Adelaide and the Pirates: The Adelaide Series, #2
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About this ebook
Finally safe and settled, Adelaide is determined to win a dragon's egg.
But just when she's about to lose herself in her studies and preparations, she's made to leave the safe haven she's created.
Forced to navigate drunken wizards, angry pirates, and the various powers that be, Adelaide has only her wits and brazenness, and her cat Kitty, to rely on.
Will it get her what she wants? And, more importantly…
…will it be sufficient to keep her and Kitty alive long enough to find their way back home?
Join Adelaide as she hangs on to sheer determination, and her cat, in her latest adventure and grab the second book in this exciting YA fantasy series today!
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Titles in the series (3)
Adelaide and the Dragon Castle: The Adelaide Series, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdelaide and the Pirates: The Adelaide Series, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdelaide and the Merfolk: The Adelaide Series, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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Book preview
Adelaide and the Pirates - Mustang Rabbit
Chapter One
Charlie’s scaly rump had never looked higher. His tail flicked back and forth. He looked over his shoulder at her. His one visible eye was arched. He had one claw delicately holding his place in the book he was reading, set up on a small table to keep it out of the dirt. Since he had taken to speaking to Adelaide, he’d also revealed a few more skills he’d previously kept private.
Like reading. In four languages.
Adelaide rolled her eyes. Did you have to be so tall and so smart?
He sniffed, a puff of smoke trailing off lazily towards the walls of the hold. You are the one who chose to try vaulting over my back.
Adelaide put her hands on her hips. Yes, well, when I was lying in bed last night, thinking about it, you seemed smaller.
Charlie chuckled. His spines flexed up and down with amusement. The sunlight reflecting off them flashed straight into Adelaide eyes.
She threw her palm up and rubbed her burned eyeballs. You did that on purpose.
Charlie turned his head slowly and looked at her. She glared. He sniffed and pointed his snout into the air, and then turned back to his book.
Adelaide backed up a good twenty feet and rubbed her palms together. Technically, she could do this. A running jump, slap her hands down on Charlie’s upper hip, to throw herself even higher as she flipped over his back, and then a rolling landing on the other side. The landing wasn’t a problem. Raven had had her taking break falls from the roof of the bathing chamber. But she’d never taken a flip quite that high.
She shook out her shoulders. Just don’t poke me with your spines.
Charlie flicked his tail and continued to ignore her.
A deep breath. And another. Her gut tightened. She guided her center of gravity down, deep in her lower belly. And then she was running. Leaping.
Slap.
Face first into Charlie sun-warmed rump.
Adelaide slid down into the dirt. Her vision sparkled and then cleared. She stood up. Charlie was still reading, tail flicking back and forth.
She growled. Marched back to her starting place.
Tried again.
With the same results.
This time when she came up for air, Charlie’s long neck was turned back and he was looking down at her from directly above.
Perhaps you should tuck into the roll before you reach me.
Adelaide snorted. Right.
She got back up and stomped back to her starting position, then pushed it a little further out. She needed to be spinning before she was ready to push off from Charlie.
She closed her eyes and played the movement through in her head. The run. The leap, with forward motion. The tuck and flip in midair. Her hands coming down. She breathed it in, let the energy tingle through her core and out into her arms and legs.
And moved.
She was at Charlie without thinking, already in mid-air. Her hands slapped down on his scales, right in front of her face. She pushed, her legs rotating above her head, dragging her body forward. His warm dragon scales flexed beneath her hands. She pressed off, flexing her elbows. Air rushed through her hair. She arched, her back to Charlie. Descent. Ground. Her knees bent. The balls of her feet hit the hard dirt of the courtyard. Her knees sank, absorbing the shock. She sprang upright.
Done!
Adelaide threw her hands over her head and turned, throwing her arms around Charlie’s neck. He snorted, bits of smoke floating out of his snout. Of course you did. Be careful of the book.
Adelaide laughed and pressed her cheek against his shoulder, batting her eyes up at him. But you’re so much smarter than me. Surely you can protect a book.
