The Two Princesses of Bamarre Read Online Free Page A

did you know?”
    He smiled. “You’ve been seen practicing with a wooden training sword.”
    “Thank you. I’ll use it well.”
    Don’t use it at all!
    “I have something for you too, Mistress Bella.” Rhys reached into the pouch at his waist.
    “I can’t accept a . . .”
    Her voice tapered off as Rhys drew out an object I’d never seen before. Meryl stopped fencing and came close to see.
    It was the size of my hand, pearly white with tints of rose and blue, wide at one end, coming to a point at the other.
    “Is it?” Bella breathed.
    “Yes. It’s a scale from a dragon’s tail.”
    Bella reached for it.
    “Take care. The tip is very sharp.”
    “Did you slay the dragon?” Meryl asked in a hushed, reverent tone.
    Bella took the scale by the wide end. “Thank you, Rhys.” She curtsied.
    He bowed yet again. “No, I didn’t slay the dragon. The scale comes from our sorcerers’ citadel, where there are many wondrous things.”
    I hoped he had something for me too. “Can I touch it?” I asked.
    Bella held it out. It felt warm, and so dry it seemed to draw moisture from my finger.
    “Does it have any power?” Meryl said.
    Bella opened her mouth to answer, but Rhys spoke first. “It’s versatile, Princess Meryl. Hold it in your hand, and you’ll be cozy warm on the coldest day. Place it on your mantel, and mice and rats will stay away from your hearth. Boil it in a pot, and you’ll have a tasty broth, fiery and a little bitter. Take it out of the pot, dry it off, and it makes a superior letter opener.” He bowed yet again.
    Bella placed the scale carefully in her reticule.
    “And the best part,” Meryl said, “is that the dragon who owned the scale is dead. That’s the very best part.” She started walking toward the castle, lunging and thrusting as she went.
    We followed.
    “Be careful,” Bella called. She left my side and hurried to catch up to Meryl.
    Rhys walked next to me. “I have a gift for you too, Princess Addie.”
    I shook my head, embarrassed about wishing for one.
    He reached into a pocket in his doublet and held out a smooth wooden ball not much bigger than a walnut shell. I noticed a thin seam running along the middle. “This is more than it seems.” He twisted the ball, and it opened along the seam.
    Out came yards and yards of deep-blue cloth, amazingly fine to fit into such a small container. He held it out for me to touch. It was as soft as a kitten’s breath.
    “And there.” He pointed.
    Poking out of a corner of the cloth was the thinnest needle I’d ever seen.
    I looked up at him. He was smiling, and when I met his eyes, his smile widened. He looked utterly pleased, as if I had given him a present. He wound the cloth around his finger and placed it back in the wooden ball. “Here.”
    I took it, already thinking of what I could embroider on it. A moonlit forest scene . . . Drualt with a specter . . .
    “Thank you.” That wasn’t enough. “I’ll try to add to its beauty.” Then, without thinking, I reached up and touched his cheek. I felt his warm skin and pulled my hand away.
    Bella called me. “Come, Addie.”
    “I must go.” I ran to her, sorry to leave and glad to get away.

Chapter Five
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    I N OUR SITTING room I showed the gift to Meryl and Bella.
    “I like Rhys,” Meryl said. “He’s the best sorcerer Father’s ever had.”
    “I like him too,” I murmured.
    “We should give him gifts in return,” she added.
    Bella agreed. “It’s only polite. I’ll pick out one of my doilies.”
    I was delighted. “Maybe he’d like that cushion cover I finished last week,” I said. “Do you think sorcerers use cushions?”
    “What could I give him?” Meryl’s stitchery was more tangle than stitch.
    “You could declaim for him,” I said. Her recitations were masterful. When she declaimed in our sitting room, the couch cushions fluffed up, the chairs straightened their backs, and the table stood an inch taller.
    Meryl spoke to Rhys in the