Scarlet and the Keepers of Light

Scarlet and the Keepers of Light Read Online Free PDF

Book: Scarlet and the Keepers of Light Read Online Free PDF
Author: Brandon Charles West
Tags: adventure, Fantasy, Magic, Young Adult, teen, v.5
desperate eyes. The pack came to a more graceful stop behind him.
    “Why did you stop?” Dakota barked. “I told you not to stop until you’d reached the Tounder.” He was holding back his anger, but it showed in his flashing blue eyes.
    Cricket lowered her head and nuzzled Dakota’s neck. “I sorry,” she whined.
    “It’s my fault,” Mr. Hopewell called out, walking to stand next to Cricket. “I told her to stop.”
    Dakota looked from Cricket to Mr. Hopewell, and his eyes softened. It was completely understandable that she had listened to her master, Cricket read in them; he couldn’t fault her for it. “We’re not safe until we reach the Tounder,” he barked. “We can’t afford to stop.”
    “Scarlet is tired. She can’t handle this running much longer,” Mr. Hopewell said. Cricket suspected that he spoke for himself as much as Scarlet. After all, he was carrying Melody.
    Dakota lifted his head and barked. It sounded curiously as if he was laughing—perhaps he’d had the same thought. “That’s a problem easily fixed,” he said. “Ulrich, Fael!”
    Two of the largest wolves—no, Stidolph, Cricket corrected herself—came forward, silently communicating with Dakota. Then the one Dakota called Ulrich approached Scarlet.
    “Climb on my back, my lady,” he said, his voice low and gruff, as if he rarely used it and wasn’t quite sure it worked.
    Scarlet smiled and, without hesitation, jumped onto Ulrich’s back. Fael went to Mrs. Hopewell and motioned for her to do the same. After a great deal of hesitation, she did, and Mr. Hopewell handed her Melody.
    Dakota looked at Mr. Hopewell. “How are your legs?”
    “I’ll be fine,” he answered, a little doubtfully.
    “Then let’s be off.” Dakota took the lead, darting off into the forest ahead of them.
    ***
    L imbs and leaves flashed by in a dizzying blur, almost faster than Scarlet could see them. Despite the tremendous speed at which Ulrich ran, she had no fear of falling off. She wrapped her arms around the Stidolph’s mighty neck and reveled in the wind rushing through her hair. Stealing a glance at her mother, she was surprised to see much the same expression on her face, even if it was a bit more reserved. With the Stidolph carrying them, now, everything seemed like it would be okay. She looked back and saw her father and Cricket running side by side. Never had she seen her dad run so fast.
    After several miles, a familiar sensation washed over her. Her heart seemed to be dancing. Inside she was filled with a warmth that staved off the cold. It felt as if nothing in the world could ever be sad again. Even in the dark, the forest around her glowed so alive and green, shimmering like emeralds carved into the shapes of leaves and ferns. There was a strange tickling in her hair, a tickling she knew she’d felt before. Just above her, in the canopy of the trees, she could swear she saw dancing lights of every imaginable color.
    The trees parted to reveal a circular clearing, a massive oak standing majestically at its center. Scarlet gasped. Clothed with iridescent gold and silver leaves, the oak’s limbs spread wide to form a glittering canopy against the night sky. All along its branches, up and down its mighty trunk, glistening lights danced in every hue.
    At the base of the tree, much smaller than she remembered it in her dreams, was the entrance to the village.
     

5
    The Largest Little Village

    Dakota stopped at the base of the massive oak, bowed his head low to the ground, and then lifted his muzzle to the heavens and let out a mighty howl. Cricket and the wolves did the same, the canine chorus rising to a crescendo, echoing out into the night.
    The myriad points of lights that had been dancing around the tree began to swirl together, forming a cyclone of vibrant colors that encompassed the Hopewells and the canines. Scarlet felt a tingling all over her body, radiating in circles just beneath the surface of her skin. Through the
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