Read Online Taylon by Scott J. Kramer - Free Book Online

her
bitterness.
    “Stupid crow.”
    As the laughter died down and Ra’na magically came up
with a piece of pie, a small piece, the silence came again.
Reggie’s beak smacked together as it dug into the boysenberry
dessert.
    “We need to let the others know. Ynob, Snow, and
Gantha. Lourak too,” Ra’na stated. “That is, if they don’t
already.”
    “I guess the crow can finally earn his keep,” Kara
said, giving the blue-beaked bird a nasty look.
    Reggie ignored the talk and continued to peck
away.
    Hambone went next to the bird, calling his name. It
took two tries to get its attention. “Can you take a message to our
friends for us?”
    Well, I would really like to oblige and all, but no
can do on account I just ate. It does break my heart, but flying on
a full stomach can be deadly, especially at night.
    Ra’na decided to try her hand at convincing the crow.
“That’s too bad. I just finished baking a whole load of goodies for
my friends right before I left. Oh well, I am sure Jesset can
contact another crow for us.”
    Just hold on a minute! Now that I get to thinking,
this was just a small piece of pie. I’m sure I won’t cramp up
delivering your message.
    Jesset jumped in to help. “We better not risk it.
Just like you said, flying at night can be dangerous. Get too low
and the wolves could get you.”
    Ha! Reggie cawed. Lyre wolves don’t scare
me. Give me your message and I’ll take it.
    Ra’na quickly scrawled a note for the crow to carry.
It was better to put it in writing than to let the crow deliver it
from memory. Reggie held out a leg while the elf attached it and
told him where to find Snow, and the rest. With a stretch of his
wings and a caw, he was off.
     
    ***
     
    Queig and Chele managed to put away all the
merchandise before the first howl from the wolves came. The sound
still made Chele flinch, even though she was safe inside. Queig
offered a weak smile, and then looked for a place to collapse.
    It had been a rough go ever since Katrena and her
mother left. The goblin could sense something was different or
wrong with Da’Lynn, but he knew it wasn’t his place to say
anything.
    Katrena had given him command of the booth while she
was gone. “No use you two standing around doing nothing.” Queig was
fine with that, because he didn’t like standing around. Chele, on
the other hand, would have been perfectly fine doing nothing.
    The first week had been a killer, because Queig found
it almost impossible to motivate Chele to do anything. Eventually
though, she helped out. And now, after about a month of no
mistress, things were running quite smoothly.
    Today had been especially profitable. Their inventory
was beginning to run low; so much so that Queig might have to try
his hand at designing a few pieces. Katrena usually provided all
their wares, but maybe the goblin would get the chance to show
off.
    Chele also attracted customers. Her unique appearance
drew in the crowd. At first, she was shy, even seemed fearful of
the attention. Strange creatures were ogling her. But just like her
work ethic, she started to thrive on the attention. Queig sat back
and watched.
    During the evenings, Queig tried to teach Chele a
little about everything. It first started with the jewelry, moving
next to the races, and then eventually on to weapons. She took the
most interest in weapons.
    All her life, she’d said, she hadn’t even held a
dagger. “You are a girl and have no need for those things,” Chele
had relayed her mother’s ideas. But here in the Territories, Queig
taught her about the uses of a wide variety of weaponry.
    She, of course, was clumsy at first, but quickly
caught on. Before coming to Katrena, Queig had worked at a
Minotaurian training camp. While not being able to wield the
weapons himself, he watched and learned as the recruits did. Now he
was passing that information to Chele.
    Her aptitude was more toward bladed weapons. The
maces and the morning stars looked awkward in her