Trusted: Dragons' Trust Book 1 Read Online Free PDF

Trapped.
    Tailless squirrel saw Plyth and came over. Carried Plyth over to fire. Fear got less. It was nice by fire. Warm, very warm. Tailless squirrel passed around bad–smelling lumps. They ate them. Yuck.
    A sharp crack. Danger?
    Bald bear stood and faced the forest bravely. The brave bald bear stood ready to protect them. Plyth sniffed the air. Only a rabbit. Brave sat back down and went back to eating. He grumbled at Kind and the tailless squirrel.
    Brave and Kind looked at tailless squirrel a lot. They also growled and cooed at him. He would chatter back. When they were done eating, they moved under the big leaf. Kind carried Plyth. Kind and Brave lay down. Their sounds became louder. Sleeping.
    Tailless squirrel patted Plyth's head. He felt good; he trusted the tailless squirrel. Everything would be fine. Safe. Plyth settled down to sleep. He liked his new friends: Kind, Brave, and Trusted.

Chapter 6: The Wall of Water
     
    Renick watched his feet slosh in the mud. Water seeped in through holes along the side of the soles. His hand–me–down boots, threadbare and falling apart, were not meant for traipsing through the forest after a good, long rain. At least the rain had stopped. The sun now peeked down through the occasional gray cloud and reflected off the pools of water that formed in Lainey's footprints. He shifted the pack on his back to give his sore shoulder a rest. The sleeping baby dragon huffed in protest. The dragon's hot breath warmed the back of Renick's neck. He wondered, briefly, if the dragon would breathe on his frozen feet.
    Up ahead, Lainey's feet stopped and turned toward him. Renick looked up. She was watching him, a concerned look on her face.
    "How's our little one?" Lainey asked.
    "Sleeping."
    "And your shoulder?"
    He shrugged and tried not to wince at the movement. "Fine."
    Lainey's eyes and nose scrunched together, but she did not press further. Instead, she waited for Renick to catch up with her. She turned to walk beside him. Peering at the baby dragon, she cooed softly. Renick watched Lainey as she tickled the dragon under its chin. It huffed again and tried to settle deeper into the relative safety of the rucksack.
    With a thud, Renick collided with Thane's back. The force nearly sent Thane sprawling to the ground, but with an awkward hop–jump, he caught himself. Renick managed to keep his balance by using a nearby tree trunk for support. A silvery giggle, like tinkling glass, filled Renick's ears. Lainey had her hands wrapped around her stomach as if she were squeezing a belly laugh down to a giggle. Clearing his throat, Thane turned and glared at Renick.
    "Sorry," Renick said with a shrug.
    Thane waved his hand at Renick and told him to be quiet. "Do you hear that?"
    "What?" Lainey asked, her giggle fading. Thane shushed her.
    In the silence of the rain–drenched forest, Renick could hear the faint sound of rushing water. Lainey's eyes widened—she must have heard it too.
    "A river?" Renick wondered.
    Thane nodded. "I think so. This could be the Hodine River."
    "The one that comes from the Thormic Mountains and runs past Trevinni?" Renick asked.
    Lainey gasped. "If it is, then all we need to do is follow it!"
    Renick started moving forward again, this time at a quicker pace. All he could think of was how the river could lead them out of the forest. He heard Thane start to say something, but ignored him. They could be out of the forest and back home in a few days. Renick felt a pit form in his stomach as he remembered that he was not going home. He was going to Trevinni to apprentice with his uncle. He did not want to dwell on it.
    As Renick neared the river, the sound of the water grew louder and louder. He emerged from the cover of the trees and shielded his eyes against the sunlight dancing along the rippled surface of the river. Brown water, littered with branches, flew past him. The ground on either side of the churning depths was flooded well over the natural bank.
    "Swollen