frame of wooden bones. Instead, they would be pre-occupied at the Sobledthe celebration in Lensterans.
“Until tomorrow!” Jahrra shouted as she reined Phrym off the main road and towards his awaiting stable.
She gave him an extra handful of honeyed oats and patted him goodnight, realizing that there was no way she was going to sleep easily knowing what lay ahead tomorrow.
Hroombra walked Jahrra to Wood’s End Ranch the next morning so that he could wish the children farewell. Jahrra had wanted to take Phrym and leave him with the horses, but Hroombra had insisted on taking her himself.
“Are you sure you won’t go with us?” Kaihmen asked the old dragon as he harnessed the horses to the family carriage.
“Oh yes, I’m sure,” Hroombra answered cheerily. “The journey is too long and tiring for my old bones.”
“Very well,” Kaihmen said with a grin, “but you’re going to miss out.”
Hroombra chuckled heartily, his golden dragon eyes crinkling with his smile. “Oh, I’ve participated in greater Sobledthe ceremonies than the one you’ll be witnessing today. I think I shall be content.”
Kaihmen could only shake his head in response. “You’ll have to tell us about those one of these days. Children, are you ready?”
After everyone was piled comfortably in the cart, Kaihmen slapped the reins and the horses started forward. Jahrra, Gieaun and Scede turned to wave as they watched Hroombra’s form disappear in the distance.
It took them a few hours to climb southward down the Sloping Hill and make their way across the northern edge of the Oorn Plain. As the rickety carriage and its five passengers closed in on the wide Oorn River, Jahrra could see the sprawling rural city of Lensterans rising out of the farmland in the distance. Her level of excitement rose as the horses’ hooves echoed against the wide wooden bridge that spanned the river.
“We’re almost there!” Gieaun whispered harshly, as if speaking any louder would shatter this wonderful moment.
“Look! I can see people in costume already!” Scede added, pointing down a long street bedecked with cornstalks and colorful gourds.
Weaving between the light posts and the sidewalks were a few adults and several children clothed in brilliantly colored outfits. One man was dressed as a goblin, another as a terrifying demon. The cluster of children, squealing in the hysterical fashion of the holiday, tore ahead of them like a pack of magical forest creatures fleeing from some great doom. Jahrra felt a prickle of unbearable anticipation and it took every ounce of her energy to keep herself from leaping out of the carriage and joining them.
Once free of the tugging flow of the crowd and disorienting hum of music, Nuhra and Kaihmen led the horses to the stables and got them settled while the children hurriedly got into their own festive garb. The costumes themselves were composed of wolf masks and a tangle of multi-colored horsehair running down the backs of the coats they wore. The simple disguises were reinforced with wolf-like paws that they had attached to the ends of their sleeves, adding a final, gruesome touch to their grouldah attire.
As they explored the town, the three friends spotted other children both younger and older then themselves, chatting cheerily and walking past them without glaring or making snide remarks. They smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, hoping they wouldn’t see Eydeth or Ellysian. Once the three friends made their way further into town, however, they spotted a few of their classmates. Unfortunately, some of these people took it upon themselves to comment on their home-made disguises.
“Nice costumes, what are you supposed to be, starving wolves?” remarked a familiar crony of Eydeth’s. He was dressed, appropriately, as a goblin. “I can understand Jahrra dressing as a starving wolf,” he continued in a loud voice for all his friends to hear, “but Gieaun and Scede, you have enough money to afford
“Until tomorrow!” Jahrra shouted as she reined Phrym off the main road and towards his awaiting stable.
She gave him an extra handful of honeyed oats and patted him goodnight, realizing that there was no way she was going to sleep easily knowing what lay ahead tomorrow.
Hroombra walked Jahrra to Wood’s End Ranch the next morning so that he could wish the children farewell. Jahrra had wanted to take Phrym and leave him with the horses, but Hroombra had insisted on taking her himself.
“Are you sure you won’t go with us?” Kaihmen asked the old dragon as he harnessed the horses to the family carriage.
“Oh yes, I’m sure,” Hroombra answered cheerily. “The journey is too long and tiring for my old bones.”
“Very well,” Kaihmen said with a grin, “but you’re going to miss out.”
Hroombra chuckled heartily, his golden dragon eyes crinkling with his smile. “Oh, I’ve participated in greater Sobledthe ceremonies than the one you’ll be witnessing today. I think I shall be content.”
Kaihmen could only shake his head in response. “You’ll have to tell us about those one of these days. Children, are you ready?”
After everyone was piled comfortably in the cart, Kaihmen slapped the reins and the horses started forward. Jahrra, Gieaun and Scede turned to wave as they watched Hroombra’s form disappear in the distance.
It took them a few hours to climb southward down the Sloping Hill and make their way across the northern edge of the Oorn Plain. As the rickety carriage and its five passengers closed in on the wide Oorn River, Jahrra could see the sprawling rural city of Lensterans rising out of the farmland in the distance. Her level of excitement rose as the horses’ hooves echoed against the wide wooden bridge that spanned the river.
“We’re almost there!” Gieaun whispered harshly, as if speaking any louder would shatter this wonderful moment.
“Look! I can see people in costume already!” Scede added, pointing down a long street bedecked with cornstalks and colorful gourds.
Weaving between the light posts and the sidewalks were a few adults and several children clothed in brilliantly colored outfits. One man was dressed as a goblin, another as a terrifying demon. The cluster of children, squealing in the hysterical fashion of the holiday, tore ahead of them like a pack of magical forest creatures fleeing from some great doom. Jahrra felt a prickle of unbearable anticipation and it took every ounce of her energy to keep herself from leaping out of the carriage and joining them.
Once free of the tugging flow of the crowd and disorienting hum of music, Nuhra and Kaihmen led the horses to the stables and got them settled while the children hurriedly got into their own festive garb. The costumes themselves were composed of wolf masks and a tangle of multi-colored horsehair running down the backs of the coats they wore. The simple disguises were reinforced with wolf-like paws that they had attached to the ends of their sleeves, adding a final, gruesome touch to their grouldah attire.
As they explored the town, the three friends spotted other children both younger and older then themselves, chatting cheerily and walking past them without glaring or making snide remarks. They smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, hoping they wouldn’t see Eydeth or Ellysian. Once the three friends made their way further into town, however, they spotted a few of their classmates. Unfortunately, some of these people took it upon themselves to comment on their home-made disguises.
“Nice costumes, what are you supposed to be, starving wolves?” remarked a familiar crony of Eydeth’s. He was dressed, appropriately, as a goblin. “I can understand Jahrra dressing as a starving wolf,” he continued in a loud voice for all his friends to hear, “but Gieaun and Scede, you have enough money to afford
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