away from the meal tent?’
‘Yes.’ He shrugged. ‘I’m fortunate that it’s only thoughts of high importance to people that I can hear. But a crowd can overwhelm me.’ He looked over at Rix, noticing the veercat’s huge pointed ears erect and moving to catch every sound they could. ‘He looks content.’
‘He’s more comfortable amongst the grasses and trees.’ She stroked him. ‘But he’s not liking this rope.’
‘There’s yards of it, Tess. He can move the full length of this clearing. They won’t hurt one another will they?’
She gave a snort. ‘Don’t be mad. They’re my friends, which means they look after each other.’
Griff turned to regard the centaur with awe once again. ‘Will Davren let me close?’ He’d been glancing at the beast, determined to get to know him better but not wanting to frighten the centaur or Tess with his eagerness. ‘He’s magnificent,’ he added, noticing the creature’s broad chest and muscled physique. Davren’s hair was dark and shaggy, falling in soft waves to his wide shoulders. To all intents he looked like a young man to his waist but from there on he became all beast, similar to a horse. His body was sleek and shiny with dark chestnut-coloured hair covering his withers and flank. ‘He looks so strong.’
She nodded and Griff edged towards the young centaur.
‘Are you talking to him?’
‘Yes,’ she replied. ‘Reassuring him. You can’t hear?’
‘No. I can’t listen in on conversations. I know it’s hard for you to imagine but all I can do is hear a person thinking something when it’s really important to them. Is Davren scared?’
‘He trusts me. He knows I wouldn’t do this for someone I was not sure of.’
Griff felt a momentary thrill pulse through him. Tess was his first chance at real friendship. Apart from his brothers he lived on the fringe of the show folk, not really close to anyone. That she had chosen to trust him meant everything.
‘Just hold out your hand.’
Griff did so, marvelling at the perfectly sculpted head and torso of a boy, not very much older than himself, who possessed the body of a horse. He was lean and muscled. ‘He’s so incredible to look at.’
‘He’s very strong, as you’ve noticed. But he’s not comfortable here, so he’s a bit nervous.’
‘No parents?’
‘He’s an orphan. He won’t talk about what happened.’
Davren reached out and placed his open palm beneath Griff’s hand.
‘This is his formal greeting. Now turn your hand so that his ends up on top of yours,’ Tess guided. ‘That’s how you say hello properly in Centaurian.’
Griff did as she suggested and won a tentative smile from Davren. ‘How did you learn such things?’
She shrugged. ‘I sense them or the creatures teach me. He likes you. He says you will be a good friend to us. He trusts you. You should talk to him. He understands, he just can’t talk back to you in the normal manner but he can communicate with the others—reassure them about you.’ She too smiled gently. ‘And he can talk to you through me if you like.’
‘I’m pleased to hear that he likes me,’ Griff said, genuinely delighted. He tore his eyes from the handsome centaur and looked at the equally intriguing black-and-white striped sagar. ‘Elph looks calm, too.’
‘Elph is always calm. Sagars are sleepy creatures until they’re frightened or disturbed in some way. So long as Elph has food, somewhere soft to sleep and is near us,’ she said, taking in herself and her creatures with a wave of her hand, ‘he’s happy.’ Griff grinned at Elph’s long, strong snout that he could use as a tool for everything from feeding himself toexploring with. His six thick stumpy legs intrigued Griff.
‘And Helys seems fine, too.’ He smiled at the small creature that reminded him of a hairless puppy—her features were fine and delicate, like a mouse. She had very long whiskers that twitched constantly, seeking information from the
‘Yes.’ He shrugged. ‘I’m fortunate that it’s only thoughts of high importance to people that I can hear. But a crowd can overwhelm me.’ He looked over at Rix, noticing the veercat’s huge pointed ears erect and moving to catch every sound they could. ‘He looks content.’
‘He’s more comfortable amongst the grasses and trees.’ She stroked him. ‘But he’s not liking this rope.’
‘There’s yards of it, Tess. He can move the full length of this clearing. They won’t hurt one another will they?’
She gave a snort. ‘Don’t be mad. They’re my friends, which means they look after each other.’
Griff turned to regard the centaur with awe once again. ‘Will Davren let me close?’ He’d been glancing at the beast, determined to get to know him better but not wanting to frighten the centaur or Tess with his eagerness. ‘He’s magnificent,’ he added, noticing the creature’s broad chest and muscled physique. Davren’s hair was dark and shaggy, falling in soft waves to his wide shoulders. To all intents he looked like a young man to his waist but from there on he became all beast, similar to a horse. His body was sleek and shiny with dark chestnut-coloured hair covering his withers and flank. ‘He looks so strong.’
She nodded and Griff edged towards the young centaur.
‘Are you talking to him?’
‘Yes,’ she replied. ‘Reassuring him. You can’t hear?’
‘No. I can’t listen in on conversations. I know it’s hard for you to imagine but all I can do is hear a person thinking something when it’s really important to them. Is Davren scared?’
‘He trusts me. He knows I wouldn’t do this for someone I was not sure of.’
Griff felt a momentary thrill pulse through him. Tess was his first chance at real friendship. Apart from his brothers he lived on the fringe of the show folk, not really close to anyone. That she had chosen to trust him meant everything.
‘Just hold out your hand.’
Griff did so, marvelling at the perfectly sculpted head and torso of a boy, not very much older than himself, who possessed the body of a horse. He was lean and muscled. ‘He’s so incredible to look at.’
‘He’s very strong, as you’ve noticed. But he’s not comfortable here, so he’s a bit nervous.’
‘No parents?’
‘He’s an orphan. He won’t talk about what happened.’
Davren reached out and placed his open palm beneath Griff’s hand.
‘This is his formal greeting. Now turn your hand so that his ends up on top of yours,’ Tess guided. ‘That’s how you say hello properly in Centaurian.’
Griff did as she suggested and won a tentative smile from Davren. ‘How did you learn such things?’
She shrugged. ‘I sense them or the creatures teach me. He likes you. He says you will be a good friend to us. He trusts you. You should talk to him. He understands, he just can’t talk back to you in the normal manner but he can communicate with the others—reassure them about you.’ She too smiled gently. ‘And he can talk to you through me if you like.’
‘I’m pleased to hear that he likes me,’ Griff said, genuinely delighted. He tore his eyes from the handsome centaur and looked at the equally intriguing black-and-white striped sagar. ‘Elph looks calm, too.’
‘Elph is always calm. Sagars are sleepy creatures until they’re frightened or disturbed in some way. So long as Elph has food, somewhere soft to sleep and is near us,’ she said, taking in herself and her creatures with a wave of her hand, ‘he’s happy.’ Griff grinned at Elph’s long, strong snout that he could use as a tool for everything from feeding himself toexploring with. His six thick stumpy legs intrigued Griff.
‘And Helys seems fine, too.’ He smiled at the small creature that reminded him of a hairless puppy—her features were fine and delicate, like a mouse. She had very long whiskers that twitched constantly, seeking information from the
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