Dream a Little Dream Read Online Free

effectively. They would have had to pick them up and put them back on, and might have quarreled over which was whose. By the time the trolls got their digits and things sorted out, Mich and his party would have been gone. Instead he had acted rashly and bungled it. His father would have frowned with disapproval, had he witnessed the encounter.
    After Mich bandaged Snort’s tail and ear, they settled down to rest. Mich leaned against Heat’s flank and was kept very warm. Snort didn’t need much respite so he kept watch in case more trolls should show up. They had been unforgivably careless to be caught by surprise; that would not happen again. Snort felt a personal responsibility there.
    Mich had trouble relaxing. He thought about how Heat always managed to save him from likely doom. Sometimes he felt like a coward and other times he was glad that Heat was always there for him. When he sprang from the waters of the River of Thought, Heat had been there to protect him and teach him about friendship, loyalty and honor.
    Heat was a unisus and Mich’s best friend. He had once belonged to a huge herd of unisi that lived in the sky, above the clouds. They were all the colors of the rainbow and all shades in between.
    All except for two: Heat and Spirit. Heat was the color of purest snow, leaning toward silver, while Spirit was the color of a starless night, leaning toward a black hole. All the unisi could fly on strong, feathered wings, and each had a single magical aspect. They couldpurify water, or cure illness with a touch of the horn, or do something similar. When they ran through the sky, each colored creature would leave a streak of light behind that matched his own color. So when the whole herd flew, a beautiful rainbow formed.
    Eventually, Heat was abandoned by the group. He could leave only a white streak and white was not an appropriate color, so he could not help with the rainbows. White was the combination of all colors; therefore he was not considered an individual. Instead of curing sickness with his horn, he destroyed things by making them disappear forever, so was considered evil and dangerous. Soon after that, Spirit was abandoned too and was never seen again. No one really knew what strange power he had, except for Heat, who never mentioned it and ignored inquiries. Apparently Spirit and Heat had been good friends and Heat preferred not to remember.
    Mich wished he could find this black maverick unisus and bring him home, if he still lived. It would be the perfect way to repay Heat for all his years of protection and friendship.
    Mich let his mind wander back to the first time they met, relaxing, and finally fell into repose. Such thoughts always cheered and relaxed him.

Early the next morning, they ate and prepared for the ordeal ahead. Snort wrinkled his snout. He didn’t speak in words, of course, but his expression conveyed his attitude clearly: Did he really have to go there?
    Mich knew why. The sorceress liked basilisks almost as well as she liked young men. She would ruffle Snort’s scales affectionately. That might not seem like a bad thing, except that the scales were hard to unruffle, and for hours thereafter would smell of sweet perfume. It was quite unbecoming for a basilisk. If trolls spied Snort at such a time, they would fall into an ugly pile, laughing. That was why Snort had breathed fire when Mich teased him about protecting Mich from Madrid: Snort was as vulnerable himself.
    “I think we can manage without you on this particular mission,” Mich said dryly. “If you’re quite sure you wouldn’t rather go in my stead.”
    Snort shook his head so vigorously that wisps of fire puffed out of his mouth. He would remain in the valley while Mich and Heat flew up to Madrid’s cottage.
    Mich wished that Heat didn’t become tired so easily. It would save so much trouble. But poor Heat’s wings were too small for traveling great distances, though they were powerfully effective andquick for