Read Online The Boys of Fire and Ash by Meaghan McIsaac - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Meaghan McIsaac
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clothes, inspecting my fingers, grabbing and touching.
Blaze roared at them, and the children screamed and ran after the contraption as it rumbled by.
Only one stayed behind. The child couldn’t have been more than six, long sandy-colored hair flowing down to his elbows, his colorful clothes blowing around his knees. I’d never seen a child so clean; he didn’t look like a person should.
“A girl?” asked Av quietly.
The child giggled.
“She’s wearing a dress,” said Blaze. “She’s a girl, all right.”
My body went rigid, and I could feel Av and Digger tense too. A girl. The preferred baby. Someday a Mother. Her big brown eyes sparkled at all three of us, ignoring her companions disappearing in the distance.
She waved a little hand.
None of us moved.
Having got no reaction, she sighed and looked at her feet.
Blaze yelled something at her in words I’d never heard, trying to shoo her away, but she ignored him. She glanced at Digger, then Av as she twirled a strand of hair on her little finger. Then her brown eyes focused on me, and her smile faded.
Uneasy, I looked to Av and Digger, who stood still as stone.
The girl walked right up to me and I moved back. She had her hands out to touch me and I braced myself, as if a single touch would burn.
Her cool little hands grabbed my left one and she opened it up, staring at my palm.
I tried to pull away but she whined and pulled harder.
“What’s she doing?” I said, struggling to sound calm.
Blaze rolled his eyes. “She’s reading your palm.”
“What?”
Her fingers tickled as she ran them up and down the creases of my hand. Then she gasped and dropped it.
When she looked back at me, her eyes were filled with tears.
She spoke, her melodic voice blurting out a string of strange words. When she realized I couldn’t understand she turned to Blaze, urgency drenching every quick little sound.
Blaze scratched the base of his neck, his brow knotted as he listened.
A numbness seeped into my hand. I didn’t have the words, but I could read her tone, read Blaze’s face. Whatever she’d read on me hadn’t been good.
“What’s she saying?” Av asked.
“Nothing,” he said. Then he yelled at her in her own tongue, but she screamed over him, begging him to listen.
“She’s a crazy Abish girl,” he said. “Fortune-tellers and liars, the whole lot of them.”
Her big brown eyes fixed on me again, and I had the sudden urge to give my hand back to her. Liar, Blaze called her. What did she have to lie about? Blaze scratched nervously at his neck and I wondered who the real liar was. I looked back at the girl. She sighed dramatically, seeing there was nothing more she could say to me, and her frightened expression melted away until she wore the same happy face she had when she’d first waved at us. She shrugged and waved again, then turned and ran off after her friends.
The four of us stood baffled, watching her skip down the road and around a corner.
“But what did she
say
?” asked Digger.
“She said you’re ugly,” Blaze snapped.
I looked down at my open palm, trying to see whatever it was she’d seen. Nothing. I couldn’t see anything on my skin. In my brain, there was only Cubby.
“We’re not resting,” I said.
“No,” agreed Blaze. “We should keep moving.”
NINE
The sun’s mind-numbing glare had died to a soft orange glow, reminding me of the Hotpots back home.
I traced the lines on my hand as we walked, my mind on Cubby.
An elbow bumped mine and I looked up to see Av walking beside me.
“Are you all right?”
I put my hand down quickly and nodded.
“It hurt?” He gestured to my hand.
“What hurt?”
He grinned. “You should wash it.”
I smiled. Just this morning I would have expected a single touch from a Mother, even a little girl, to burn. It hadn’t burned. But still, a feeling lingered on my palm where her fingers had touched me. Maybe Av was right, maybe a rinse would help get rid of
Blaze roared at them, and the children screamed and ran after the contraption as it rumbled by.
Only one stayed behind. The child couldn’t have been more than six, long sandy-colored hair flowing down to his elbows, his colorful clothes blowing around his knees. I’d never seen a child so clean; he didn’t look like a person should.
“A girl?” asked Av quietly.
The child giggled.
“She’s wearing a dress,” said Blaze. “She’s a girl, all right.”
My body went rigid, and I could feel Av and Digger tense too. A girl. The preferred baby. Someday a Mother. Her big brown eyes sparkled at all three of us, ignoring her companions disappearing in the distance.
She waved a little hand.
None of us moved.
Having got no reaction, she sighed and looked at her feet.
Blaze yelled something at her in words I’d never heard, trying to shoo her away, but she ignored him. She glanced at Digger, then Av as she twirled a strand of hair on her little finger. Then her brown eyes focused on me, and her smile faded.
Uneasy, I looked to Av and Digger, who stood still as stone.
The girl walked right up to me and I moved back. She had her hands out to touch me and I braced myself, as if a single touch would burn.
Her cool little hands grabbed my left one and she opened it up, staring at my palm.
I tried to pull away but she whined and pulled harder.
“What’s she doing?” I said, struggling to sound calm.
Blaze rolled his eyes. “She’s reading your palm.”
“What?”
Her fingers tickled as she ran them up and down the creases of my hand. Then she gasped and dropped it.
When she looked back at me, her eyes were filled with tears.
She spoke, her melodic voice blurting out a string of strange words. When she realized I couldn’t understand she turned to Blaze, urgency drenching every quick little sound.
Blaze scratched the base of his neck, his brow knotted as he listened.
A numbness seeped into my hand. I didn’t have the words, but I could read her tone, read Blaze’s face. Whatever she’d read on me hadn’t been good.
“What’s she saying?” Av asked.
“Nothing,” he said. Then he yelled at her in her own tongue, but she screamed over him, begging him to listen.
“She’s a crazy Abish girl,” he said. “Fortune-tellers and liars, the whole lot of them.”
Her big brown eyes fixed on me again, and I had the sudden urge to give my hand back to her. Liar, Blaze called her. What did she have to lie about? Blaze scratched nervously at his neck and I wondered who the real liar was. I looked back at the girl. She sighed dramatically, seeing there was nothing more she could say to me, and her frightened expression melted away until she wore the same happy face she had when she’d first waved at us. She shrugged and waved again, then turned and ran off after her friends.
The four of us stood baffled, watching her skip down the road and around a corner.
“But what did she
say
?” asked Digger.
“She said you’re ugly,” Blaze snapped.
I looked down at my open palm, trying to see whatever it was she’d seen. Nothing. I couldn’t see anything on my skin. In my brain, there was only Cubby.
“We’re not resting,” I said.
“No,” agreed Blaze. “We should keep moving.”
NINE
The sun’s mind-numbing glare had died to a soft orange glow, reminding me of the Hotpots back home.
I traced the lines on my hand as we walked, my mind on Cubby.
An elbow bumped mine and I looked up to see Av walking beside me.
“Are you all right?”
I put my hand down quickly and nodded.
“It hurt?” He gestured to my hand.
“What hurt?”
He grinned. “You should wash it.”
I smiled. Just this morning I would have expected a single touch from a Mother, even a little girl, to burn. It hadn’t burned. But still, a feeling lingered on my palm where her fingers had touched me. Maybe Av was right, maybe a rinse would help get rid of
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