Read The Lazy Dragon and Bumblespells Wizard for Free Online Page B

most.
    She had to get to the rope tied to her branch, swing out so she could drop on the other river bank, and … escape. And she needed to accomplish all of this before Hedge-Witch caught up to her.
    Hoping the book was listening and would help, she edged forward an inch, her right hand sliding toward the swinging rope’s knot around the branch. The limb cracked louder and sank closer to the river. She closed her eyes and thought as hard as she could, praying her book would help. “Rope. Rope. Rope.”
    Moire Ain pictured her hand grabbing the hanging rope, standing, and jumping off, swinging far into theair. She pictured the rope in her hand. In her head, she’d looped it around her wrist. But then the vision reformed. At the last second, instead of swinging on the rope, she saw herself throw the rope a dozen feet through the air at the tree limb above her.
    There was a tug at her wrist. She opened her eyes and stared down at the rope still tied on her branch. Was she being told to throw a lasso? How? She couldn’t reach the rope. But the next moment Moire Ain yelped when a tug at her waist nearly spilled her off her branch.
    The rope belt around her waist stretched. One end spun out, sailing up and looping around the branch above her head. Moire Ain didn’t move for fear she’d break the branch she clung to, but she watched the other limb dip down close until it was even with her cracking branch. She slowly slipped one leg and then the other over the new branch. She was safely on it when the lower branch gave a final crack and broke off, slamming into the river and bashing the water into a giant wave.
    Riding the new branch, Moire Ain laughed even when river water swamped up at her. But as the broken branch rode the wave up past her and then fell into the river, it caught her ragged robe, nearly dragging her down. For the first time, she was grateful for the thin fabric of her robe when the cloth tore away. Her clothing bore a new hole, but she was still safely on her new branch. Moire Ain took a shaky breath and watched thebroken wood float down-river, the shred of dull cloth waving like a small flag.
    Moire Ain crowed to her book, “Wow! That was great. Even the part where my robe ripped. Hedge-Witch will see the branch and think I’ve gone in the river and drowned. I hope.”
    The book remained silent. She inched quickly across the new branch and was standing on firm ground in a minute. “I did that with my mind and you, book. That’s more magick than I’ve ever done. I’m already a great wizard! And I haven’t even really started any mastery lessons. That’s mighty great. I’m mighty great. I’m great and mighty.”
    She placed the book on a dry rock and inspected it for damage. Despite the splashing she’d gotten, it looked the same. Moire Ain was amazed. She’d gotten across water Hedge-Witch wouldn’t cross. She hadn’t damaged her book. The only thing she was sorry about was that when she’d run, she hadn’t had a chance to get back in her hut and bring her pet raven, Raspberries. He’d been her only friend forever. Now she was alone with an uncommunicative book.
    Picking
Magicks Mysteries
up again, she was about to tuck it back into her pouch when a blur of ebony feathers squawked through the tall trees and plopped on her shoulder. Moire Ain’s heart soared, and she couldn’t help grinning.
    She rubbed her raven between his eyes, just above his beak. “Now that you’re here, everything is perfect. You are the smartest raven in the world to have figured out how to get out of your cage. I wish I’d been able to get that lock off long ago.” Moire Ain noticed a bit of woven wood caught on the tip of the raven’s beak. “You chewed your way out? My, brave, strong, smart Raspberries. I didn’t mean to leave you behind. It all happened so fast. I had to run.”
    The raven ducked