words flew out of the
boy’s mouth in one breath. His eyes kept flickering to the front of
the stable nervously the whole time he talked. As if he were
waiting for something or someone. He finally stopped and looked at
me carefully. “Hey, I remember you. You were here last time, with
them. You were awfully scrawny and dirty. I thought you were a boy,
until mum said otherwise.”
My cheeks grew warm in
embarrassment.
Want me to knock him
over? Faraway asked.
No, it’s fine. He’s right.
I probably did look terrible the last time I came. I had just
escaped out of the prison then. Besides, he’s just a
boy.
With no manners. He snuffed and threw his head back, startling the
young stable boy who promptly fell on his rump.
Stop! Don’t do anything.
I’ll be fine. I heard Faraway nicker in
laughter as I headed to the inn’s entrance. My goal was to get in,
get a meal and a room, and do it without a fuss. I didn’t really
want it advertised that I was traveling alone.
As soon as I entered the inn, moppy
brown-haired Bran was there to greet me once again.
“ Hello, welcome to the
Ginger Dragon, are you here for the fare, or a fair sleep? We serve
both.” He flashed me a toothy grin, and I couldn’t help but smile
back at his odd sense of humor.
My eyes wandered the room, and I
immediately saw the beautiful Vienna serving a meal to a full table
of people sitting at a corner table. Her hands flew as she talked,
and I could hear her giggle all the way to the front of the
room.
“ Both please,” I answered
Bran softly. Trying not to draw attention to myself. “Food first,
then a room.”
Bran went over to a register book and
opened it up. He pulled out a quill and began to write in the day’s
date. I was about to hand over my money when I heard my name from
across the room. There was no mistaking the warm tone of Joss’s
voice.
My head snapped up faster than
lightening as I zeroed in on him. He was sitting in the back of the
room at the table, talking to Vienna. The inn door opened with the
jingle of a bell, and the floor rumbled as someone large dropped a
very heavy item to the floor.
Bran’s mouth opening in a
silent oh was the
only warning I had before I was scooped up from behind and wrapped
in a very furry leather-bound bear hug from Hemi.
“ Ahh, I’ve found you Li’l
Wolf. Now I can keep my head and my home!” Hemi’s deep voice boomed
throughout the inn.
“ He-He-Hemi, put me down!”
I squealed out in delight, my feet dangling in the air.
“ Not until I see that you
are all right. That you have all yer fingers and toes,” he
challenged back.
I was allowed back to the ground, and
Hemi placed his large hands on my shoulders, studying me, head to
toe. His serious eyes missed nothing—the scrapes, bruises, and
cracked lip that had mostly healed from my fight with Gwen in the
pits. His hands reached for my face, but I gently knocked them
away.
“ Hemi, I’m fine. What are
you doing here? Where’s Mona? Where are the others?” No sooner had
I won my freedom from Hemi, I was wrapped up in the warm embrace of
Joss’s arms.
“ You’re safe?” he asked in
disbelief. “I can’t believe you’re safe.” He leaned back and looked
at me but startled.
I had forgotten about my eye and the
eerie change. Joss and Hemi had not seen it yet. I dropped my eyes
to the ground.
“ Thalia, what happened?”
Joss said. His voice dripped with worry. I raised my head again and
met his eyes.
“ It’s been like that since
I lost control of my power in the barn.”
“ It’s…it’s…I don’t know…”
Joss spoke, turning my head from right to left trying to see it
better in the inn’s dim lighting.
“ It’s different,” I
shrugged and pulled away from him. I was a little disappointed by
his reaction. It was so different from Kael’s. I turned and faced
Hemi, so he could see me for the first time.
Hemi took one good look at me and made
a sign to ward off evil spirits. I punched Hemi and
boy’s mouth in one breath. His eyes kept flickering to the front of
the stable nervously the whole time he talked. As if he were
waiting for something or someone. He finally stopped and looked at
me carefully. “Hey, I remember you. You were here last time, with
them. You were awfully scrawny and dirty. I thought you were a boy,
until mum said otherwise.”
My cheeks grew warm in
embarrassment.
Want me to knock him
over? Faraway asked.
No, it’s fine. He’s right.
I probably did look terrible the last time I came. I had just
escaped out of the prison then. Besides, he’s just a
boy.
With no manners. He snuffed and threw his head back, startling the
young stable boy who promptly fell on his rump.
Stop! Don’t do anything.
I’ll be fine. I heard Faraway nicker in
laughter as I headed to the inn’s entrance. My goal was to get in,
get a meal and a room, and do it without a fuss. I didn’t really
want it advertised that I was traveling alone.
As soon as I entered the inn, moppy
brown-haired Bran was there to greet me once again.
“ Hello, welcome to the
Ginger Dragon, are you here for the fare, or a fair sleep? We serve
both.” He flashed me a toothy grin, and I couldn’t help but smile
back at his odd sense of humor.
My eyes wandered the room, and I
immediately saw the beautiful Vienna serving a meal to a full table
of people sitting at a corner table. Her hands flew as she talked,
and I could hear her giggle all the way to the front of the
room.
“ Both please,” I answered
Bran softly. Trying not to draw attention to myself. “Food first,
then a room.”
Bran went over to a register book and
opened it up. He pulled out a quill and began to write in the day’s
date. I was about to hand over my money when I heard my name from
across the room. There was no mistaking the warm tone of Joss’s
voice.
My head snapped up faster than
lightening as I zeroed in on him. He was sitting in the back of the
room at the table, talking to Vienna. The inn door opened with the
jingle of a bell, and the floor rumbled as someone large dropped a
very heavy item to the floor.
Bran’s mouth opening in a
silent oh was the
only warning I had before I was scooped up from behind and wrapped
in a very furry leather-bound bear hug from Hemi.
“ Ahh, I’ve found you Li’l
Wolf. Now I can keep my head and my home!” Hemi’s deep voice boomed
throughout the inn.
“ He-He-Hemi, put me down!”
I squealed out in delight, my feet dangling in the air.
“ Not until I see that you
are all right. That you have all yer fingers and toes,” he
challenged back.
I was allowed back to the ground, and
Hemi placed his large hands on my shoulders, studying me, head to
toe. His serious eyes missed nothing—the scrapes, bruises, and
cracked lip that had mostly healed from my fight with Gwen in the
pits. His hands reached for my face, but I gently knocked them
away.
“ Hemi, I’m fine. What are
you doing here? Where’s Mona? Where are the others?” No sooner had
I won my freedom from Hemi, I was wrapped up in the warm embrace of
Joss’s arms.
“ You’re safe?” he asked in
disbelief. “I can’t believe you’re safe.” He leaned back and looked
at me but startled.
I had forgotten about my eye and the
eerie change. Joss and Hemi had not seen it yet. I dropped my eyes
to the ground.
“ Thalia, what happened?”
Joss said. His voice dripped with worry. I raised my head again and
met his eyes.
“ It’s been like that since
I lost control of my power in the barn.”
“ It’s…it’s…I don’t know…”
Joss spoke, turning my head from right to left trying to see it
better in the inn’s dim lighting.
“ It’s different,” I
shrugged and pulled away from him. I was a little disappointed by
his reaction. It was so different from Kael’s. I turned and faced
Hemi, so he could see me for the first time.
Hemi took one good look at me and made
a sign to ward off evil spirits. I punched Hemi and
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