Read Online Icefire by Chris D'Lacey - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Chris D'Lacey
Ads: Link
somewhere and snapped it open above her head.
Before David could respond, Zanna gave him a nudge and nodded down the driveway. Liz’s car had just pulled into it.
With a curious mixture of dread and relief, David said tartly, “Mrs. Pennykettle’s home,” just as Lucy jumped out of the car and said, “Mom, who’s that?”
She doesn’t know one of her own relatives?
thought David. He glanced at Liz. Her expression was not far short of his own: surprise, with a hefty element of shock.
Lucy raced up. She jerked, wide-eyed, at the sight of Zanna, stared boldly at the woman and then at her dragon. “You’ve got a dragon,” she said, which, despite being a rather elementary observation, was nonetheless one that David would have liked to have voiced himself.
“Yes,” said the woman, her voice as clear as a glacial raindrop. “Her name is Gretel, and you may carry her indoors if you wish.”
Lucy picked up the dragon and caressed it like a doll. Her gaze fell on Zanna. “Who’s she?” she asked David.
Liz was on the premises before he could answer. “Well, this is very … unexpected,” she breezed. She plumped her hair and forced a smile onto her lips. She glanced briefly at Zanna, then turned to the woman. “Have you … introduced yourself?”
“My feet are beginning to ache,” said the woman. She put her nose in the air and folded her umbrella. The rain stopped as if she’d brought the clouds to a close.
“What kind of dragon is Gretel?” asked Lucy.
“Lucy, never mind that for now,” said her mom. “Say hello to … Aunty Gwyneth.”
The white-haired woman cast her eyes down. “The last time I saw
you,
my dear, you were no bigger than a seaside pebble.”
“Pebble?” queried David, thinking that was a strange comparison.
“Why don’t we all go inside,” said Liz with her customary habit of bustling things along. “Lucy, run and put the kettle on, please. David, could you bring Aunty Gwyneth’s suitcase.”
“Take it directly to my room,” said Aunty Gwyneth. She stepped inside, parting David and Zanna like a couple of bowling pins. She was halfway down the hall when she paused and brushed a spider’s web off the stairwell. For one dreadful moment, David thought she was going to eat it. But Aunty Gwyneth merely squashed it between her fingers and let her gaze roll slowly up the stairs. For a second or two, the whole house seemed to be holding its breath, as if the aura that Zanna had spoken of was suddenly as taut as the skin of a balloon. David was convinced he heard dragon scales rattling, but before he could really tune his ears to the sound Aunty Gwyneth snapped her fingers and everyone jumped. “Come, child,” she barked, and with a twist of her heels she took a sharp left turnand disappeared into the living room, Lucy bearing Gretel like a standard in her wake.
“Is she staying?” David said immediately to Liz.
Liz blew a deep sigh and gave a slightly confusing answer. “I’m just as surprised as you to see her here.”
“What did she mean ‘take the suitcase to her room’? What room? Where’s she going to sleep?”
“Leave the case in the hall for now. I’ll sort something out, once I’ve had a chance to assess the situation.”
“She’s not having
my
room,” David said bluntly. “I’m not moving. I’m a tenant. I pay.”
“David.” And now there was a nip in Liz’s voice. “I said we’ll talk about this later. Just live with it for now, OK?”
“I’d better be off,” Zanna said meekly. David and Liz both turned to her then and started to make apologetic noises.
It was David who eventually simplified things. “Liz, this is Zanna from college. She’s a friend. She’s in my department.”
Liz held out a hand. Zanna shook it. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Pennykettle. I really like your dragons.”
“Yes,” said Liz, looking deep into her eyes. “Yes, I expect you do.” She dropped Zanna’s hand and backed away slowly. “Excuse me.
Before David could respond, Zanna gave him a nudge and nodded down the driveway. Liz’s car had just pulled into it.
With a curious mixture of dread and relief, David said tartly, “Mrs. Pennykettle’s home,” just as Lucy jumped out of the car and said, “Mom, who’s that?”
She doesn’t know one of her own relatives?
thought David. He glanced at Liz. Her expression was not far short of his own: surprise, with a hefty element of shock.
Lucy raced up. She jerked, wide-eyed, at the sight of Zanna, stared boldly at the woman and then at her dragon. “You’ve got a dragon,” she said, which, despite being a rather elementary observation, was nonetheless one that David would have liked to have voiced himself.
“Yes,” said the woman, her voice as clear as a glacial raindrop. “Her name is Gretel, and you may carry her indoors if you wish.”
Lucy picked up the dragon and caressed it like a doll. Her gaze fell on Zanna. “Who’s she?” she asked David.
Liz was on the premises before he could answer. “Well, this is very … unexpected,” she breezed. She plumped her hair and forced a smile onto her lips. She glanced briefly at Zanna, then turned to the woman. “Have you … introduced yourself?”
“My feet are beginning to ache,” said the woman. She put her nose in the air and folded her umbrella. The rain stopped as if she’d brought the clouds to a close.
“What kind of dragon is Gretel?” asked Lucy.
“Lucy, never mind that for now,” said her mom. “Say hello to … Aunty Gwyneth.”
The white-haired woman cast her eyes down. “The last time I saw
you,
my dear, you were no bigger than a seaside pebble.”
“Pebble?” queried David, thinking that was a strange comparison.
“Why don’t we all go inside,” said Liz with her customary habit of bustling things along. “Lucy, run and put the kettle on, please. David, could you bring Aunty Gwyneth’s suitcase.”
“Take it directly to my room,” said Aunty Gwyneth. She stepped inside, parting David and Zanna like a couple of bowling pins. She was halfway down the hall when she paused and brushed a spider’s web off the stairwell. For one dreadful moment, David thought she was going to eat it. But Aunty Gwyneth merely squashed it between her fingers and let her gaze roll slowly up the stairs. For a second or two, the whole house seemed to be holding its breath, as if the aura that Zanna had spoken of was suddenly as taut as the skin of a balloon. David was convinced he heard dragon scales rattling, but before he could really tune his ears to the sound Aunty Gwyneth snapped her fingers and everyone jumped. “Come, child,” she barked, and with a twist of her heels she took a sharp left turnand disappeared into the living room, Lucy bearing Gretel like a standard in her wake.
“Is she staying?” David said immediately to Liz.
Liz blew a deep sigh and gave a slightly confusing answer. “I’m just as surprised as you to see her here.”
“What did she mean ‘take the suitcase to her room’? What room? Where’s she going to sleep?”
“Leave the case in the hall for now. I’ll sort something out, once I’ve had a chance to assess the situation.”
“She’s not having
my
room,” David said bluntly. “I’m not moving. I’m a tenant. I pay.”
“David.” And now there was a nip in Liz’s voice. “I said we’ll talk about this later. Just live with it for now, OK?”
“I’d better be off,” Zanna said meekly. David and Liz both turned to her then and started to make apologetic noises.
It was David who eventually simplified things. “Liz, this is Zanna from college. She’s a friend. She’s in my department.”
Liz held out a hand. Zanna shook it. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Pennykettle. I really like your dragons.”
“Yes,” said Liz, looking deep into her eyes. “Yes, I expect you do.” She dropped Zanna’s hand and backed away slowly. “Excuse me.
Similar Books
