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Authors: Sue Lyndon
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the beast’s throat. The creature remained in an attack position, crouched with just its two front paws inside the cabin.
Just the two front paws. Perhaps its whole body had to be inside for it to become ash.
Rhiannon gulped and sent silent prayers to Stretta and Retta that she hadn’t made a foolish mistake. Then she stepped forward and shook her long hair, imagining this action would cause her scent to hit the creature’s nose full force.
It worked. The furry beast took several steps inside the cabin, but the fearsome creature did not turn to ash.
Her heart contracted and she thought of Edwin. She hadn’t listened to his warning about opening the door, and now she was about to die.
The creature wasn’t a Holon shapeshifter after all. It wasn’t a rolabear, but a strange creature of the Cold Top unfamiliar to her.
It moved closer, its large nose rippling as it drew in her scent. Her bottom lip quivered and her throat burned. There was nowhere to run and she would soon die. Since she was the last descendant of the House of Wansin, there would be no way for her grandmother’s debt to be repaid to Edwin, no matter what Edwin wished. Those she loved most would suffer for her foolishness.
The green creature bared its jagged teeth and growled loud enough to rattle the windows in the cabin. She closed her eyes and tensed for the attack. When moments passed and the attack never came, she thought perhaps she was already dead. Perhaps the creature had killed her that quickly.
Rhiannon slowly opened her eyes, but creature was dead on the floor, its neck snapped and its tongue hanging loose from between vicious teeth.
Edwin was there, standing above the beast and panting. She looked at him with wide eyes. She hadn’t even heard the struggle, yet her Crigon husband had apparently killed this beast with his bare hands.
“Are you all right?”
Too petrified to speak yet, Rhiannon only nodded.
Edwin tugged the creature outside and closed the door. From the window, she saw him dragging it toward the woods. She longed for his return, yet her anticipation was fearful. She had been foolish and blatantly disobedient of his strictest rule.
There would be consequences, and they would be harsh. Edwin always made sure the punishment fit the offense, and that knowledge left her blood running cold.
She thought of pulling out the tall chair and taking her clothes off in preparation for the inevitable punishment, but she was shaking too much to move from the window. When Edwin emerged from the edge of the woods, he was walking quickly toward the short tree near the side of the cabin. She watched him pull a thin branch from the tree and use a knife to smooth the leaves from it.
Her stomach turned to water and she almost crumpled to the floor.
A switch. Edwin was going to switch her.
“Rhiannon,” Edwin began, “I don’t even know what to say to you.” His voice was dangerously low with a chill as frigid as the peaks of the Cold Top at the height of winter.
“Edwin, please let me explain,” she said through her sobs. Edwin was looming over her, the frightening switch held tight in his hand.
“No!” he shouted, and he snapped the switch against the window sill, causing her to jump.
“Aren’t you going to allow me to explain myself? I can’t believe you would take a switch to me without even listening to my side of the story.”
“Let me guess,” he drawled. “You thought this yemblaboch was the Holon shapeshifter? You thought you could open the door and lure it inside so that it would turn to ash?”
Rhiannon felt faint. Edwin obviously understood her better than she imagined. Yet he still held the switch, and his eyes were on fire with the promise of a harsh thrashing. She gulped and wiped the tears from her face. “Yes, Edwin. That’s what happened.”
Edwin’s face briefly flickered with compassion. “You did a very foolish thing, Rhiannon. But surely you must know there are strange creatures on the Cold
Just the two front paws. Perhaps its whole body had to be inside for it to become ash.
Rhiannon gulped and sent silent prayers to Stretta and Retta that she hadn’t made a foolish mistake. Then she stepped forward and shook her long hair, imagining this action would cause her scent to hit the creature’s nose full force.
It worked. The furry beast took several steps inside the cabin, but the fearsome creature did not turn to ash.
Her heart contracted and she thought of Edwin. She hadn’t listened to his warning about opening the door, and now she was about to die.
The creature wasn’t a Holon shapeshifter after all. It wasn’t a rolabear, but a strange creature of the Cold Top unfamiliar to her.
It moved closer, its large nose rippling as it drew in her scent. Her bottom lip quivered and her throat burned. There was nowhere to run and she would soon die. Since she was the last descendant of the House of Wansin, there would be no way for her grandmother’s debt to be repaid to Edwin, no matter what Edwin wished. Those she loved most would suffer for her foolishness.
The green creature bared its jagged teeth and growled loud enough to rattle the windows in the cabin. She closed her eyes and tensed for the attack. When moments passed and the attack never came, she thought perhaps she was already dead. Perhaps the creature had killed her that quickly.
Rhiannon slowly opened her eyes, but creature was dead on the floor, its neck snapped and its tongue hanging loose from between vicious teeth.
Edwin was there, standing above the beast and panting. She looked at him with wide eyes. She hadn’t even heard the struggle, yet her Crigon husband had apparently killed this beast with his bare hands.
“Are you all right?”
Too petrified to speak yet, Rhiannon only nodded.
Edwin tugged the creature outside and closed the door. From the window, she saw him dragging it toward the woods. She longed for his return, yet her anticipation was fearful. She had been foolish and blatantly disobedient of his strictest rule.
There would be consequences, and they would be harsh. Edwin always made sure the punishment fit the offense, and that knowledge left her blood running cold.
She thought of pulling out the tall chair and taking her clothes off in preparation for the inevitable punishment, but she was shaking too much to move from the window. When Edwin emerged from the edge of the woods, he was walking quickly toward the short tree near the side of the cabin. She watched him pull a thin branch from the tree and use a knife to smooth the leaves from it.
Her stomach turned to water and she almost crumpled to the floor.
A switch. Edwin was going to switch her.
“Rhiannon,” Edwin began, “I don’t even know what to say to you.” His voice was dangerously low with a chill as frigid as the peaks of the Cold Top at the height of winter.
“Edwin, please let me explain,” she said through her sobs. Edwin was looming over her, the frightening switch held tight in his hand.
“No!” he shouted, and he snapped the switch against the window sill, causing her to jump.
“Aren’t you going to allow me to explain myself? I can’t believe you would take a switch to me without even listening to my side of the story.”
“Let me guess,” he drawled. “You thought this yemblaboch was the Holon shapeshifter? You thought you could open the door and lure it inside so that it would turn to ash?”
Rhiannon felt faint. Edwin obviously understood her better than she imagined. Yet he still held the switch, and his eyes were on fire with the promise of a harsh thrashing. She gulped and wiped the tears from her face. “Yes, Edwin. That’s what happened.”
Edwin’s face briefly flickered with compassion. “You did a very foolish thing, Rhiannon. But surely you must know there are strange creatures on the Cold
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