Free A Dragonlings' Magical Christmas by S. E. Smith Page A

stopped to eat,” she said with a breathless grin.
    “Eat!” Ha’ven and Vox exclaimed at the same time.
    “Yes,” Trisha continued. “We found the remains of several fish.”
    “Alice doesn’t like fish,” Ha’ven murmured, his eyes turning dark violet as he fought to control his emotions.
    Kelan gave Ha’ven a tight smile. “There was also evidence that they found berries and mushrooms,” he explained.
    Ha’ven’s face tightened with concern. “What if they were poisonous?” He asked. “They might not know…”
    Trisha shook her head. “They weren’t,” she interrupted. “Daddy and I have taken Bálint out numerous times from the moment he started crawling. I was very careful about showing him which one’s were good mushrooms after he almost ate a poisonous mushroom once. The remains we found were from edible ones.”
    “How long ago were they there?” Creon asked, walking over to stand near Kelan and Trisha.
    “Three, maybe four hours,” Kelan said.
    Creon’s mouth tightened. “Which way did they go?” He asked.
    “It looks like they are back on the river,” Trisha replied.
    Kelan reached out and squeezed Trisha’s hand. They didn’t mention that they had found the tree, and tiny footprints that they suspected belonged to their son, or the remains of half eaten mushrooms favored by the large herbivores found in this part of the forest. Drawing in a steady breath, Trisha watched as Creon shifted and pushed off the ground.
    One by one, the symbiots shifted as well. Ha’ven and Vox strode over to the air gliders that Ha’ven had brought with him. It was a slow process tracking the kids. Knowing that they were traveling along the river made it a tedious task to follow them since they had no idea when or if they would leave it, and while the rain had finally ceased, it had left the river swollen and tracks scarce and hard to find.
    Trisha shifted and rose into the air. The other women had remained behind at the palace just in case the kids returned. Paul had also remained, but under protest. If Morian hadn’t been so close to her due date, it would have been different, but knowing that she could deliver at any time made it virtually impossible for him to leave her. Once again, Trisha realized the gift her father had given her when he taught her how to track. They would find the children. The small drawing of the mountain left under the bark was proof that her son had listened and learned.
    *.*.*
    “That’s it! That’s it!” Amber exclaimed in excitement. “Sees! It looks just like mommy’s picture.”
    All the kids looked from the holographic map to the mountain ahead of them. Zohar nodded. Amber was right. It did look just like the one in the picture.
    “Okay’s, we gots to go throughs the forest,” Zohar said.
    “I’s tired,” Jabir complained. “I’s didn’t get my nap.”
    “Me neither,” Alice said. “Can we take a nap?”
    Zohar shook his head. “Christmas is coming in a few days. If we don’t stop the old dragon from stealing it, we’s won’t have no Christmas.”
    Alice released a tired sigh. “Okay,” she whispered. “But, I’s so very tired.”
    “I’s help you,” Bálint said in a low voice. “My symbiot and I’s will help you. It can carry’s you on its back.”
    “What about you?” Alice asked, biting her lip and looking at Bálint with wide eyes. “Aren’t you tired?”
    “I’s a man like my daddy. I’s not need a nap,” Bálint said bravely only to ruin it when a big yawn escaped him.
    Alice giggled and shook her head. “You’re silly,” she said with a sigh. “I likes that.”
    Bálint grinned as Alice turned to talk to Phoenix and Spring. The grin turned into a grunt when Roam hit him in the arm. Turning, he stared at his best friend.
    “I’s thought we decided we don’t like the girls,” Roam said, sitting down next to Bálint. “Remembers, we have a club with no girls in it so Amber and Jade can’t beat us up like they do