The Dreamer's Curse (Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

quickly
as possible.”
    “We will,” he promised her.
    She’d done all she could here. With a nod to the whole
family, she spun on a heel and headed straight for the skimmer, gesturing for
her passengers to follow as she walked. “Load up, people.”
    It took some serious coaxing to get both wolf and stallion
back on board. Sevana didn’t even try to help Decker during this process, just
sat in her chair and impatiently tapped out an irritated rhythm against the
wooden deck. The worst delay was Clari, who had to say proper goodbyes to her
hosts, but eventually the little girl climbed on board too.
    Satisfied that everyone had settled enough to not fall off,
Sevana lifted the skimmer off the ground with a slight scrape and groan. Clari
clapped her hands and laughed aloud. “Uncle Deck, we’re flying !”
    Oh? Sevana cast a quick glance over her shoulder. Unlike her
uncle, Clari apparently had no fear of heights and was looking around with
wide-eyed wonder. She kept asking questions on how this all worked, and wasn’t
satisfied with the one word answer of “Magic” that her uncle gave her, either.
    Sevana lost track of their conversation as she navigated
their way around the top parts of the palace and higher into the air, then
pointed due north. It always felt exhilarating up here, with the wind rushing
past her skin and ruffling her hair. This season of the year, it carried hints
of spring and growing things that tickled her nose and cleared her head. As
scary as the “curse” was, she couldn’t focus on it entirely and lose focus of
everything else. She inhaled a deep lungful and let it out again, feeling
better for it.
    “Clari, please don’t go so close to the edge,” Decker
pleaded nervously.
    Sevana hooked the skimmer up to a long stream of clouds
before daring to half-turn in her seat. Clari stood right at the railing, both
hands on the top, and her head leaning out over the side to see the ground
below. Decker had grabbed her by the ankles and was insistently tugging at her,
trying to draw her back toward the center.
    “Uncle Deck, I’m alright,” she insisted, not letting go of
the railing.
    “You’re not alright,” he shot back. “What if you
fall?”
    “She can’t,” Sevana piped up, finding the sight humorous.
When Decker shot her a confused look, she elaborated, “There’s a charm on this
vessel that prevents people from falling. She can’t go more than three inches
before the charm will activate and push her back inside.”
    “An anti-falling charm,” he grumbled not quite under his
breath as he released his hold on Clari’s ankles. “ Now she tells me.”
    Sevana cackled.
    ~ ~ ~
    They picked up a tailwind from the south and made better
time than Sevana had dared hope for. They arrived at Chastain just as the sun
was setting. She got a very good bird’s-eye view as they slowly reduced their
altitude, coming in to land at the village’s outskirts. From the air, it
certainly didn’t look like much. It had that interesting blend of Kindin and
Windamere architecture—the bold colors of the trimming on the houses were pure
Windamere, but the bases were made of stone and brick instead of the usual
thatch and wood. This village hadn’t just grown every which way as most did,
but had a semblance of order to it. Actually, it looked like a giant spider
web. The center had a very large fountain that gushed water endlessly with a
courthouse, bank, church and meeting hall around it in a small circle. Then
from there were short streets that connected to four long streets, all with either
businesses or homes, all of which glowed with lamplight at this late hour. It
seemed like a very peaceful, unassuming place.
    Pity appearances were so deceiving.
    Even at this hour, someone noticed them coming in, and a
loud bell rang out three times in quick succession. Several people poured out
of their homes and rushed toward the edge of town, all of them carrying weapons
of various sorts. Considering