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Includes "Fire-Eye #13"
Chot, Jethel, and the cublings are on the run, Kibo crying mercilessly. Willowsnap
complains of it, Jethel tells them he is beyond reaching. Chot says, "Well,
someone had better reach him before I do..." To shut the brat up, Chot goes
to see if anyone is following, "I'll be back...maybe." Jethel sighs. Kibo
sniffs. Chot finds no one on the trail, figuring that none of the group deserve it
but they are lucky. Telling them that Cam is like his father, Kibo cries. Kibo is
calmed by Jethel. Chot worries about Ahnessah pulling truth from a stone...uh, Cam,
telling Jethel, dung to his trust of Cam. Chot yells, "If that round ear nyagah
doesn't stop his yammering, I'm going to feed him to the fish!!" Koni giggles.
Kibo stops. Sylvie says, "You wouldn'tóó!" Ahnessah directs Cam to be taken
away, calling her guard a fool. She expects his friends to rescue Cam...or at least
try. Then she turns to her little Jooka, who worries, "Oh no..." Jooka
runs out, pushing aside an Oriental servant boy and a blond one. Jooka thinks Bren
is his buddo...he will help him. Pei Lar laughs that Ahnn Li has gone off to meet
his own spirits. Townsfolk talk about trading one zuggin lord for another, others
say it is awful. Bren and Gillie ask her what has happened. She tells them of a nice
big town in the jungle that she could have had but blames the nasty demons for burning
her. She will not have diggin in the dirt nor hurting the trees either. Huffing,
Jooka finds Bren who isn't too welcoming since when he was in Ahnessa's place, Jooka
wasn't too helpful to him. Pei Lar thinks they should welcome Jooka. Back at her
place, Pei Lar introduces Jooka to the others. Jooka tells them Ahnn Li was going
to kill Jethel but Ahnessah wanted Jooka to give Ahnn Li some funny stuff in his
drink but Ahnn Li fell over the railing. Pei Lar recalls Aramak and Door and Aramak's
big guard. Pei Lar tells her dearies that only she knows how to care for the children
and loves them. She can't let Ahnessah use Cam to get at FireóEye. Pei Lar tells
her kids they must get Cam out. Mice tend to a candle on a barrel in Cam's cell,
an abandoned storeroom. Cam thinks if either of the elves has half the wits to survive
in the woods, they will stay away from here, "I think poor AhnnóLi was never
a match for his mate." She was his wife. A square object is thudded outóóPei
Lar's kids. Cam asks, "But you're notóó." The curly haired boy says, "Not
what, dimskull? Yo want to get out or not?" Cam squeezes out with a "poit"
sound. Jethel tells Chot he is often wise but now it is time for faith and belief
like Dart and Cutter had. They were in worse scrapes than this and still believed.
Life is going to throw stones at us now and again, "Do we pick up and run like
ravvits each time it does?" Chot argues it is a mountain being thrown at them.
Jethel says, "Chotóó. I understand fear but do I hear selfish fear from you?
Should we run, dragging these innocents along without regard to them? Will you have
us leave all the other children back in town to their sorry, cruel fates? Is it true,
then, what we heard about you GoóBacks? That you only have cubs to feed them into
death's mouth in your endless battles??" Chot growls and rraarrhhs as he jumps
at Jethel to fight him. |