Web Of Bones: Book II of the Dragon Mage Series Read Online Free Page A

on the cliff face of Forsaken Mountain so that Melly could climb on. She had been practicing her wind flying but always over water, so that if she lost her concentration, she would land in the water and could be picked up by her siblings. Soon she hoped she would have enough confidence to jump off the balcony and soar on the thermals, but today was not that day.
    Melly sighed . She was probably fooling herself. When would she ever get the confidence needed to jump off the Forsaken Mountain and fly? Even the thought was ludicrous.
    She firmed her chin and climbed aboard the copper -colored horse that managed to glint in the sunshine; its wings especially shimmered when they moved up and away, catching the light. It was not Clare’s way to be ostentatious, but they had all been warned that when they became anything but a dragon in Dracon, that they needed to pick colors not normally found in nature. Jewel tones and precious metals were the best, because if they were spotted by a dragon, his last thought would be to eat them. His instinct would be to acquire the treasure, and that would give them a chance to explain they were under the protection of Eben Kinkaid and Prince Ladon. If it needed to be explained further after that, it would be dealt with, harshly. So far, no one had tried to either eat or acquire them, but they took care to stay within the boundaries Eben had set for them. Few dragons would think to come here without an invitation, and Melly could send a breeze racing to Morgan quick enough if she needed to.
    Just then, Clare stretch out her massive wings and flew. Melly closed her eyes and felt the wind throw her hair back as it swirled around them both. She laughed, feeling truly free for the first time in a long time. She lifted her arms, threw back her head, and soared; the muscled flanks of the horse were all that held her to the present.
    ***
    From his perch across the great valley, a dragon pressed his claws into the rock of a clandestine ledge. The marble churned and crumbled as he watched the bronze glimmer of a winged horse carry a fiery-haired mage across the skies.
    It seems Lotare will have his property back after all. More rock churned as he clenched his talons in a fist as easy as ripping through paper. And I will finally have what is mine.

CHAPTER FOUR
     
    S he always felt on the edge of the world when she stood on Echo Mountain and looked out at the Great Lake. She had been informed by Ladon that it was sometimes referred to as the Lake of Tears, but that name seemed too sad to belong to such a vivid and lively body of water. Watching the way it seemed to sparkle magically and go on as far as her eyes could see, she always thought of it more a Sea of Diamonds than a sad Lake of Tears. Eben had just smiled at her when she shared that.
    “ If I had named it that, every dragon for miles would have come looking for treasure. Wait until the rains come and churn up the water as the fog darkens the land. Then you will see why I named it Lake Of Tears.” She forgot at times that Eben Kinkaid was a very old dragon who had been around as long as living memory. The fact that he was the one who named many of the local landmarks made her pause and consider how old he actually was, but then he looked at Morgan and his old gold eyes softened, and he was just Eben again.
    Melly smiled at the memory. Her eyes soaking in the cheerful peaks in the distance, the abundant trees of every description that surrounded the lakes rocky shores, and the warm sun reflecting off the water. From the cliff face where she stood, it looked as if the wilderness was untouched by man or beast. In the months she had been in Dracon, she had yet to see anything but sunshine and sweet breezes, unless of course she was calling something else.
    “ Hurry up, Melly. I want to go faster.”
    She smiled, hearing the boy voice coming from the black iridescent dragon that hovered just beyond the ledge. She looked at him, then leaned over the