Chapter nineteen
“I don’t care who is around. We will talk about this.”
When they’d returned from their ruined tryst on the beach; Elanor and Derek had stumbled onto an argument between Caspin and Leelah. Bad feelings seemed to be in the air.
“What was said exactly?” Caspin demanded from Leelah.
“He said he was sent to find a black whore with a white child,” Leelah ground out. She gave a darting glance to Elanor clearly not happy to speak about this in front of her. “That the child had been stolen from him.”
“He wants Breeze now? After all this time, he’s claiming her?” Caspin asked.
“Do you think a blaggard like him would be claiming her?” Leelah asked but clearly knew the men knew the answer already.
Elanor’s gaze shifted from the arguing couple to the children playing with the dogs nearby. She didn’t know who ’he’ was but she’d never seen Caspin raise his voice before and it told her something about this conversation. She didn’t want to be lingering near herself with such a private exchange. The emotional carnage of the exchange she’d just had with Derek fresh in her own mind. The ball and chain not attached yet her; tactful steps away from them went unnoticed.
“When did you see him?”
“Two days ago.”
“That’s why you haven’t gone to market in two days.” Caspin said. That caught her attention making her stop mid-step. There was a market on this island? Derek saw her now after she’d made the sudden stop.
“If you don’t mind?” He said to Caspin.
“Stuff it. This is my wife’s safety.”
“Breeze and I are legally free. He can’t-” Leelah glanced to Elanor embarrassed. Elanor gave a polite smile to the other woman, then to Caspin as she passed. She felt comfortable now around Caspin and would love to call him friend but she wasn’t sure he’d felt the same. It wasn’t a conversation for her to be around unless invited to. Her mind did venture to the possibility of Derek being caught up in the conversation and what that could mean with her foot free.
“Where are you going?” He asked her as though reading her mind.
“To play with the children and dogs.” She replied indicating he was insensitive with her tone.
King had spotted her, lumbering over to greet. He looked hot to her and without thinking she turned to the children.
“Want to take the dogs down to the beach? They look like they could use a cool down.” They agreed cheerfully, excited, dancing around her with child enthusiasm. One of the strongest beliefs of casters was that everyone raised the children. Helping out parents like this wouldn’t have been thought twice of. However, two things came to her at once. With the children she’d never leave them on the beach alone to run. And she’d just assumed she could take them to the beach. Sheepishly Elanor glanced at both Leelah and Caspin.
“That’s an excellent idea.” Leelah said.
“I don’t think so.”
She turned to give Derek a dirty look, speaking low. “Honestly, Derek. They don’t need to listen to this.”
Caspin spoke up instead. “Thank you, Elanor.” She nodded to him, heading for the pathway.
“I said no.” Clearly he was still upset with her.
“I’ll go with them, Captain.” Elanor turned in surprise to the new voice. Steppe was coming from the direction of the village. She realized then she hadn’t seen him since they’d gotten on the island. A genuine smile to him.
“Greetings, Steppe! I haven’t seen you forever. Where have you been hiding?”
Derek gave him a warning glance and Steppe rethought his answer. “I’ve been around, Miss.”
“Well I’m glad to see you. You don’t mind coming along with me and the children to the beach?” She made it clear that it was a choice this time, he would not to be her babysitter.
He glanced between her and Derek, rubbing his forearm.
“Sure Miss, I don’t mind.”
“Good, come along then. The dogs look like they are ready to drop from the heat.” She saw from the corner of her eye Derek making to protest again, but this time Caspin spoke up.
“Remember what I said, Mate.”
Elanor passed him with a curious spark from that. It seemed to do the trick because he didn’t say anything else.
Breeze and Rowin ran ahead with the dogs, Steppe not far behind them. “I promise I won’t ask Steppe about you know what that isn’t over you know where.” She said cupping her hand with a loud whisper, pointing beyond the village. Elanor couldn’t resist the barb. Derek gave a gruff noise before winding his arm back to give her bottom a good smack. She hopped a little from it, letting out a protest squeak.
“Don’t go in the water.” He said. She started to tell him not to tell her what to do then felt the blush creep up. She wouldn’t have fancied her dress acting like a second skin again in front of Steppe.
He won that verbal spar.
“Now, talk.” Caspin said to his wife.
“Don’t take that tone with me.” Leelah said.
“Woman, don’t test me.”
