Free Dragon Sleeping (The Dragon Circle Trilogy Book 1) by Craig Shaw Gardner Page A

Raven,” the Oomgosh agreed. “Now what say we go to meet the lightning?”
    “Wait a moment,” Bobby piped up, for once not smiling at all. “You want us to walk into that stuff?”
    It was only when he heard Bobby’s question that Nick realized how quiet the two younger boys had been since they had met the Oomgosh and Raven. But this last suggestion of the green man’s was apparently too much even for Bobby, who looked as if he was about to lose it and run.
    Jason stood by Bobby’s side, content to keep silent and look miserable. His rain-soaked clothes made him seem even scrawnier than usual. His glasses were completely fogged over by the rain; Nick wondered if Jason could even see. Out of all of them, only Todd seemed eager to follow the large bird’s lead.
    Nick had to admit that even he had the kind of doubts that half made him want to run away. Not, of course, that he had anywhere to go.
    “When Raven tells you a thing,” the bird informed Bobby, “there is no need to worry. And when the Oomgosh tells you something”— Raven paused before continuing—“well, he certainly means well.” He cawed to his assembled audience. “Step forward, and we’ll test this wizard.”
    “ Test this wizard?” Bobby asked even more loudly than before, his voice squeaking with disbelief. “Can I go home now?”
    “None of us can go home,” the Oomgosh advised, “until we deal with Nunn.”
    “I know,” Bobby answered glumly. “I just had to say something.”
    Todd had turned around to look at the others. For the first time, Nick could see uncertainty in Todd’s face, too. Bobby’s outburst had brought out every fear all four of them had been so carefully hiding.
    “Why do we wait?” the Oomgosh asked, as if he was oblivious to the feelings of the four visitors. Raven flapped his wings and flew up toward the glowering mass of cloud above.
    Jason was the first to step forward. He didn’t look at any of the others, but kept his face pointed toward their goal. “Let’s go,” was all he said.
    “I see why Nunn prizes you so highly,” Raven called from above. “Any of you could be what he is looking for.”
    “Come.” The Oomgosh urged the other three forward. “We have no time to dawdle.”
    “Raven leads the way!” the bird called down from up above. “But Raven stays close!”
    The others moved, urged along by the great, hard hands of the green man. Nick realized that he and the other humans were clearly outmatched. Disagreeing with the Oomgosh was like arguing with a force of nature.
    “We go forward,” the Oomgosh remarked. “Into the forest.” Shafts of searing white slashed into trees on either side of them, as if the lightning had been waiting for them to move. Limbs exploded from the trees to fall into the forest beyond.
    “Whoa!” Bobby called. “Should we really be listening to a bird?” The black bird dropped even lower in the sky.
    “I believe it is time for Raven to come closer still,” the bird announced. “Perhaps one of you fine young men would be honored to have Raven perch upon his shoulder?”
    Nick found the large black bird flying straight toward him. “This is not a privilege that I bestow lightly,” Raven remarked as he settled down on Nick’s rain-soaked T-shirt. “Your shoulder should consider this a rare distinction.”
    Nick didn’t feel as if he or his shoulder had a choice in this. Raven’s claws clamped down on his shoulder blade. Raven was not light. Still, the bird seemed careful not to dig his claws into Nick’s flesh.
    Another bolt of lightning flashed before them, so close and so bright that Nick couldn’t see for an instant.
    “Step away!” the Oomgosh cried. “Quickly!”
    Raven squawked. Nick felt the green man’s hard fingers grab his free shoulder and pull him back. He blinked as he saw something falling toward them from overhead. A great tree branch, as thick around as the Oomgosh’s chest, fell less than a foot in front of them.
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