Talking to Dragons Read Free

Outer Forest and the Deep Woods. Most people don’t realize that. The Outer Forest is relatively safe if you know what you’re doing, and I’d gathered herbs there a few times. I’d never gone more than an hour’s walk from our cottage, and nothing particularly interesting had ever happened, but I’d always known that something might. The way things were going, I was pretty sure that this time something would.
    I felt the little tingle on my skin that marks the border between the ordinary woods, where our cottage was, and the Enchanted Forest. Some people have trouble getting in and out of the Enchanted Forest, but I never did. I was feeling excited and adventurous, and maybe a little scared. I mean, for years I’d watched all those princes and heroes and so on go into the forest, and now it was my turn. I looked back over my shoulder to see if Mother was watching. The cottage was gone.
    That shook me. You just don’t expect the place you’ve lived in for sixteen years to vanish like that. I looked around. The trees were huge—much larger than the ones by our cottage. I couldn’t reach more than a quarter of the way around the trunk of the smallest one. The ground was covered with dark green moss that ran right up to the bases of the trees and stopped short. I could see a couple of bushes, including one that had three different colors of flowers on it. Everything felt very dark and green and alive, and none of it looked familiar at all.
    I shivered. This wasn’t the Outer Forest. This was the Deep Woods.
    I waited for a couple of minutes, but nothing happened. Somehow, I wasn’t reassured. Being lost in the Enchanted Forest does not do much for one’s peace of mind.
    After a while I started walking again. I felt much less adventurous and considerably more scared.
    I walked for a long time. Eventually I quit being scared, at least mostly. Finally I started looking for a place to rest; my feet hurt and I was getting very tired. I was careful, though. I didn’t want to sit on a flower that used to be someone important. After about fifteen minutes I found a spot that looked all right, and I started to sit down. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten I was wearing the sword. It got tangled up in my legs and I sort of fell over.
    Somebody giggled. I looked around and didn’t see anyone, so I decided to get untangled first. I straightened my legs out and sat up, making sure the sword belt was out of the way this time. Then I took a second look around. I still didn’t see anyone, but the same somebody giggled again.
    â€œSir or madam or—” I stopped. What was the proper honorific for something that wasn’t male or female? I was pretty sure there was one, but I couldn’t remember it.
    â€œOh, don’t bother,” said a high, squeaky voice. “I’ve never cared for all that fancy stuff.”
    I still didn’t see anyone. “Forgive my stupidity, but I can’t seem to find where you are,” I said.
    The giggle came again. “Down here, silly.”
    I looked down and jumped. A little gold lizard was sitting right next to my hand. He was about twice as long as my middle finger, and half of that was tail.
    â€œHey, watch it!” said the lizard. “You might hurt someone if you keep jumping around like that. Me, for instance. You big people are so careless.”
    â€œI’m very sorry,” I said politely.
    The lizard lifted his head. “You are? Yes, you are! How amazing. Who are you, anyway?”
    â€œMy name is Daystar,” I said, bowing slightly. It was a little awkward to do from a sitting position, but I managed. Being polite to a lizard felt peculiar, but there are only two rules of behavior in the Enchanted Forest: Don’t take anything for granted, and Be polite to everyone. That’s if you don’t live there. The inhabitants have their own codes, which it’s better not to ask