01 Wing Warrior Read Online Free Page A

was banned.’
    Sky smiled. Leaf was an old woman who had travelled all over the world studying ancient lore before settling down in the village. The children would always gather around to hear her stories, and she even taught some of them important skills like how to read and write. If there was something about history that Leaf didn’t know, then it probably wasn’t worth knowing.
    ‘Apparently, once all of the legends were gone, magic became quite dangerous,’ Sky said.
    ‘What are legends?’
    ‘Oh, legends are wonderful things. They’re magical creatures that existed a long time ago, so long ago that lots of people don’t even believe they ever existed at all.’
    ‘Do you believe?’
    Sky watched the steam rising from the ground. The day was getting warmer and brighter. ‘I think you have to believe in some things. You have to believe in your friends, in your family. But there are other things that it’s nice to believe in, whether they’re true or not.’
    ‘Like legends.’
    ‘They make the world seem better.’
    ‘I’d like to meet one.’
    ‘You have to be careful, not all legends are nice. You wouldn’t want to meet a leviathan. They were giant creatures that lived in the oceans and rivers, and they would smash boats and eat fishermen. It was said that some of them were so large they could almost wrap around the whole world, and if they did that, they could crush it like a tomato. But the dragons were good. They protected all the people across the land. And there were other good legends too. Unicorns, and mermaids, and a very special horse called a pegasus.’
    ‘Why was it special?’
    ‘Because it had wings, and it could soar above the clouds like a bird.’
    ‘I’d like to do that.’
    ‘Me too.’
    Glass fell silent, prodding the fire with her stick. She stuck out her tongue so far it touched the tip of her button nose. She was thinking again. ‘So where did the legends go?’
    ‘They just went. First the dragons, then everything else. Nobody knows why. I guess, sometimes, things just have to die.’
    ‘Oh.’
    The fire sizzled defiantly, and then went out. Sky wrapped her arms around Glass.
    Where was Nimbus? He wasn’t supposed to have gone all night.
    ‘Did the legends do magic?’ Glass asked.
    ‘No. The legends were magic. They kept all the magical forces in the world balanced.’
    A small, brown rabbit bounced out from under a bramble bush near the cave mouth. The two girls watched him as he twitched his nose, hopped around, and then eventually scampered out of sight behind the trees.
    ‘If I knew magic, could I turn myself into a bunny?’ Glass asked.
    ‘I don’t see why not.’
    ‘I think it would be nice to be a bunny.’
    ‘Maybe.’
    ‘What would you like to be?’
    Sky looked up. Strips of blue showed through the leaves of the trees like tears in green fabric. ‘I’d like to be a bird,’ she said. ‘I’d like to fly away from here.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘Just because.’
    ‘Leaf says there was a battle. Lots of magicians all decided to fight, and they turned the skies silver and gold with magical fireballs and lightning bolts.’
    ‘That’s true. They say that happened when the dragons disappeared. Some people got scared, and others got greedy, and they all called on different wizards and warlocks and witches and magicians, and even a thing called a necromancer. The fighting was terrible, and in the end the use of magic was banned.’
    ‘I would use magic for good things.’
    ‘I know you would.’
    There was an echoing thump from back inside the cave.
    Sky’s heart began to race, and she hugged Glass tightly. ‘Nimbus?’ she called.
    There was no reply.
    ‘Nimbus?’
    Another thump, then the sound of footsteps. Tidal appeared. His hair was thick with mud and spider webs, and his clothes were soaked through.
    ‘What happened to you?’ Sky asked.
    Tidal stomped straight past her and out into the woods. He didn’t even stop to speak.
    Nimbus emerged from