breath. Well, that’s a relief , he thought. I’m glad they’re not demons, not even the beast. And it was true. But that didn’t stop the twisted feeling in his gut.
‘The crowds can always light him up.’
Adom jumped. It would seem he wasn’t the only one watching. Devin the Bard hadn’t gone far. Any interesting gesture or turn of phrase or snippet of conversation was grist for his mill. He had seen how Adom’s face changed from tension to relief, but hadn’t lost the troubled look round his mouth and eyes.
‘I’ve always found jealousy to be a crippler in my line of work,’ he said conversationally. ‘I imagine it must be the same in yours.’
Adorm gave an outraged gasp. ‘I’m not –’ he began, but the Bard had already moved on.
Adom scowled. Was that what it was, this worm inside? Jealousy? Was he jealous that Columba had smiled at Eo and not at him? That Eo and the talking animal had been given the full measure of the great man’s charm and, and, greatness , and he, Adom, who lived and worked with him every day (well, in the same general vicinity, anyway) – he got nothing ?
It was a lot to swallow. Adom gulped hard, and went to collect his new friends.
No one seemed ready to speak at first. They got some food and returned to the cluster of rocks to eat, separate from the crowds but still nearby.
Then, when their hunger was dealt with, the three exchanged looks.
‘My!’ murmured Hurple, and flopped down on his tummy in a patch of sun.
‘Well!’ said Eo. ‘I mean… well!’
‘So, um, congratulations!’ said Adom.
‘What?’
‘I’m glad you’re not demons,’ Adom explained.
‘Oh, right. Well, we did say. ’
I know. Sorry.’
‘Never mind. And sorry from us too, for not understanding about, you know, him. ,’ said Eo.
Adom sighed. ‘That’s all right,’ he said. ‘What happens now?’
‘Now?’ Hurple scratched vigorously. ‘Well, I can’t say I know exactly how the “Gift of the Tide” thing is supposed to work, but it seems pretty obvious that we’ve arrived in the perfect place at the perfect time to acquirethe perfect champion… the perfect…’ He turned suddenly on Eo. ‘He was standing right there in front of you – why didn’t you ask him?!’
‘Are we allowed to ask? Then why didn’t you ask him?’ Eo protested.
‘Because I’m not supposed to be able to talk! I’m the dumb animal, right?!’
Eo muttered something rude under his breath.
‘Oh, well,’ said Hurple grudgingly. ‘I guess it wasn’t exactly the moment, was it? We’ll need to meet with him more privately. Set that up for us, will you, Adom? Tell him it’s important.’
‘ME?!’ squeaked Adom. ‘You expect me to walk up to the Holy Father and say, “You have to meet with this boy and his beast ‘cause I’m telling you it’s important”? Just like that!’
‘Yes. Is there a problem?’ asked the ferret innocently.
‘Is there a problem? !’
‘ADOM !’
It was probably the last voice on earth Adom wanted to hear just then. It was Brother Drostlin’s.
‘I don’t believe for a moment that you did a proper job on that caulking, and already you’re back up here stuffing your face and playing about with… playing about –’ He seemed at a loss for words to describe anything as lowly as Eo. ‘The Holy Father wants to leave at the turn of the tide. He wants be a good few leagues further north by moon-rise.’
‘But he can’t! ’ blurted Eo, just as Adom exclaimed, ‘But why ?’
Brother Drostlin began to quiver ominously. ‘You dare – you dare to question the wishes of the Holy Father? You dare!? !’
His outraged voice went swooping up to such an unbelievably high note on the last words that it made Eo giggle. He didn’t mean to. It was just nerves, of course.
Brother Drostlin didn’t think it was very polite, however, so he belted him.
One blow more or less was nothing much to Adom, but it was a new experience for Eo and not one he
‘The crowds can always light him up.’
Adom jumped. It would seem he wasn’t the only one watching. Devin the Bard hadn’t gone far. Any interesting gesture or turn of phrase or snippet of conversation was grist for his mill. He had seen how Adom’s face changed from tension to relief, but hadn’t lost the troubled look round his mouth and eyes.
‘I’ve always found jealousy to be a crippler in my line of work,’ he said conversationally. ‘I imagine it must be the same in yours.’
Adorm gave an outraged gasp. ‘I’m not –’ he began, but the Bard had already moved on.
Adom scowled. Was that what it was, this worm inside? Jealousy? Was he jealous that Columba had smiled at Eo and not at him? That Eo and the talking animal had been given the full measure of the great man’s charm and, and, greatness , and he, Adom, who lived and worked with him every day (well, in the same general vicinity, anyway) – he got nothing ?
It was a lot to swallow. Adom gulped hard, and went to collect his new friends.
No one seemed ready to speak at first. They got some food and returned to the cluster of rocks to eat, separate from the crowds but still nearby.
Then, when their hunger was dealt with, the three exchanged looks.
‘My!’ murmured Hurple, and flopped down on his tummy in a patch of sun.
‘Well!’ said Eo. ‘I mean… well!’
‘So, um, congratulations!’ said Adom.
‘What?’
‘I’m glad you’re not demons,’ Adom explained.
‘Oh, right. Well, we did say. ’
I know. Sorry.’
‘Never mind. And sorry from us too, for not understanding about, you know, him. ,’ said Eo.
Adom sighed. ‘That’s all right,’ he said. ‘What happens now?’
‘Now?’ Hurple scratched vigorously. ‘Well, I can’t say I know exactly how the “Gift of the Tide” thing is supposed to work, but it seems pretty obvious that we’ve arrived in the perfect place at the perfect time to acquirethe perfect champion… the perfect…’ He turned suddenly on Eo. ‘He was standing right there in front of you – why didn’t you ask him?!’
‘Are we allowed to ask? Then why didn’t you ask him?’ Eo protested.
‘Because I’m not supposed to be able to talk! I’m the dumb animal, right?!’
Eo muttered something rude under his breath.
‘Oh, well,’ said Hurple grudgingly. ‘I guess it wasn’t exactly the moment, was it? We’ll need to meet with him more privately. Set that up for us, will you, Adom? Tell him it’s important.’
‘ME?!’ squeaked Adom. ‘You expect me to walk up to the Holy Father and say, “You have to meet with this boy and his beast ‘cause I’m telling you it’s important”? Just like that!’
‘Yes. Is there a problem?’ asked the ferret innocently.
‘Is there a problem? !’
‘ADOM !’
It was probably the last voice on earth Adom wanted to hear just then. It was Brother Drostlin’s.
‘I don’t believe for a moment that you did a proper job on that caulking, and already you’re back up here stuffing your face and playing about with… playing about –’ He seemed at a loss for words to describe anything as lowly as Eo. ‘The Holy Father wants to leave at the turn of the tide. He wants be a good few leagues further north by moon-rise.’
‘But he can’t! ’ blurted Eo, just as Adom exclaimed, ‘But why ?’
Brother Drostlin began to quiver ominously. ‘You dare – you dare to question the wishes of the Holy Father? You dare!? !’
His outraged voice went swooping up to such an unbelievably high note on the last words that it made Eo giggle. He didn’t mean to. It was just nerves, of course.
Brother Drostlin didn’t think it was very polite, however, so he belted him.
One blow more or less was nothing much to Adom, but it was a new experience for Eo and not one he
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