Blood of Centaurs: Book 12 of The Witch Fairy Series by Bonnie Lamer Page B

by.
    The candlelight is enough for me to make out the room in general.  There are four large stalls surrounding an open middle area.  Here, there is furniture suitable for those who are not Centaurs.  There is a flowered couch that has seen better days and two wooden rocking chairs that look like they were bought at a garage sale.   A hundred years ago.  I’m not certain they can still hold the weight of a Faun without crumbling.
    The stalls are my real concern, though.  Each is separated from this main area by wooden walls that come up to my chin.  A hinged door is cut in the center of each.  One of the doors is open and I can see into the smaller area.  There is a bed.  Nothing more.  And the bed appears to be made of straw if the little shards sticking out through the sheets are any indication.  I am not a barn animal, I do not sleep on straw in a stall.
    I wheel around to face the rest of my party.  “Whose idea was it to not tell me about this?”
    “What’s your problem?” Zac asks.  “I think it’s great.”  He walks into the open stall and tests out the straw mattress.  “It’s not so bad,” he says, projecting his voice over the short wall now separating him from us.
    Garren adds, “I lived in caves in the Dragon realm.  This is luxurious compared to that.”
    I cock my head in his direction.  “Saying that doesn’t make the straw any softer.”
    Chuckling, Kallen says, “You will not find deluxe accommodations in this realm.  The Centaurs generally sleep outside under the stars.  They believe it helps them understand the messages from the cosmos better.  Only under harsh weather conditions do they seek shelter at night.  They also do not get a lot of visitors.”  His eyes twinkling, he adds, “For a kiss I’ll make you a real bed.”
    I narrow my eyes.  “What will it cost me for walls?”
    A lopsided grin forms on his face.  “What are you willing to give?”
    “Please, continue on as if we are not here,” Dagda remarks dryly. 
    “I second that,” Garren drawls.
    A blush rushes to my cheeks and Kallen takes a step back from me.  “Oh, for crying out loud, we are married,” I say. 
    Dagda is not impressed.  “When the two of you have adult children, perhaps you will enjoy hearing such things.  I do not.”
    Tana’s face becomes a stoic mask.  I think it was the ‘adult children’ thing.  Dagda has an adult child but she does not.  Great, now I feel guilty and embarrassed.
    In an attempt to get past the awkwardness in the room, Kallen says, “Do you believe the Sasquatch will embrace the Centaurs’ offer?”
    Dagda snorts.  He moves to the ugly sofa and sits down.  Discovering it’s as uncomfortable as it looks, he creates a new one of brown leather.  “I have always known the Sasquatch to be an ‘all or nothing’ race.  Compromise will not come easy to them.”
    Carefully s itting in one of the rocking chairs across from him, I ask a question I probably should have asked before now.  “Why is the Centaur realm the one they want?  Why haven’t they asked for refuge in the Fairy realm or someplace else?”  My chair makes a cracking sound and I jump out of it. 
    Dagda leans forward with his elbows on his knees.  “Numbers,” he says.  “They outnumber the Centaurs five to one, but the Fairy population is more akin to theirs but we have magic.  There are also the Giants to consider.  They are under treaty to defend the realm alongside Fairies.  The Sasquatch would have no possibility of a power base in our lands.”
    Garren adds, “They are similar to the Dragons in this way.  They want to be at the top of the food chain and they do not care who or what is in their way.”
    “So, they’re going for total domination?” I ask. 
    Pursing his lips, Dagda muses, “I am hopeful they are serious about this treaty.”
    “So, the answer to my question is probably yes?” I push.
    Tana joins her husband on the leather couch.  Managing