Not against chaos creatures like you. Charlie sniffed a smoke ring at her.
She wrinkled her nose and waved it away. Rude.
Hardly as rude as if I’d decided to take a landing on your rear.
Adelaide stuck out her butt and looked at it over her shoulder. I don’t think you would fit.
Perhaps. But it would be satisfying. Charlie let a hint of laughter invade his thought sending and turned back to the book.
Tibby, his blind cat, was sitting on it. He leaned down and licked the little creature carefully from the crown of its little head to its tail. Tibby purred. Of course he would. Let Adelaide come within an inch of getting dirt on a book, and Charlie had a fit. Have Tibby sit on a book, and he melted. Life was not fair. But Tibby was cute.
Adelaide was not cute. And that was fine. Charlie still liked her well enough.
She dusted off her hands. Her limbs were warm and the blood was flowing through her body. The sun was high but it wasn’t yet hot enough to be uncomfortable. The morning had been successful with warm-up on her own at sunrise, sparring with Raven with swords directly after followed by grabs and holds, and then stretches and flips on her own. And she’d done it, landed a flip over Charlie. Perfect.
The only thing that could improve her day was if Raven came out and offered her a dragon egg on the spot. Adelaide shook her head at the thought. As if. She wasn’t ready. She knew that without Raven telling her.
But it was a nice fantasy. Especially now that Charlie was letting her hear him speak. Someday she would have her own dragon that would talk with her and be with her for life, once she’d earned it. It was going to be a long road though. Charlie had muttered something about maturity the last time she’d gotten excited about the prospect around him. And Raven was still insisting that she pass the three challenges she had set the previous year. Master self. Master handling others. Make Ezurem laugh. She still had no idea why making Ezurem laugh was going to be difficult. Raven wasn’t saying.
Charlie had only chuckled when she asked and shook his big head.
ADELAIDE DRAGGED THE wraps off her wrists and dumped them in a pail to soak. She’d come out later and hang them up to dry for use tomorrow. Raven was inside again, deep in her books. She’d been on a tear, studying to the point that Adelaide had quietly taken over preparing meals and keeping the house in order. It had only been three weeks since Master Lothar and his knights had been driven off by the threat of sorcery but the time had stretched out, comfortable and right.
Adelaide rolled her shoulders and popped her back as she stepped into the kitchen. This was home. She’d fought for it and chosen it. It fit. Like nothing else ever had.
She wrapped a cloth around her head and put on an apron. Breakfast wasn’t going to cook itself. Kitty crawled up on the back of the chair but stayed out of the way. She patted him on the head and kept on with her work.
RAVEN WAS BENT OVER her books, writing notes with single minded attention.
Adelaide rapped her knuckles on the table. Food’s ready.
Raven scribbled to the end of the line and raised her head, blowing a strand of hair away from her nose. That time already?
It’s late, actually. I had to carry more grain up from the pantry.
Adelaide sat down across from Raven and pushed a bowl towards her. And I practiced my gymnastics.
Raven smiled, though it was a smaller smile than normal. Charlie told me.
Adelaide pushed her spoon into the porridge and swirled it around, mixing the dried fruit into the boiled grain. I landed the forward handspring off his back.
Hm.
Raven turned her spoon over.
Adelaide blinked. Was Raven really looking at her reflection in the back of the spoon? She shook her head. That’s for eating, you know. Not applying makeup.
Raven chuckled. Even that sound was crackly and tired.
Adelaide put down her own spoon and laid her hands on the table in front of her. So, are you going to tell me what’s on your mind, or am I going to have to go harass Charlie and see if he can tell me? I thought things were going well since we scared off the knights and I came home.
Raven straightened up and drew in a deep breath. Home is going well. You’re everything I could ask for in a student. And believe me, I have noticed how you’ve taken over running everything else, too.
So....?
Adelaide raised an eyebrow. Why do I still feel like I’m living with a ghost of my favorite sorceress?
There’s a friend of mine. He’s...in difficulty. I’ve been trying to help him. And I’m running out of time.
