Banshee Worm King: Book Five of the Oz Chronicles by R.W. Ridley Page B

stepping into a wall of fog, “it
is sometimes best to cause chaos than it is to encounter chaos in an effort to
avoid it.”   The fog swallowed him.   I heard the echoing sound of Nate giggling as
they passed over into their otherworldly hiding place.
    I looked at the Délon drawing and muttered to myself, “It
is sometimes best to cause chaos than it is to encounter chaos in an effort to
avoid it.”   I shook my head and stuck
both drawings in my backpack.   “Thanks
for being so clear, you ugly fur ball.”

 
    ***

 
    When I returned, Gordy greeted me wrapped in a wool blanket
on the front deck of the treehouse.   He
almost looked like his old self again.   He let out a “Cool!” when I landed on the platform.
    “It’s a blast,” I said.
    “I can’t wait to try it,” he said.
    “You already have.”
    His eyes widened.   “You guys put me on the zip line?”
    “How else do you think we got you over here?”
    “Man, I missed it.”
    “How’s your leg?” I asked removing the harness.
    He waved his hand in front of his face.   “It stinks because of that crap the jolly
green giant puts on it, but other than that, it’s fine.   Not sure why you guys got all bent out of
shape about it.”
    “Trust me, if you saw it before Bostic treated it, you
would have been bent out of shape, too.”
    He nodded and his face turned serious.   “Oz, Lou told me what happened.”   His cheeks turned red.   “To Kimball, I mean.”
    “Yeah,” I said not knowing if that was the appropriate
response.   Was saying “Yeah” disrespectful?   It was a pointless thing to wonder, but I
didn’t want to do anything to dishonor my friend.
    “I remember when you guys first got him.” He laughed.   “Fat little puppy.   His ears were floppy back then.   I hated you when you got that dog.”
    “Hated me?”
    “Well, yeah.   I
wanted a dog.   I wanted a fat little
puppy just like Kimball.   But my parents
were evil turds that wouldn’t let me even have so much as a picture of a
dog.   They let my sister get a cat, but
they wouldn’t even consider letting me have a dog.   I mean what kind of crap is that?”
    I shrugged.   “Maybe
they didn’t think you could handle the responsibility.”
    He rolled his eyes.   “That’s exactly what they said.   What are you, a psychic?”
    “Nope.   My parents
said the same thing to me the first thousand times I asked for a puppy.   I had to water my Mom’s house plants and move
them in and out of the sunlight for a whole month just to prove that I could
take care of something before they let me get Kimball.”
    He snorted out a laughed.   “Forget that.   Who wants to take
care of plants for a month?”
    “Somebody who’s willing to do anything to get his parents
to let him have a dog.”
    He shook his head.   “Turns out I didn’t need my own dog.”
    “Why’s that?”
    “Because my best friend had one, and his super cool Mom told
me that when I was over at their house, I should consider Kimball my dog, too.”
    I choked back a tear and looked away.
    “I’m going to help you get those worms, Oz.   You can count on that.”   He held out his hand and I shook it.   “For Kimball.”
    “For Kimball,” I said.
    Bostic appeared in the doorway.   “You ready, Oz?”
    “For what?” I asked.
    “The hunt.   We need
to get on our way if we want to get to the Myrmidon camp before dark.”
    “Myrmidon camp?” Gordy asked.
    “Don’t ask,” I said walking into the house.
    I dropped my pack on the floor and retrieved a crossbow
from the corner of the room.   Lou was
getting her stuff together for the hunt.
    “What are you doing?” I asked.
    “Same thing you are,” she said.
    “You’re not going,” I said.
    “Says who?” she asked with a grimace.
    “Me.   You need to
stay back here with Gordy.”
    She scoffed and continued getting supplies together. “April
can do it.”
    April chimed in from the opposite corner.   “Yeah,