“Hypocrite.” Elanor heard Derek mutter at Caspin as she disappeared down the path after the rest of them.
***
The fire crackled in the night. Each form shadowed and highlighted by its dancing flames. Elanor sat listening to Zo tell a story in a language she didn’t understand but had everyone around her engrossed by his words. She couldn’t help but feel the same way even though the words were foreign to her. His tone and body language haunting and beautiful.
Derek had explained to her why Zo didn’t speak English, where everyone else did on the island. Zo had felt strongly in keeping his spiritual freedom, he refused to learn to speak the English language. His many so called owners had all considered Zo slow and old; never making the effort to force him.
Even though she didn’t understand what the elder man said, she too found herself watching his motions, anticipated changes in his tone and feeling as though she were caught up in the story. When he finished, he made a motion as though tossing something into the fire and it spiked into the sky in a burst of light. Embers of flame floated down after the burst of light.
Everyone cheered. Elanor sat forward stunned. Zo had never hid that he knew magic. And what he’d just done wasn’t a trick. The energy directed within the fire had been easily detected. She’d felt the energy pulse before the fire had been fueled to grow. No one seemed to be afraid or entirely too bothered by it. Perplexed Elanor looked around at the happy and exited crowd.
“What did you think of that?” Derek’s voice buzzed in her ear.
“What kind of magic does he practice?” She asked.
“Voodoo. Bunch of magic dust and evil spirits.” Derek grinned. Elanor watched the fire play over his face; he seemed so proud and excited to finally let the secret out. He’d never really been surprised by much. She shared the excitement of all the people sitting by the fire unafraid with magic being used. Different types of casters all living among seekers on the Island. She’d never really stopped to consider they weren’t trying to hurt one another until tonight when she witness magic used openly.
She did take pause at the mention of dark sources. Elanor wasn’t exactly against the use of dark magic but never would use it herself. There were many reasons for the balance of light and dark.
“Evil spirits? Is that what his story was about?” She could believe that Zo knew much about evil spirits; since the man had trapped an Ent in a rat. She hadn’t felt it’s presence since seeing it before but kept a look out for it. They were often used to hex or fight against enemies of the conjurer.
“No, he was telling about a god and his three wives. Lucky fellow, that.” A flicker of a teasing grin played at the corners of Derek’s mouth. She stopped herself from jabbing his side and telling him not to get any ideas. It would have been the reaction he’d gained years ago. What did it matter if he took many wives to her?
“I wish I could understand his words. It seemed like a good story.”
“The old bloke does know how to spin a good tale.”
“How did you meet him?”
“He came from Caspin’s family plantation, he threaten to set evil spirits on the foreman all the time through other slaves. Caspin’s Father got tired of the trouble and sold him to Caspin.”
Elanor glanced to the man they spoke about; she had been drawn to him naturally when first arriving here and found herself doing daily chores with him whenever she could.
She looked back to Derek.
“He’s talked about the magic and evil spirits to you? Do all the casters speak so… openly here?” She’d never known any type of magic users to not be secretive about their abilities and beliefs. Too many had been murdered for it. Once the leaders of seekers had discovered that they could possibly reach the stars; the Earth didn’t seem big enough to them. They wanted more than moon beams and star light. They wanted whole planets to take for their own. Thus began the division of the world. You either looked to the ‘heavens’ or you perished.
“Maybe a spot here or there.” He shrugged. “I don’t understand most of it.”
“Did he tell you how he makes his magic and talks to the spirits?” She tried her hardest to sound causal. To ask questions that weren’t obvious but by Derek’s expression, she’d already went a question too far. He teased but the questioning in his expression was more than that.
“What’s this? Planning to curse me are you?”
She leaned forward, to squint her eyes slightly and pursing her lips.
“No I just wondered if he- well if he practiced dark magic here on the Island?” There, she’d said it. But by Derek’s obviously surprised expression she took it as a no. Then out of shear desire to continue that look she followed it with a quip. “And yes, I believe a sore or two would be deserving.”
He leaned to close the gap, only mere inches between their faces.
“I have long been cursed, Miss. With a wretched conscious that keeps me up long hours of the night with an aching need every time you sigh or shift in our bed.” She could feel the warmth of his breath fanning her face. He didn’t stop there, but railed on in his soft dangerous voice. “But fear not. That curse is lifting more and more from holding me prisoner. I just might act the next time your body draws so very close to mine in the night.”