Running out of time how?
Raven shook her head. It’s not my story to tell, and frankly, not a burden for you to bear, at least not yet. I am, however, going to have to send you away, for a few weeks.
She pushed her shoulders back and met Adelaide’s eyes.
Adelaide blinked. You’re sending me away?
Just for a few weeks.
Adelaide’s stomach clenched. All the good energy gushed out of her body, taking her joy with it. But I thought I was helping.
You are helping.
Raven reached forward to put her hand over Adelaide’s. This is something I have to do alone though. I’m inviting someone to come here. I don’t know if they’re nice or not. And I don’t want them to know about you or have a chance to mess with you.
Adelaide’s nostrils flared. So you’re going to do something dangerous all by yourself.
It wasn’t a question.
Me and Charlie. Charlie is strong. He can defend himself.
Adelaide snatched her hand back. And I guess I can’t.
Not from someone like this, not yet.
It stung. Really stung. After all, she’d managed to drive Master Lothar and all his knights away with her own ingenious charade, alone. I thought this was my home. Here, with you.
This is your home. A couple weeks, and then I’ll have Charlie bring you back.
Adelaide put her hands on her thighs and made two fists out of them. Her lungs felt tight and the muscles in her neck hurt. What about my studies?
I’m not the only person you can learn from. I’m sending you to a friend of mine named Wein. He lives on an island to the south, on the Eastern Sea. Charlie can fly you down.
But he’s not you.
Raven tapped her fingers against the table top. No, he’s not. But he’s not without his own base of knowledge. It will be good for you, to learn from people besides me.
But I don’t want to!
The words were out of Adelaide’s mouth before she could stop them. She gasped and slapped a hand over her lips.
Raven sighed but the anger Adelaide had expected was missing from her eyes. She just looked tired, and sad. You’re going to have to, Adelaide, especially if you want a dragon egg in the future.
Tears blurred Adelaide’s vision. Now she’d hurt Raven, the last person she wanted to disappoint. I’ve never met someone as good as you. In all my life. Honest.
Sometimes a person’s goodness is not the measure of what they can teach us.
Raven looked down. And for once, Adelaide thanked her stars, her mouth obeyed her, because it was obvious as Charlie’s claws, that the discussion was done. She was getting sent away.
Adelaide stood, picking up her bowl. She didn’t have the stomach to eat, not just then. Maybe in an hour or two when the shock had worn off. When do I leave?
Tomorrow. Charlie will fly you down.
I didn’t realize he could carry us.
Raven’s shoulders slumped a little. Not easily, but he’s promised me he’ll make do. You’ll have to make lots of stops for rest, but you’ll still get there more quickly than by land and then he can fly back and I won’t have to worry about you on the road by yourself.
What should I pack?
It’s warm, you won’t need many clothes. I’ll help you pick out reading materials to study though.
Adelaide nodded. She had to try twice to speak past the lump in her throat. Do you need anything done to prepare the hall for your guest?
Raven’s tone dropped into a dark range. No. He’s not that kind of guest.
She paused and stood, drumming her fingers against the table. You should take Kitty with you.
Adelaide drew herself up. More and more unease settled into her belly. What kind of guest was this? How about Tibby?
Traveling would be hard on him. I think Charlie can look after him, if necessary. Besides, I don’t want you going alone. Somebody should go with you.
A little warmth flared inside Adelaide’s chest. Just promise me you’ll be safe.
Raven stepped around the table and held out her hands to pull Adelaide towards her in a hug. As safe as I can.
Adelaide let her head fall on Raven’s shoulder and grasped the fabric of her overdress in her hands. You better be. Or I’ll figure out how to become a real necromancer and call you up just to yell at you about it.
Raven laughed. The first real laugh Adelaide had heard in several days. Fine. I promise. No getting killed while you’re gone if I want peace in the afterlife.
Because, you know,
Adelaide stepped back, narrowing her eyes and poking her nose towards Raven’s face, "I can be really, really annoying if I want