Return of the Crown Read Online Free PDF Page A

bellies;
I’m famished.” His stomach rumbled in agreement.
    Ravyn straightened, heading to the kitchen.
Rowan would never say things just to make her feel better. He never
said something unless he believed it, and she found over the years
that he was generally correct. If he said she could learn to
control the power on her own, then she could.
    She assembled the ingredients for a hearty
mush: grains, berries, and nuts. Tossing them into a pot, she
turned to tend the fire. A few coals still smoldered from the
previous night. Her rumbling stomach growled, impatient for a
cheery fire. As she reached for the poker to rouse the embers, she
envisioned the pot simmering on the fire. She imagined the sweet
smell rising out over the rim; she could almost taste the mush warm
against her tongue. A hearty fragrant smell drifted up to greet
her.
    Sitting on the fire bubbling happily was the
little clay pot. The mush cooked to perfection. She looked sideways
at Rowan’s wizened face, and he gave a knowing nod.
    “Did you put that there while I was
daydreaming? Did you stoke the fire while I was lost in thought? I
swear that when we came in, the fire was naught but ashes. By the
Light, how did that…,” she stopped short.
    A grin split Rowan’s leathered face. “By the
Light indeed,” he crowed. He picked up the ladle, scooping the mush
into two bowls. He placed the bowl in her bewildered hands. “Could
you conjure us up some tea too? I could do with a spot.”
    “But I didn’t,” she spluttered, “Or did I?”
She contemplated what she had been thinking about and how it seemed
to happen. So, she concentrated on her kettle full of water fresh
from the spring. She pictured it sitting on the fire, boiling
merrily. She envisioned the tea leaves simmering about happily. The
kettle began whistling, drawing her attention to the spit where it
now sat, steam issuing from its spout. She wrapped her apron around
the handle, pouring two cups of tea.
    Rowan clutched his sides, guffawing
helplessly. “Maybe next time you’ll magic in the strainer too. I
like to drink tea, not eat it.” All of the little flakes of tea and
spice bits swirled around the cup before sinking to the bottom.
    They settled down on soft cushions, and laid
their mush and tea on the low table they used for meals. Silence
reigned as they satisfied their ravenous hunger. Ravyn mused about
what had just occurred. It seemed that if she visualized something,
she could bring it to her. She thought longingly of the things she
could bring to the island. She thought of her dolls, toys, and
books left in the castle, but realized that she’d outgrown those
things long ago.
    She pined for books. She loved reading
adventure stories, and the castle library overflowed with all kinds
of exciting tales. It had books concerning the history of the known
world and all the strange creatures that inhabited it. It had
nail-biting tales of adventure. There were books about the use of
magic, though she hadn’t read them, being too young at the time.
She wished she had them now. Rowan brought a few books with him to
the island, and she had read them all several times over.
    “A copper for your thoughts,” Rowan nudged
her out of her reverie.
    “Oh I was just wishing for some of the books
in the library back at the castle. Especially the ones mother used
to read, the ones concerning the Light Arts. I think now I could
understand them.”
    “Well now, maybe you should be bringing one
here.”
    “I guess I could try. It couldn’t hurt.” She
pictured the library back home, its walls filled with books on
every topic. She smelled the tangy sea air coming in through the
window and focused on the shelves of books that contained
information on Light Magic. She remembered her mother’s favorite.
Bound in rich buttery leather and embossed in gold, the book had Compendium of the Light Arts written along the spine. She
could almost smell her mother’s flowery perfume on its pages. A
sweet