was right.
    “No! It’s too dangerous. Frogar is a liar
and a cheat. He would skin his own mother for a bag of coppers.
Take it back into the forest tomorrow and put it back where you
found it.”
    “But grandmother…” Elias started to protest,
but she shook her head.
    “Do not argue with me, Elias. My decision is
final. Tell no one of the stone. Take it back where you found it.
We cannot risk bringing this type of attention upon us.” Carina
took the stone and hid it in the cabinet, behind her bottles of
herbs and remedies.
    Elias hung his head, annoyed. Why let
something so valuable go to waste, just because of some silly
superstition? They finished the rest of the meal in silence. Even
the delicious taste of the honeyed flatbread could not improve his
mood.
    When he went to bed that night, Elias dreamt
again of dragons. This time, a single green dragon approached him
in the forest. It was twice the size of a horse, but he was not
afraid. The dragon reached out to him and Elias saw the carved
stone embedded in the dragon’s throat. The stone was identical to
the one that Elias found in the forest. The dragon’s claw scratched
at his throat, and Elias woke up in a cold sweat. “Aaaaugh!” he
yelled. His heart pounded. It was only a dream.
    Elias rolled back over and went to
sleep.

    ***

Chapter 3: Frogar, the
Junk Merchant
    When Elias awoke the following morning, he
shivered with cold. The fire had died down during the night, and
the tiny cottage seemed darker than usual. He shuddered, got up,
and fed another log to the fire. He peeked outside his tiny window
and saw the ground covered in snow.
    “Blast! The snow will make
it impossible to find any food in the forest,” he thought. His breath escaped in a cloud of warm vapor.
Elias took a deep breath, snuck into the kitchen, and grabbed the
dragon stone. He looked over at Carina and saw that she was still
sleeping. He put the stone in a pouch and hung it around his
neck.
    Elias donned his warmest cloak, a thick wool
garment that had once been his grandfather’s. It was simple, but
very well-made, and it kept him warm even on the coldest days.
Carina had given it to him two years ago as a gift. He also had
some leather boots and a hat that was lined with beaver fur. He
hardly felt the cold as he stepped outside. The snow crunched under
his feet as he walked towards the village square.
    Persil wasn’t a large settlement, but it
bustled with activity. There were children running in the streets
and farmers carting their winter harvest for sale. The village was
defended by local militia, and men patrolled the village borders
with simple weapons. Most of Persil’s revenue came from fur
trading. The hunting had been poor this year, and many families
were struggling.
    A farmer dragged a large selection of winter
squash through the street. The squash came in different sizes and
colors. Some gourds were the size of a child’s fist. Others were
pumpkins; larger than a man’s head. A few women strolled up to the
farmer, haggling with over price. One woman was holding an infant
swaddled