hanging around.”
That made me smile. “I’ll see if I can arrange for her to seek more outside interests.”
Katie finished her sandwich then. I loved her, but she was persistent when she wanted something. I guessed I should have been happy since she was the one who pursued me. I’d never have had the nerve to hit on her.
“I wonder who would want to snatch Ari like that?” she asked after we packed away the lunch leavings.
“Good question,” I said. “Could be ransom, I guess, or unrequited love, that sort of thing.”
“Dwarves snatched him,” a voice said from behind us.
I dropped my knitting and spun around, placing my weight on my right knee, planting my left foot firmly on the ground under me.
There was a girl standing behind me, and she looked familiar. I’d seen her at the party, in the line waiting with the rest of those who were just not cool enough.
She had thin features, almost pinched, with a long, narrow face and ears that were not exactly pointed, but definitely elongated. She was dressed in dark clothes, and her eyes were lined with black. Her lips were fiery red, and her fingernails matched.
Katie was on her feet, watching the woods behind the girl.
“Who’s with you?” she asked firmly.
“It’s just me and Gletts,” the girl said. “I’m Skella.” She kept her hands crossed over her skinny chest. “You’re that blacksmith, aren’t you?”
I stood, confused. “I’m a blacksmith, yes. But how would you know that?”
She smiled, turning her face from gaunt goth chick into that of a fairly pretty young woman. “You killed the dragon, that bastard Duchamp.”
“Whoa,” Katie said, stepping away from the edge of the woods and looking around. “Who are you again?”
Gletts stepped out of the brush. He was a male version of Skella, a skinny kid in clothes too big for him. “We shouldn’t be talking to her,” he said to Skella. “She ain’t our friend.”
“Shush, you,” Skella said, pushing him away. He stutter-stepped to the side, but didn’t go very far. “I know all about you,” she said, facing us squarely. “We got word pretty quick up here. Not everyday one of the wyrms gets taken down.”
“Ha,” Gletts laughed. “Not everyday for true. Not never in my reckoning.”
“We just wanted to say thank you,” Skella said. “We heard you were roaming these parts. Glad you decided to visit us here in the park.”
“You live here?” I asked.
“A few of us, yes,” she answered. “Most of our kin were driven off by the dragon years ago, but us and ours have hung on here. Kept to ourselves, you know?”
I understood perfectly well. “What have you heard about a dwarf boy that got killed out near…”
“Dragon friend,” Gletts interrupted me. Then he spat.
Katie spat, too, making a warding sign. Gletts smiled at that, kindred spirits.
“He was delivering a message from the dragon in Portland,” Skella said. “Courier only, but the King of Vancouver saw fit to make an example of him.”
“Lousy way to die,” Gletts said, the anger raw in his voice. “You’d think with you killing one of them, they’d think twice before they tried to push anyone else around.”
“Meaning?” Okay, I thought I grokked his meaning, but wanted to be sure.
“Sawyer, trying to weasel his way into the Vancouver area,” Skella said.
Gletts laughed. “Old Nidhogg between us and him, he’s out of his pickled brain.”
I almost laughed. This skinny kid, full of piss and vinegar, talking about one of the dragons like he was some cranky neighbor. Kid had balls. No coward, this one. “I’ve met him,” I said.
They both turned to me, eyes level, expressions flat.
“He ain’t Duchamp, that’s for damn sure,” Gletts said. “But he’s a dragon, just like the rest of ’em. Right awful bastards, the lot.”
Skella nodded, but was looking from me to Katie, as if she was trying to decide something.
They looked like nice enough kids—well, Elvish kids
That made me smile. “I’ll see if I can arrange for her to seek more outside interests.”
Katie finished her sandwich then. I loved her, but she was persistent when she wanted something. I guessed I should have been happy since she was the one who pursued me. I’d never have had the nerve to hit on her.
“I wonder who would want to snatch Ari like that?” she asked after we packed away the lunch leavings.
“Good question,” I said. “Could be ransom, I guess, or unrequited love, that sort of thing.”
“Dwarves snatched him,” a voice said from behind us.
I dropped my knitting and spun around, placing my weight on my right knee, planting my left foot firmly on the ground under me.
There was a girl standing behind me, and she looked familiar. I’d seen her at the party, in the line waiting with the rest of those who were just not cool enough.
She had thin features, almost pinched, with a long, narrow face and ears that were not exactly pointed, but definitely elongated. She was dressed in dark clothes, and her eyes were lined with black. Her lips were fiery red, and her fingernails matched.
Katie was on her feet, watching the woods behind the girl.
“Who’s with you?” she asked firmly.
“It’s just me and Gletts,” the girl said. “I’m Skella.” She kept her hands crossed over her skinny chest. “You’re that blacksmith, aren’t you?”
I stood, confused. “I’m a blacksmith, yes. But how would you know that?”
She smiled, turning her face from gaunt goth chick into that of a fairly pretty young woman. “You killed the dragon, that bastard Duchamp.”
“Whoa,” Katie said, stepping away from the edge of the woods and looking around. “Who are you again?”
Gletts stepped out of the brush. He was a male version of Skella, a skinny kid in clothes too big for him. “We shouldn’t be talking to her,” he said to Skella. “She ain’t our friend.”
“Shush, you,” Skella said, pushing him away. He stutter-stepped to the side, but didn’t go very far. “I know all about you,” she said, facing us squarely. “We got word pretty quick up here. Not everyday one of the wyrms gets taken down.”
“Ha,” Gletts laughed. “Not everyday for true. Not never in my reckoning.”
“We just wanted to say thank you,” Skella said. “We heard you were roaming these parts. Glad you decided to visit us here in the park.”
“You live here?” I asked.
“A few of us, yes,” she answered. “Most of our kin were driven off by the dragon years ago, but us and ours have hung on here. Kept to ourselves, you know?”
I understood perfectly well. “What have you heard about a dwarf boy that got killed out near…”
“Dragon friend,” Gletts interrupted me. Then he spat.
Katie spat, too, making a warding sign. Gletts smiled at that, kindred spirits.
“He was delivering a message from the dragon in Portland,” Skella said. “Courier only, but the King of Vancouver saw fit to make an example of him.”
“Lousy way to die,” Gletts said, the anger raw in his voice. “You’d think with you killing one of them, they’d think twice before they tried to push anyone else around.”
“Meaning?” Okay, I thought I grokked his meaning, but wanted to be sure.
“Sawyer, trying to weasel his way into the Vancouver area,” Skella said.
Gletts laughed. “Old Nidhogg between us and him, he’s out of his pickled brain.”
I almost laughed. This skinny kid, full of piss and vinegar, talking about one of the dragons like he was some cranky neighbor. Kid had balls. No coward, this one. “I’ve met him,” I said.
They both turned to me, eyes level, expressions flat.
“He ain’t Duchamp, that’s for damn sure,” Gletts said. “But he’s a dragon, just like the rest of ’em. Right awful bastards, the lot.”
Skella nodded, but was looking from me to Katie, as if she was trying to decide something.
They looked like nice enough kids—well, Elvish kids
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