Her throat constricted from the obvious promise of him not holding himself back much longer from bedding her again.
The kiss on the beach had assaulted her senses; made her into a mindless puddle. And that, had only been a kiss. The thought of it warmed her belly and tickled a pulse into a steady quick beat. Derek knew magic, even if he didn’t realize it. His words often invoked so many things in her, even when she didn’t want them to.
“You wouldn’t force-”
“Hardly forcing, my darling.” He said, his fingers tracing along her forearm with a charming smile and smoldering grey eyes. His new way of assaulting her resolve disturbed her because of the affect it actually did have.
“Derek…” She warned pushing his hand off her arm. He wasn’t discouraged by the action though, the sensual light to his grey eyes caressed with their gaze instead.
“Derek, there’s people around us.” She scooped the sides of her dress and shuffled her bottom away from him on the log but he held the chain connected to her ankle with his foot. Elanor leaned back from him when he closed the short distance between them by leaning towards her with a playful grin.
“Derek, would you tell my wife that we really did get attacked by a sea monster?” Caspin said sitting down on a log nearby with Leelah settling next to him.
Saved! She couldn’t help the wide grin from ear to ear.
“A little busy here, Mate.” Derek muttered.
“You do have a house you can make use of.” Caspin reasoned.
“Right, we’ll be heading there now.” Derek said reaching for her arm. She kicked him in the shin with her free foot sending him to sit hard back on the log.
“Ouch, you little ruffian.”
“Serves you right.” She said, giving him a haughty lift of her chin.
“If you two love birds could wait just a moment,” Caspin interjected again. “And explain to my wife that I have not been filling my children’s heads with cotton. That we did get attacked by a sea creature!”
“It could have been a large fish?” Derek answered before Elanor could tell Caspin they weren’t love birds. His hand moved in a wiggle like a fish does when it swims.
“It wasn’t a fish or a sea monster. It was a water dragon.” Elanor said speaking up.
“A what?” Both Caspin and Derek asked, all three of them staring at her expectantly.
“A… water dragon.” She felt a bit uneasy voicing the answer. It seemed like they were tolerant and some even seemed to be part of the old ways. Still, she found it hard to trust speaking easily.
“You mean a fire breathing, virgin eating, treasure collecting, dragon?” Derek teased. “I don’t think that is going to help Cas sound any better.”
She felt her brows crease with the narrowing of her eyes. Who would know better than her about water creatures. He should know better than to challenge her on this subject.
“Of course. Because none of that makes a bit of sense does it?” She ticked each absurd point off her fingers. “An animal that breaths fire whom lives in the water? Defeats its purpose wouldn’t you say?” He started to answer but she cut him off this time. “And virgin eating. How silly is that line of tripe? Why would an animal care if food were intimate with another? Does the meat taste differently?” She shot the questions out rapid fire, glaring at him. He’d unwittingly walked himself into a spar of words. She glared at him, daring him to insult her intelligence more.
“Depends on how many they were intimate with, I would say.” Leelah elbowed Caspin in the ribs after his quip.
Elanor gave no notice to any of it; continuing her barrage of questions for Derek.
“And a treasure hunter? What would it need gold and jewels for? Greedy humans are the only creatures who covet those things. Not beasts. What value would it be to an animal who only knows about surviving?” He’d been accepting of Zo’s beliefs but condescending about calling the creature what it actually was, a dragon.
“I was only making a jest.” He scowled at Caspin for laughing.
“Well, is it really worth the jest? What are you going to do the next time you have to cross its territory? If you had reasoned it yourself, it wouldn’t seem so funny to you.” She raised her brows. “You shouldn’t tease the children either. They should know about the dragon. There are some things that aren’t within our understanding, but they still exist.” She lectured. It seemed once she’d started feeling brave enough to speak; the words just poured from her.
His bewildered expression made her pinch her lips.
Caspin and Leelah caught the frustrated static between them. Looking to one another awkwardly.
“Well, there is this turtle off the reef. He’s about as big as one of the dingy boats.” Caspin offered.
“He’s big enough to feed everyone for weeks, but no one has the heart to kill him. He’s lived for a long time.” Leelah said.
“I read that turtles can live long lives. Seventy or more years.” Elanor supplied, joining the change of conversation. Derek didn’t add to it, he’d gone quiet next to her on the log. Leelah’s face changed with her comment, an accusing look about her. “You can read?” Surprised by the sharpness in Leelah’s voice.
