hobbled him, and filled his nosebag. Then we went back to the main cave without either of us having said a word.
Grey was in the midst of sorting which things were staying and which were going. He showed me a bow, exhibiting far more enthusiasm than necessary.
“This is much better than that one I made. It’s probably better than the one I left behind. And it’s only Shandry’s third- best bow.”
“Oh?” I asked in a dry tone. “She didn’t give you her best?”
“No,” he said, “she’ll need her best ones for your trip.”
He really didn’t get it. I turned away from him to the stores they’d brought. Potatoes, flour, apples, nuts. More cooking gear. A few loaves of bread. Sweetening and jars of preserved fruit. Grey would eat like a king. Shandry took a few things and busied herself at the fire, making something to go with the roasted rabbits.
Dinner turned out to be delicious. There was a pot of hot grain that looked like porridge but had a strong barley flavor. Instead of butter for the bread, there was something that Shandry called leten , a beige-colored paste with a slight cinnamon flavor. There was also a hot drink that had an orange-ish tinge and a spicy flavor, with much more zip than the morning tea I was used to. Traz and Grey both had second and third helpings.
Xyla slept on. Everything about her seemed out of kilter. Her heartbeat was strong and steady now, and she wasn’t in any pain, but she simply couldn’t seem to get into any sort of rhythm of life. It was as if she were juddering along, a half-beat behind everyone else.
Shandry seemed genuinely concerned, and that made me feel a little better disposed to her. Whether I liked it or not, we were going to be traveling together for a few weeks, and we were going to have to get along.
Next morning, before we left, Grey took Traz aside and said something to him, to which Traz responded with a solemn nod. It was easy to guess that Grey was telling Traz to look after Shandry and me. It annoyed me that Grey thought I needed looking after by a young boy, until I realized that he’d done it merely as a kind gesture toward Traz.
Then the three of us who were going made ready to go.
Xyla lifted her head and said, “You will have success, Donavah.”
“I hope so. I don’t know what we’ll do if this doesn’t work.”
“Do not worry. It will work.”
Her certainty made me suspicious. “Do you know something you’re not telling me?”
“Go now, little one. I am hungry.”
On the last comment, Grey’s head jerked up. “Off with you, now,” he said. “I need to get going myself. Don’t want a hungry dragon on my hands.” He grinned.
Then we were all saying goodbye. I hoped Grey would kiss my cheek, but he didn’t. He stood in front of the cave and waved when I looked back one last time. Shandry led on, and Traz and I followed.
A half-played game of Talisman and Queen lies before me, the jewel pieces glowing as they sit on the black velvet, embroidered with glittering silver thread. The Queen’s Heart, made of diamond, gleams at the center. Ranged about are the Talismans: mine, garnet; my opponent’s, opal.
I cannot see against whom I play. Shrouded in shadow, the brooding presence lies as if in sleep, absorbing energy and my concentration. It seems to suck the very air from the room. I can scarce breathe.
The game is almost won. My heart tells me that with a single move, I will Secure the Queen’s Heart. But my brain is frozen, unable to make sense of the game pieces. A wrong move, and my enemy will take all.
A voice breaks the silence—a familiar male voice that echoes around the room growing in power instead of fading away.
“Your move,” it says.
Lightning begins to flash. The sky gleams blood red in between flashes.
“The game board is set. It is your move,” the voice says again, taking the last of the air with it.I fall into a black pit of nothingness.
And then I awake.
The first day passed
Grey was in the midst of sorting which things were staying and which were going. He showed me a bow, exhibiting far more enthusiasm than necessary.
“This is much better than that one I made. It’s probably better than the one I left behind. And it’s only Shandry’s third- best bow.”
“Oh?” I asked in a dry tone. “She didn’t give you her best?”
“No,” he said, “she’ll need her best ones for your trip.”
He really didn’t get it. I turned away from him to the stores they’d brought. Potatoes, flour, apples, nuts. More cooking gear. A few loaves of bread. Sweetening and jars of preserved fruit. Grey would eat like a king. Shandry took a few things and busied herself at the fire, making something to go with the roasted rabbits.
Dinner turned out to be delicious. There was a pot of hot grain that looked like porridge but had a strong barley flavor. Instead of butter for the bread, there was something that Shandry called leten , a beige-colored paste with a slight cinnamon flavor. There was also a hot drink that had an orange-ish tinge and a spicy flavor, with much more zip than the morning tea I was used to. Traz and Grey both had second and third helpings.
Xyla slept on. Everything about her seemed out of kilter. Her heartbeat was strong and steady now, and she wasn’t in any pain, but she simply couldn’t seem to get into any sort of rhythm of life. It was as if she were juddering along, a half-beat behind everyone else.
Shandry seemed genuinely concerned, and that made me feel a little better disposed to her. Whether I liked it or not, we were going to be traveling together for a few weeks, and we were going to have to get along.
Next morning, before we left, Grey took Traz aside and said something to him, to which Traz responded with a solemn nod. It was easy to guess that Grey was telling Traz to look after Shandry and me. It annoyed me that Grey thought I needed looking after by a young boy, until I realized that he’d done it merely as a kind gesture toward Traz.
Then the three of us who were going made ready to go.
Xyla lifted her head and said, “You will have success, Donavah.”
“I hope so. I don’t know what we’ll do if this doesn’t work.”
“Do not worry. It will work.”
Her certainty made me suspicious. “Do you know something you’re not telling me?”
“Go now, little one. I am hungry.”
On the last comment, Grey’s head jerked up. “Off with you, now,” he said. “I need to get going myself. Don’t want a hungry dragon on my hands.” He grinned.
Then we were all saying goodbye. I hoped Grey would kiss my cheek, but he didn’t. He stood in front of the cave and waved when I looked back one last time. Shandry led on, and Traz and I followed.
A half-played game of Talisman and Queen lies before me, the jewel pieces glowing as they sit on the black velvet, embroidered with glittering silver thread. The Queen’s Heart, made of diamond, gleams at the center. Ranged about are the Talismans: mine, garnet; my opponent’s, opal.
I cannot see against whom I play. Shrouded in shadow, the brooding presence lies as if in sleep, absorbing energy and my concentration. It seems to suck the very air from the room. I can scarce breathe.
The game is almost won. My heart tells me that with a single move, I will Secure the Queen’s Heart. But my brain is frozen, unable to make sense of the game pieces. A wrong move, and my enemy will take all.
A voice breaks the silence—a familiar male voice that echoes around the room growing in power instead of fading away.
“Your move,” it says.
Lightning begins to flash. The sky gleams blood red in between flashes.
“The game board is set. It is your move,” the voice says again, taking the last of the air with it.I fall into a black pit of nothingness.
And then I awake.
The first day passed
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