farther from town than we had planned.
We were headed back but saw your sign. Do you have any rooms
available tonight?”
The woman’s smile was warm, “My family
has lived here for generations. Who are you looking
for?”
“Chiron. . . Zethus Chiron.”
She eyed me suspiciously, her tone no
longer welcoming. “Zethus has been dead for years. What did you
want with him?”
My heart plunged. Four days of walking
in the wet drizzle for absolutely nothing. I looked at Drake and
saw the same defeat I was feeling. She had asked us both the
question, but I answered, “I just wanted to meet him. My. . . a . .
. grandmother had mentioned him.”
The old woman was sharp. Her eyes
narrowed when she asked, “Who are you?”
“I’m Angela . . I mean, I’m Angela
Chiron’s daughter, Camille Strayer.”
An angry look shot across the old
woman’s hardened face, “I’d keep that name to yourself.”
“Strayer?”
“Chiron! Zethus did no’ win any
popularity contests. He was more beast than man, and people in
these parts do no’ miss him. Your grandmother does no’ have any
friends here, either.”
Drake took a more pronounced step
protectively in front of me, “I’m sorry, maybe this wasn’t a good
idea. We’ll be on our way. No disrespect was intended.” Drake began
backing away, keeping his body covering mine with his arms out to
the sides. He gingerly backed down the few steps to the ground,
blocking me the entire time. He refused to take his attention off
the old woman. An unexpected downpour came out of nowhere, and in
seconds we were completely drenched.
The old woman yelled, “You don’t have
the good sense to carry an umbrella? Americans! Get in here before
you drown!”
I would have leaped forward when she
offered, but Drake held his ground, still standing in front of me.
“Ma’am, what is your family name?”
“It’s shelter – get in here before I
turn my back on you and leave you outside with the
livestock!”
My teeth were already chattering, my
blistered heel was throbbing, and I couldn’t understand Drake’s
reaction to the old woman. I pleaded with him, “Drake, maybe just
for a minute?”
Drake answered in a normal tone, but we
were far enough away there was no threat of the woman hearing.
“She’s a Centauride, and she’s not alone. This could be an
ambush.”
“It doesn’t sound like she likes my
grandmother any more than I do. It’s not an ambush. Let’s go
inside. Please?”
Drake straightened his posture and
projected his voice, “Ma’am, you are a Centauride. I can feel the
other Centaurs near. Will you give me your assurance you mean us no
harm?”
“If I meant you harm, you’d both be
dead. Get in ou’ of the rain.” She turned her back on us and walked
into the house.
As we made our way through the doorway
and into the kitchen, I saw two blurs rushing our way.
The first stopped at Drake and flung
him to the floor. Drake caught himself in mid-air, turning so that
he would fall back first, then did this judo-karate-looking move
and launched himself back into the air. His feet connected with the
other man’s chest and flung the unsuspecting attacker into the wall
beside an ancient stove.
I was so in shock with what I was
watching that I didn’t realize someone had grabbed both my arms
behind me and was applying pressure trying to get me to the floor.
After being an unsuspecting victim of Zandra for the last three
months, I wasn’t about to let it happen again. I let my body drop
easily to the floor, then did the strongest scissor kick of my
life, and knocked my attacker’s legs out from under him while I
rolled free.
He was as surprised as I was when he
landed right in the spot on the floor he’d tried to force me on to.
I was on top of him faster than a heartbeat with my hiking boot at
the base of his skull and my hands yanking on each of his ears,
trying to pull them free of his head. No one in the room was more
astonished with my action or speed
We were headed back but saw your sign. Do you have any rooms
available tonight?”
The woman’s smile was warm, “My family
has lived here for generations. Who are you looking
for?”
“Chiron. . . Zethus Chiron.”
She eyed me suspiciously, her tone no
longer welcoming. “Zethus has been dead for years. What did you
want with him?”
My heart plunged. Four days of walking
in the wet drizzle for absolutely nothing. I looked at Drake and
saw the same defeat I was feeling. She had asked us both the
question, but I answered, “I just wanted to meet him. My. . . a . .
. grandmother had mentioned him.”
The old woman was sharp. Her eyes
narrowed when she asked, “Who are you?”
“I’m Angela . . I mean, I’m Angela
Chiron’s daughter, Camille Strayer.”
An angry look shot across the old
woman’s hardened face, “I’d keep that name to yourself.”
“Strayer?”
“Chiron! Zethus did no’ win any
popularity contests. He was more beast than man, and people in
these parts do no’ miss him. Your grandmother does no’ have any
friends here, either.”
Drake took a more pronounced step
protectively in front of me, “I’m sorry, maybe this wasn’t a good
idea. We’ll be on our way. No disrespect was intended.” Drake began
backing away, keeping his body covering mine with his arms out to
the sides. He gingerly backed down the few steps to the ground,
blocking me the entire time. He refused to take his attention off
the old woman. An unexpected downpour came out of nowhere, and in
seconds we were completely drenched.
The old woman yelled, “You don’t have
the good sense to carry an umbrella? Americans! Get in here before
you drown!”
I would have leaped forward when she
offered, but Drake held his ground, still standing in front of me.
“Ma’am, what is your family name?”
“It’s shelter – get in here before I
turn my back on you and leave you outside with the
livestock!”
My teeth were already chattering, my
blistered heel was throbbing, and I couldn’t understand Drake’s
reaction to the old woman. I pleaded with him, “Drake, maybe just
for a minute?”
Drake answered in a normal tone, but we
were far enough away there was no threat of the woman hearing.
“She’s a Centauride, and she’s not alone. This could be an
ambush.”
“It doesn’t sound like she likes my
grandmother any more than I do. It’s not an ambush. Let’s go
inside. Please?”
Drake straightened his posture and
projected his voice, “Ma’am, you are a Centauride. I can feel the
other Centaurs near. Will you give me your assurance you mean us no
harm?”
“If I meant you harm, you’d both be
dead. Get in ou’ of the rain.” She turned her back on us and walked
into the house.
As we made our way through the doorway
and into the kitchen, I saw two blurs rushing our way.
The first stopped at Drake and flung
him to the floor. Drake caught himself in mid-air, turning so that
he would fall back first, then did this judo-karate-looking move
and launched himself back into the air. His feet connected with the
other man’s chest and flung the unsuspecting attacker into the wall
beside an ancient stove.
I was so in shock with what I was
watching that I didn’t realize someone had grabbed both my arms
behind me and was applying pressure trying to get me to the floor.
After being an unsuspecting victim of Zandra for the last three
months, I wasn’t about to let it happen again. I let my body drop
easily to the floor, then did the strongest scissor kick of my
life, and knocked my attacker’s legs out from under him while I
rolled free.
He was as surprised as I was when he
landed right in the spot on the floor he’d tried to force me on to.
I was on top of him faster than a heartbeat with my hiking boot at
the base of his skull and my hands yanking on each of his ears,
trying to pull them free of his head. No one in the room was more
astonished with my action or speed
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