“Yes, though I didn‘t have a formal tutor. I was tutored by my Mother and older sister, Araminta.” Leelah’s arms crossed over the front of her chest, a slow hard glare turned on her husband.
“I said that men are tutored more often than women. I didn’t say women weren’t educated at all.” Caspin said lifting his hand in defense to his wife’s unhappy glare.
“He’s right, women aren’t exactly encouraged to do more than sew and carry a polite conversation in Port NewLlyn.” Elanor agreed. Of course that wasn‘t the way of the whole world; the Empire hadn’t caught up to it, but was slowly getting there. In the country side, behind the veil of magic, they read and write, everyone. Men, women, and children. They kept journals and the like to share healing, planting and knowledge of spells. She’d found her voice enough to talk about the dragon however, sharing more made her reluctant.
“I do not like the idea of Rowin being taught to read but Breeze is not.” Leelah said to Elanor. “Caspin’s Father has decided to place Rowin in his will but only if we agree to have him tutored. But he won’t tutor Breeze because she is female. And no one on the Islands will tutor Breeze because she is too dark skinned and they’re afraid the slaves will rebel.”
Elanor knew her surprise gaped on her face.
“Breeze isn’t Caspin’s?” Elanor said without thinking.
“By blood, no.” Caspin all but growled. Elanor winced.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend with such a rude question. It surprised me, I’d never have known, if it wasn’t mentioned.”
“It’s alright, Elanor.” Caspin nodded; his demeanor rigid still though. “Leelah and I met when she was pregnant with Breeze. Actually,” He said looking thoughtful. “I think that was right after Derek introduced me to you.”
“No, you didn’t meet Elanor until after you were married.” Derek said. He was now sitting on the ground with the log supporting his back, just listening until then. “I started working for my Father, doing the triangle trade for awhile and then ventured into other businesses. That‘s when you and I started our own trades.” Elanor winced. Each time Derek came back from one of those trips, he had looked haggard and terrible.
He’d tell her of people they’d gotten from Aprica; the terrible conditions. The money in the slave trade had been alluring but the actual trading itself had been too much for Derek. When he’d admitted this to Elanor, she hadn’t hesitated in urging him to find something he could live with. They had talked a long time about it before he’d made a choice for their future. That was when he went into sailing for merchant goods only. It didn’t pay as well as the slave trade, but it had eased his mind.
“I remember,” Elanor said. She didn’t like where the conversation was heading. A tight feeling started in her stomach.
“Ah, that’s right.” Caspin said. “I remember now. Leelah agreed to marry me when Breeze was a year old. That’s when you and I decided we didn’t want anything more to do with our Fathers businesses and found this place.” Derek nodded to Caspin’s retelling. “Honest enough work we do. Well, as honest as selling a person for money I ‘spose.” Caspin chuckled.
“Did Breeze’s father die?” Elanor tried to redirect the conversation. That was answered with a few gruff laughs from everyone.
“I have often hoped for that.” Leelah answered. “No, he’s alive.”
“You didn’t get on well with him then?”
“I was his slave until his wife made him sell me in a fit of jealousy.” Leelah said bitterly. “I hate the man.” Elanor’s eyes rounded in surprise.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…I didn’t know you-” She had cleverly avoided her own past and stepped right into Leelah’s unpleasant past.
“I thought it better if you shared your past with Elanor.” Derek explained. “She doesn’t know anything about you.”
“It’s alright.” Leelah assured them both leaning into Caspin.
“I’m sorry for asking so many questions. It’s not my business.” Elanor apologized again. She felt every bit of the improper young lady that her Father used to chide her for.
“Really Elanor, it is fine.” She smiled kindly. “My Mother was an Inglish lady living on her parents plantation. My father a slave there. From what I have been told she was terrible and cruel to all slaves. Ordering them to be whipped for absurd reasons.”
Leelah’s face changed slightly in the fire light, a twitch at the corners of her mouth.
“No one would have ever suspected her to lay with a slave. But, she from what I am told, got great pleasure in ordering a man to do whatever she wished. That carried on for months until she realized she was pregnant with me. But when my Mother went to her Father, she told him a tale of a brutal raping. That the slave had been the one to overpower her and ruin her. My Father was whipped until he no longer had a back. They left him for a day to suffer before hanging him.”
