Tiny Dragons 2: The Bear and Scepter Read Online Free Page B

such a person.
    Mrs. O'Neil went behind her children and put her arms around them both, saying, "This is James and Alana. James was just a baby when we last saw you."
    Their mother giggled nervously, either from excitement or fear, neither of the children was sure, but when no one moved or spoke, Alana did the only thing she could think of. She pressed her hands together the way she'd seen her mother and the man do, and she bowed to Master Chi-Sao and said, "I'm Alana."
    The old man laughed approvingly and returned her bow, saying, "I am pleased to make your acquaintance." He stood up and resumed stroking his beard braid and said, "Is it true what the boy told me? Is the Nastikan truly gone?"
    Mrs. O'Neil patted James and Alana on the shoulders and said, "Kids, go outside and play for a little while."
    "Mom, the bear!" Alana said urgently.
    "Oh, right. All right, go upstairs to your rooms then. Just for a little while."
    James folded his arms in front of his chest, locking eyes with the old man and said, "I'm not going anywhere. What the heck is a Nastikan anyway?"
    Master Chi-Sao nodded his head toward James and said, "The eyes of a warrior, indeed." He reached into his long sleeve and withdrew a small white dove that sat peacefully in the palm of his hand. He showed it to Alana, who clapped her hands excitedly at the unexpected magic trick and reached out to stroke the bird's soft feathers.
    Chi-Sao moved the bird in front of James and held it there, saying, "Tell me what is better. If you keep the bird here, it will be protected forever, always fed, never in any danger. It will live out its life, and grow fat and happy. If you set it free, it will have to fend for itself, face many difficulties and enemies, and sometimes fight to survive. But, if it lives, it will become strong, and wise."
    James petted the bird's wing and it cooed gently and he laughed as it climbed across his hand to sit in the palm of his hand. As the old man watched him carefully, James walked over to the open door and raised the dove up toward the sky, where it flapped its wings and flew until it vanished over the tops of the trees in their front yard.
    James looked back at Master Chi-Sao and said, "I would rather be strong."
    The old man nodded and said, "And strong is what you may soon have to be."

3. They Have Found You, Mrs. O'Neil
     
    Master Chi-Sao sat across from Mrs. O'Neil in the living room, taking in the rather ordinary surroundings with mild disinterest. His eyes looked over the department store curtains and flowery stick-on wall borders, and then down at the rarely used cushions on the couches in their sitting room. No one actually ever sat in the sitting room, of course. They sat in the den, where the television was.
    Mrs. O'Neil held up her finger at the sound of a floorboard creaking above them, cocking her finger to make sure neither of her children was attempting to creep toward the stairwell and eavesdrop. When the creaking stopped, she folded her hands together and said, "So to what do I owe this great, although unexpected, honor, Master Chi-Sao?"
    "It pains me to have to tell you this, especially with your husband gone, but I felt it necessary. I came as soon as I was sure."
    "I'm sorry," Mrs. O'Neil said, interrupting him, "but what is it you are sure of?"
    "He has found you. He has found you, and he will come."
    His words struck her like the blow of a hammer ringing against cold steel.
    Her voice failed her momentarily, but she cleared her throat and whispered, "C-come? Come for what?"
    Master Chi-Sao smiled thinly and said, "I am sure we both know the answer to that, my dear."
    Mrs. O'Neil stood up and folded her arms tightly across her chest, starting to pace back and forth in front of the couch, saying, "Well, no one can have it. It's simply too dangerous."
    "I agree," the old man said. "Can it be destroyed?"
    "We tried," she sighed. "Many times. Nothing works. What if you tried? Surely you must know something, some way we