Return of the Crown Read Online Free PDF

scent swirled in the air about her, and in her lap sat a
dusty book that time had forgotten. She blew the dust off in a big
puff and saw it was her mother’s book, though it had been cruelly
neglected. She opened it gingerly, finding the letters faded and
the parchment dry and unyielding. Pieces of it flaked apart in her
hands.
    “Oh, my! This will fall to pieces before I
have time to read it,” she cried. More paper crumbled from the
edges. Turning to the inside cover, she saw an inscription penned
in emerald ink. ‘To my loving daughter Lareina, on your
16 th Birthing Day. May this book instruct you in the
ways of truth and the Light. Use it well. Father.’ She cradled the
book to her chest. “I’d better start reading this; I fear I won’t
get all the information it contains before it’s destroyed. Anything
I learn will be better than nothing, I suppose.”
    Rowan smiled down at the top of her head,
already buried in the old tome. He slid down the rope, heading
through the forest to a fine Balsa tree, one at its peak to fell.
It was not something he did lightly, for the trees well-being was
his reason for living. He brought each seed and sapling to this
little land and nurtured them through the years. But change was in
the wind. Ravyn would be leaving soon.
    He stopped in front of a Balsa tree. The tree
rose nearly eighty feet, the diameter of its trunk nearly three
feet across. He murmured softly, relating that it would make a
noble raft for the princess. He plucked some pods that held its
seeds, pledging to release the seeds to the wind so that it might
propagate. Hefting his axe, he set to work to bring the magnificent
tree to ground.
     
    Gently Ravyn turned the pages of the book,
trying to absorb every word. She pulled out paper and a bottle of
ink. She copied the book onto the new paper, preserving the content
before it was lost. Some words were barely visible, time fading the
ink on the yellowed pages. She sighed, rubbing her aching neck.
    The preamble preached about the heart of the
practitioner of the arts needing to remain virtuous. It talked of
putting others needs in front of one’s own and maintaining humility
in the face of one’s accomplishments. It seemed like sound advice
and principles by which she already tried to live, but when would
she find out how to manipulate the Light? What rules governed it?
She had been furiously copying the book for several hours; her
hands were cramping, her back was stiff, and she was starving. Her
stomach grumbled to emphasize its complaint.
    Ravyn sighed and stretched out her legs. She
had certainly done something to the fire this morning, and she had
definitely retrieved the book. Strange electricity tingled in the
air; things were changing rapidly. Life was spiraling out of
control. She would leave this island sanctuary, on her own. It
would be her and her newfound talent. Tears welled in her blue
eyes, threatening to fall.
    She shook her head trying to clear her mind.
Blade would choke if he could see her now, crying like a whiny
little girl. It was a long time ago that they played their
adventure games back at the castle. This was a real adventure now;
she could find the courage in her heart to find her way back to the
ones she loved.
    She thought of Blade, missing him dearly. She
pictured what he would look like. He would be tall, with strong
shoulders, hair bleached by the sun, sparkling emerald eyes, and a
smile that would light up the darkest room.
    And, her parents had always been secretly
proud of her feisty spirit. What would they think if they could see
her now, shuddering in her skin at the thought of the unknown? From
somewhere deep inside she felt strength infuse her hollow limbs and
heart.
    Her stomach grumbled again; it was hollow
too. Hours had passed since the morning meal. The sun’s rays beat
down from directly overhead. She sketched a picture of a birthday
cake on a corner of her paper. Visualizing it in her mind, she
concentrated on the