Elanor’s hand covered her mouth, horrified.
Leelah continued after a moment of pausing. “Then, when I was born she sold me. I was owned by different plantations working in the kitchens until I was seventeen.”
Elanor could sense some of the story had been skipped. And she suspected the filler was as horrific as Leelah’s father’s death.
“When I turned seventeen I was sold to another.” Leelah looked at Caspin; he held her hand giving her a reassuring smile.
“Breeze’s Father is another plantation owner. When I got pregnant with Breeze and it showed, his wife became….angry.” Leelah closed her eyes a moment before carrying on.
“I was sold to Caspin’s family plantation then. I worked in the kitchen until Caspin, freed me and Breeze.”
Caspin kissed her hand. “Then I asked you every day for weeks to marry me.” Leelah laid her head to her husband’s shoulder smiling lovingly. “And I finally said yes.”
“You met Elanor after that.” Derek interjected the happy ending.
“Yeah Mate, we sailed for Inglid a few weeks later.” Caspin agreeing with an uncomfortable shift of his body. He looked at his wife and then away at the fire.
“You remember don’t you Elanor? When you met Caspin?” She’d expected the question to come. Knowing his path of thought as well as his first mate. Only she couldn’t avoid further discussion. He would push until he got what he was looking for.
“Yes, I do remember.” She answered softly but tried one last time to change the subject. “I could tutor Breeze if you like Leelah.”
The other woman’s smile widen, nodding. “I would appreciate that very much.”
“Do you remember when I came to Port NewLlyn to see you?” He prompted again, making both women look at him.
“I… We-” Just starting to say it made her stomach squeeze. She wouldn’t go through this story again. “Please don’t ruin the night, Derek.” Her words just tumbled out like shards of glass cutting her tongue.
“Ruin the night? That day was beautiful, why should it ruin tonight?”
Elanor couldn’t bear to look at Derek turning her attention to Caspin and Leelah.
“I met you twice I think, Caspin. I’m sorry for the briefness of both times.”
“You left out a very large part of that story!” Derek spoke up again. “It had been all planned out. Your sisters made sure that you weren’t obligated to attend the party. Constance even covered for you faking feeling ill! And then you and I stole away to where your Grandmother waited to preform our hand-fasting ceremony. Tied the knot. It had to be the most beautiful thing we’ve ever shared together, that promise. Not a year and a day. Forever and a day.”
Her shoulders sank looking to her lap feeling the heat of embarrassment burning her cheeks and sadness milled in colors over her face. “My father and I thought it the safest-”
“Your Father be damned, Elanor. We were already hand-fasted and the engagement for the legal marriage in the King’s law would all that was left.” Her eyes snapped to his. Having enough of the barrage of words all over again. Would he ever acknowledge the loss of that night?
“Since when do you care about laws! I was in mourning for my family! We were afraid that more would come and try it again. No one knew if we were discovered or not.”
“And the second time you met Caspin, it had been a year since that happened! The mourning period was well over. And you know damn well I can protect you from anything.”
She stared at him unbelievingly.
“Is that what you think? That it took just a year to mourn my Mother?” She shot to her feet, standing over him with her hands balled into fists. Anger had come in like a storm. Confusing and electric with many swirling thoughts. The vibration he created with his words built the magical energies that threaten to burst from her. For whatever reason he’d decided to rehash the same raw arguments. “Every day I miss her! I still mourn her! I have to live with the fact that she is gone! Every day I have to remember that Maegan is gone! Every day I have to remember that I wasn’t with them that night, I was with you! Every single day I face a reality that I know hardly anything about my elemental magic and people want to hurt me still!”
She ripped her hand away from his when he tried to reach for it. Elanor didn’t want his regret. If she hadn’t been with him that night, she might have been able to help. The vivid memory still burned in her mind but he didn’t care. He only cared about what he wanted. Why wasn’t he sorry? Why didn’t he feel regret about that? Did he even care the anguish they’d all been put through?
“Have you even written my Father? Have you sent word that I‘m not dead or in some pirate’s harem?” The energy built inside her, steady, pulsing with each word punctuating from her lips, demanding he answer for the added trouble to her family.
“I told you,” He’d gotten to his feet, reaching out again. “I’m not going to contact them unless you stop being so stubborn and listen to-”
He reached out to touch her arm, she ripped back from him.
