Fate Of The Minotaur (Her Dragon's Bane 5) Read Online Free PDF Page B

for anything.”
    “I want to help you fight.”
    “No,” he said firmly.
    “Hello, Sybil, Fin.” A face peered in at the window, and the two of them let out their pent-up breath.
    Fin went to the door and unlocked it, allowing Charlotte and Serena to come in. Zoah stood outside, his arms crossed, surveying the forest. Sybil looked at Fin and saw a slight irritation cross his face, but as quickly as it appeared, it had gone. He felt the same way as she did; her guests were invading the little world they had been living in for the last twelve hours or so. And neither of them liked it. Or was it simply that neither of them wanted to be reminded of what was waiting for Sybil in the world outside the cottage?
    “We came to see how you were,” said Charlotte. She stood on tiptoe to kiss Fin on the cheek, earning her a scowl from Zoah, which she ignored. “It’s good to see you fit and in one piece. We were worried that you might have been attacked.”
    “Why?” asked Fin.
    “Because we hadn’t seen you. We thought you would come over and let us know you were alright,” Serena said.
    “We would have come earlier, but Zoah insisted we were worrying about nothing.”
    “And he was right,” came Zoah’s voice from outside.
    “As you usually are,” said Charlotte without a hint of humour, but she winked at Sybil, who couldn’t help but smile. Zoah stalked off to poke around in the bushes around the edge of Sybil’s house. “He didn’t want to come. But just ignore him. It’s only because Tara says it’s important. Anyone else, and he would be more than happy to get involved.
    “Doesn’t he like Tara?” asked Sybil, finding herself more relaxed around these two women.
    “Nobody likes Tara,” said Serena.
    “I would say, don’t be so mean. But Serena is right. Tara is an expert at rubbing people the wrong way. Especially if it’s a creature that can sprout wings and fly.”
    “I’m a dragon,” bellowed Zoah.
    “Anyway. We just thought we would come over and see if everything is all right. Which it looks as if it is.”
    “Sybil was about to make pancakes.”
    “Was she? Late breakfast?” Charlotte teased.
    “Charlotte!” Serena chastised.
    “Sybil had a restless night.”
    “I’m not surprised, after being attacked by those things.”
    “Still, at least they haven’t been back. Dòmhnall is trying to get information out of that gargoyle Fin captured. But we’ve come to the conclusion they are mute.”
    “We were going to come over to the Stronghold today. To see if there is any information you have on vampires.”
    “We can probably tell you most of what you need to know,” Serena said.
    “Yes. We all had a crash course on them when that one tried to buy Charlotte. Tara said there was trouble coming from the vampires, so it was best we knew how to handle ourselves around them.”
    “So you know how to kill them?” asked Fin.
    “Your usual horror-movie weapons. A wooden stake, preferably to the heart. But the head will do too.”
    Sybil pulled a face. “I don’t think I could kill anything.”
    “When it’s your life, or a creature that is already undead, I would like to think that you would find the courage to do it, Sybil.”
    “And if they bite you?”
    “If the venom isn’t removed quickly enough, then it spreads through you and you die. And then you wake up…”
    “Garlic?” asked Sybil hopefully. She had some growing in her garden.
    “Afraid not. All those other embellishments are purely fictional,” said Charlotte gently. “You need to learn to defend yourself with a weapon, Sybil.”
    “I’m going to teach her,” said Fin.
    “Are you sure? I didn’t know if you knew how to handle weapons? It’s partly why we asked Zoah to come with us,” said Charlotte. “He taught me how to use a sword and he’s pretty good with a dagger, which is kind of the same thing as a wooden stake.”
    “I can teach her,” he said. “I have practiced with lots of weapons. Over