classmates what had happened (it was nice talking to classmates without being ignored), they laughed and a younger boy told her, “My baby sister saw a spider and screamed, and Rehn here did an imitation of Eydeth trying to escape the lake monster.”
Jahrra sniggered as the boy called Rehn rushed past her as he went chasing after Eydeth, trying to apologize.
“I’m sorry!” he wheezed, making a great effort to suppress his laughter. “But she sounded just like you did when you saw the monster!”
For once it was the twins who were being ostracized and not Jahrra and her friends.
Yes, Jahrra was very pleased with this turn of events, but even though the twins had been brought down a peg or two, it didn’t stop them from being their normal, evil selves. Jahrra had the lake monster memory to reflect on, but as time went by, the twins started up with their insults once again. They no longer drew the attention of the whole class like they used to, but it still gritted at Jahrra’s ego. When she found Phrym splattered with blotches of yellow paint one day after school, she knew that summer couldn’t come soon enough.
I need a break from all this , she thought as she, Gieaun and Scede scrubbed the stubborn paint off a very disgruntled semequin. I need to take a trip to the Belloughs.
The ominous exams during the last week of school, followed by the immediate launch of her daily lessons with Viornen and Yaraa, gave Jahrra very little time or opportunity to visit Denaeh. She had needed the two weeks before the school year ended to study, and the two elves had insisted on longer and more frequent practices during the summer months to learn the new exercises and lessons. Despite her busy schedule, Jahrra found time to stop in and see the Mystic on her way home from the last day of school.
Denaeh was glad to see the girl after such a long absence, and as soon as she spotted her riding into her swamp atop Phrym, her elderly façade faded into her youthful one. “How is your lake monster plot coming along?” she queried, her topaz eyes sparkling.
“Oh! We finished weeks ago and it worked perfectly!” Jahrra answered breathlessly as she got down from Phrym, returning Denaeh’s sunny smile.
She went on to describe the events, in great detail, as they tended to the Mystic’s precious mushroom garden. The two of them spent the rest of the day in the peaceful woods, chatting and drinking tea in the pleasant weather.
Jahrra amused herself by watching Milihn fly in and out of the Belloughs. He would hop around Denaeh’s garden before stopping in front of a bare patch of earth. After examining the soil for several moments, the unusual bird would us his sharp beak as a tool to quickly plant a seed, or sometimes a seedling. Once done with his job, he would grumble contentedly to himself before flying off again in search for more.
Jahrra sighed as the light became slowly lost to the encroaching dusk. It had been a lovely day and she hated to see it end. She bade farewell to her Mystic friend, knowing that tomorrow she would be starting the summer off with a grueling day-long session of defense lessons.
Yaraa and Viornen planned to give her a preliminary test in order to see where she stood first thing tomorrow morning. Jahrra had been meeting them on the weekends for lessons, but she was supposed to be practicing every day on her own. She had performed the required stretches and practiced her swordplay and archery in the fields with Phrym watching, but she still felt a little nervous about her testing tomorrow. The last thing Jahrra wanted to do was let down her elvin trainers.
The next day came and went, and to her great relief, both Yaraa and Viornen complimented her on her progress. The two elves had employed their three children to help in the assessment of Jahrra’s skills, and they had done an excellent job in distracting her. Regardless of the disruption that Strohm, Srithe and Samibi presented, Jahrra still
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