“Don’t! You will contact my father and let them know I’m not lost too!” A burst of misting wind spray over those sitting by the fire. The light waned from the wood getting damp and then the heat drying the logs came back to life. The fierce energy that pulsed within her increased too much and used the nearest outlet; moisture in the air and around them.
There were shouts of surprise all around as they area began to light up again.
“Damn me! What the hell was that?” Caspin hollered getting off the ground where he had tumbled back with Leelah to stand. Zo laughed, pointing to Elanor while saying something she didn’t understand.
“You don’t know the half of it, Mate.” Derek said to Zo, his hands on his hips. He looked down then back at Elanor. “I think it’s time to head home.” His voice quieter but not calmer. “I think that’s quite enough for tonight.”
“Of course, now that you’ve gotten the spectacle you were aiming for.” She could feel her nose flaring; air lifted and dropped her chest roughly. He hadn’t answered her question which told her everything. Derek hadn’t sent word to her family nor did he intend to. She had to get away from them all; the energy had sweltered to proportions she knew she couldn’t cover. Old wounds had been reopened to raw memories shifting through her troubled mind.
“Derek, before you head home for the night…” Caspin put his arm around Derek’s shoulders, guiding him towards the interior of the village to speak in private. Derek gave her a side long look before letting Caspin lead him. She promptly turned, heading for one of the paths.
The ball and chain dragged behind her as she limped getting irritated and frustrated by it as well. The fire light had just dimmed before she bent to grab a broken branch, lifting it to wail on the tree that had dropped it.
Over and over she hit the trunk; draining the energy the old fashion way. She heard a rustle on the path, ready to throw the stick at Derek who she was sure had followed in a rage because she was out of sight. But to her surprise no one stood there.
“Hello?” Elanor said questioning the air. It thicken suddenly, heavy with a presence she’d felt once before. The rat was nearby.
“Be gone, I have no want of you near me Ent!” She said to the air.
“Poor little girl. Lost her life giver. Lost her sister. Lost her way.” A keen pitched hissing voice spoke in her head clearly. In the dark she couldn’t find its form but felt it all around her. “No. No, girl didn’t lost her way.” It taunted cruelly. “Boy took her way. Does girl want revenge? I help her.” The Ent promised in a hiss within her mind. The dark Entity had been drawn to her anger and energy. She could make an offer to the Ent for it’s assistance to leave the island. She didn’t think on it even for a moment. Elanor would never use dark magic or- any type of magic on Derek. Certain she didn’t want any kind of help it had to offer, her head shook as she quickly spoke as best it would within her mind.
“I don’t want revenge. I only want to leave the Island. Go back to your Master, demon and leave me be.”
“I has no Master! I is the Master!” It shrieked its rage in her mind. “Stupid girl! Stupid stupid stupid!” The loud noise started to mimic the sound of a rat squeal. It caused a cold knot to form in her stomach; fear tight in her throat. The angry shriek turned to a hissing pleasure. The Ent enjoying the change of her energy; they fed off fear the most. A deep menacing growl came from the path then making her nearly drop to the ground when she thought the rat had taken its true form. King’s form loomed just barely within the light of the fire. His block head high with his pointed ears pinned back.
It was turned away from her in the direction of the brush. Even without being able to see him clearly, she knew his teeth were bared. He let out another long deep growl with the rustle of the ground near the brush.
“Stupid girl call beast away.” Elanor could hear its own fear now. The little knowledge she knew of Ents told her why. If a demon died in its trapped body, it ceased to be completely. The energy it possessed would just disappear into the ether. It would be afraid of King and being killed in its rat form.
She moved towards King, touching his shoulders that trembled with his growls.
“Stupid girl! Call it!” Another hissing within her mind; shriek sounding from the brush. It prompted King to launch towards the sound. More shrieking rat squeals with dry brush shifting accompanied King’s deep loud barking. He gave chase for a moment before coming back to her side.
“Good dog.” Elanor pet his head and smoothed down his neck to his shoulders. The short hair there bristled and spiked. She encouraged him to walk with her back towards the fire to wait for Derek now. Both alert to sound and energy around them.
She doubted that Zo had sent the Ent rat to come after her. It probably couldn’t help but be attracted to her anger and magic. But she couldn’t be absolutely sure of that. For now she’d be wary of both the man and his familiar.