Chosen Sister Read Online Free

you?”
    Reina nodded. While she didn’t like the idea, he was a wizard and an adult. She hoped he would turn out reliable.
    “Then, if the Child Warrior insists, I will allow you to travel with us, so long as you obey me.”
    “Reina’s a good girl,” her father said.
    Joy filled Reina; Papa supported her.
    Mama bustled over to them. “Now, you both must do exactly as the Gold Wizard tells you.” She straightened Austyn’s bunched clothing. “Be respectful.” Then she put a hand on Reina’s shoulder. “And make sure Austyn stays out of trouble.”
    Reina gave her a hug and then lifted Austyn up into the back of the Gold Wizard’s cart. She scrambled up beside him, and the two of them sat in the back, careful not to squish the mysterious wrapped objects next to them.
    The Gold Wizard’s robes shimmered in the bright sunlight as he swung into the driver seat of the cart. He clucked at the horse, and it started forward. Mama and Papa waved.
    “Goodbye!” called Austyn, waving back.
    The other children ran alongside the cart for a few paces, calling out their goodbyes.
    “Goodbye, Straw-hair! Don’t let a harpy eat you!” called Kylen.
    “Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone, Cow-pie!” Reina shouted back.
    And then they rode out of the little village where Reina had lived her whole life. The road cut through green and brown farm fields, the scenery still the familiar countryside, but it felt different. They were leaving. Reina gazed at the simple thatched huts as they grew smaller. Would she ever see them all again?
    She glanced at her brother. Leaning against her, he gazed in wonder at the fields going by, a smile on his face. “We’re going to have an adventure, right?” he asked. “Just like you told me last night, only better, ‘cause you’re here too.”
    She didn’t have the heart to share her worries. She smiled back. “That’s right.” Then she launched into one of her stories for him, although she couldn’t really believe in them at the moment. Leaving home hurt too much. As the day wore on, Austyn nodded off, and the rhythm of the cart lulled Reina to sleep as well.
    Reina woke with a stiff neck when the cart bumped over a particularly nasty rut in the road. Austyn, sprawled out on the straw, dozed on. Holding the side of the cart, Reina stood up to stretch her legs, then scrambled across the bundles to the seat where the Gold Wizard perched. He glanced back at her, frowned, and looked back at the road. Reina settled behind and to one side of him, where the back of the cart met the headboard.
    “Where’re we going?”
    “Little girl, there’s no need to worry about such things.” While his tone was kind enough, Reina didn’t like its patronizing quality.
    “I’m not worried, but I still want to know.” She wracked her brain for a good reason. “Austyn will want to know, and I can’t reassure him if I don’t know.”
    The Gold Wizard cleared his throat. “I was reluctant to take you along for precisely this sort of thing. The boy cannot become a warrior hero if you keep coddling him.”
    Well, he didn’t object when Austyn cried in front of the entire town. Her face burned hot with indignation. “Austyn is only six. He’s not old enough to be a warrior anything. You can’t yank him away from his whole family and not tell him where he’s going. It’s … it’s … not fair.”
    The Gold Wizard blushed and kept his eyes on the road. “Um, well … er, I don’t suppose it would hurt to explain. There’s a prophecy, and your brother must fulfill the pieces of it. It mentions both the medallion and a sword, the Sword of Chivalry. Anyway, I’ve discovered the sword is in a cave to the northeast of here, at the source of the Stream of Eternal Pouring, and so we’re going to find it. On the way, I will teach Austyn how to use his magic, as he will need it to retrieve the sword. Once we have both the sword and the medallion, Austyn can use them to destroy the Red