one condition."
"Oh, and what was that?"
"That I be made head chef in the kitchen, of course! I've got to make sure my Werrien's eating properly, you know." She pulled out a chair for Kristina. "Now sit down and eat before the pancakes get too cold." She poured some unusually bright, yellow syrup over each girl's pancakes and then headed back to the far end of the kitchen behind the swinging doors.
"Yum! It looks so good," Kristina said. But after two bites her stomach began to feel queasy.
Hester looked over at Kristina and noticed that she wasn't feeling well. "What's the matter? Is all the overrated attention getting to you?" she said coldly.
"Wow! Kristina, you look awful," Davina snickered, while trying to figure out how to get her egg out of its shell.
Leacha passed through the swinging doors again, this time with a pan full of steaming-hot cinnamon rolls. She set them down on the table in front of the girls. "Sailing on the high seas takes a lot of energy. You girls eat heartily now," she said. She glanced at Kristina, whose face was as white as a sheet. "Oh, my mercy! What have I done?" Leacha shrieked. She quickly pulled Kristina's plate away from her. "I'm so sorry, dear. It looks like the food isn't agreeing with you—probably the syrup. It's a fairly new recipe of mine."
"What do you mean? This is the best syrup I've ever tasted!" Davina said, pouring so much of it on her pancakes that they were floating in it.
Leacha frowned at Davina and promptly snatched the syrup jug out of her hands. Then Leacha hurried off to the other part of the kitchen behind the swinging doors again, and a minute later she returned, carrying a cup of water in one hand and a round, red tablet, about the size of a marble, in the other. She dropped the tablet in the cup and as soon as it hit the water, it smoked, popped, and bubbled over the sides of the cup. Then she handed it to Kristina. "Drink this quickly," she insisted.
Kristina's stomach was so upset that she had a hard time swallowing the warm, bubbling concoction, but once she finally got it all down, her stomach instantly settled. "Thank you, Leacha. I feel much better now," she said.
"How about a warm cinnamon roll?" Leacha said, patting Kristina on the head with her chubby, wrinkled hand.
Hester grabbed one from the pan, and Davina grabbed two.
"I think I've had enough to eat, thanks," Kristina said.
Elzwur entered the kitchen. "How was breakfast?" he asked, cracking a thin smile at Kristina for the first time.
"Delicious!" Davina said, while chewing, and at the same time grabbing more cinnamon rolls from the pan.
"Well, then, I would say it's high time we get moving," Elzwur said.
Leacha pushed through the swinging doors again, this time wearing a busy-patterned scarf on her head and pulling a cart full of food, including a big corked jug of her syrup. "What are we waiting for?" she said. "Let's not keep our Werrien waiting."
- 8 -
Awkward Feelings
C arrying a golden object in its mouth, a bat flew into the cave where it found the Irgul lying on the cold, damp floor. The bat stopped momentarily to marvel at the Irgul. Excited to see what the once-deluded victim had become, the bat's mouth salivated and almost dropped the golden object. The bat's body quivered as it pictured the consequences it would have faced if it had actually dropped it.
I must find the serpent,
the bat thought, clenching its tiny pointy teeth around the object.
The bat continued on its way toward the crevice and in order for it to fit through the narrow crack, it had to crawl sideways on its belly along a damp rock wall. When it reached the end of the crevice, it entered a small dark nook, where on the middle of the floor, the serpent sat lingering over its newly claimed object that it had acquired from its victim. Beside that object lay the back section of Bernovem's Book of Prophecy.
Cautiously, the bat made its way to the serpent and landed on the floor beside it.
"Did you bring it?"
"Oh, and what was that?"
"That I be made head chef in the kitchen, of course! I've got to make sure my Werrien's eating properly, you know." She pulled out a chair for Kristina. "Now sit down and eat before the pancakes get too cold." She poured some unusually bright, yellow syrup over each girl's pancakes and then headed back to the far end of the kitchen behind the swinging doors.
"Yum! It looks so good," Kristina said. But after two bites her stomach began to feel queasy.
Hester looked over at Kristina and noticed that she wasn't feeling well. "What's the matter? Is all the overrated attention getting to you?" she said coldly.
"Wow! Kristina, you look awful," Davina snickered, while trying to figure out how to get her egg out of its shell.
Leacha passed through the swinging doors again, this time with a pan full of steaming-hot cinnamon rolls. She set them down on the table in front of the girls. "Sailing on the high seas takes a lot of energy. You girls eat heartily now," she said. She glanced at Kristina, whose face was as white as a sheet. "Oh, my mercy! What have I done?" Leacha shrieked. She quickly pulled Kristina's plate away from her. "I'm so sorry, dear. It looks like the food isn't agreeing with you—probably the syrup. It's a fairly new recipe of mine."
"What do you mean? This is the best syrup I've ever tasted!" Davina said, pouring so much of it on her pancakes that they were floating in it.
Leacha frowned at Davina and promptly snatched the syrup jug out of her hands. Then Leacha hurried off to the other part of the kitchen behind the swinging doors again, and a minute later she returned, carrying a cup of water in one hand and a round, red tablet, about the size of a marble, in the other. She dropped the tablet in the cup and as soon as it hit the water, it smoked, popped, and bubbled over the sides of the cup. Then she handed it to Kristina. "Drink this quickly," she insisted.
Kristina's stomach was so upset that she had a hard time swallowing the warm, bubbling concoction, but once she finally got it all down, her stomach instantly settled. "Thank you, Leacha. I feel much better now," she said.
"How about a warm cinnamon roll?" Leacha said, patting Kristina on the head with her chubby, wrinkled hand.
Hester grabbed one from the pan, and Davina grabbed two.
"I think I've had enough to eat, thanks," Kristina said.
Elzwur entered the kitchen. "How was breakfast?" he asked, cracking a thin smile at Kristina for the first time.
"Delicious!" Davina said, while chewing, and at the same time grabbing more cinnamon rolls from the pan.
"Well, then, I would say it's high time we get moving," Elzwur said.
Leacha pushed through the swinging doors again, this time wearing a busy-patterned scarf on her head and pulling a cart full of food, including a big corked jug of her syrup. "What are we waiting for?" she said. "Let's not keep our Werrien waiting."
- 8 -
Awkward Feelings
C arrying a golden object in its mouth, a bat flew into the cave where it found the Irgul lying on the cold, damp floor. The bat stopped momentarily to marvel at the Irgul. Excited to see what the once-deluded victim had become, the bat's mouth salivated and almost dropped the golden object. The bat's body quivered as it pictured the consequences it would have faced if it had actually dropped it.
I must find the serpent,
the bat thought, clenching its tiny pointy teeth around the object.
The bat continued on its way toward the crevice and in order for it to fit through the narrow crack, it had to crawl sideways on its belly along a damp rock wall. When it reached the end of the crevice, it entered a small dark nook, where on the middle of the floor, the serpent sat lingering over its newly claimed object that it had acquired from its victim. Beside that object lay the back section of Bernovem's Book of Prophecy.
Cautiously, the bat made its way to the serpent and landed on the floor beside it.
"Did you bring it?"
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