Read Online The Warble by Victoria Simcox - Free Book Online

their journey.
    “I’ll be outside with
Taysha while you’re getting ready,” Werrien said.
    Kristina wondered who
Taysha was and kind of hoped that it wasn’t another nasty fairy like Clover.
She went into the kitchen and saw that Leacha was busy filling a sack with
food. Leacha took a large wooden canister off the counter and tried to untwist
the lid. Kristina could see that she was having trouble getting it off.      “Could
I help you with that?” Kristina asked.
    “Would you be so kind?”
Leacha handed her the wooden canister. Kristina gave it a good twist, and off
the lid came. “Such a strong girl!”
    “I think you must have
loosened it for me.” Kristina handed it back to Leacha. Leacha looked inside
the jar and a sad expression came across her face.
    “Is there something
wrong?” Kristina asked.
    Leacha pointed to a
small leather pouch hanging from a hook on the wall. “Would you hand me that
little pouch, dear?” she asked. Kristina took the little pouch off the hook and
handed it to Leacha. Leacha poured the contents of the wooden canister into it.
“I hope that nothing will happen, but just in case, you will need this if you
or Werrien get injured on your journey.” She handed the pouch to Kristina. “I
know it’s not much, but it’s all that I have left.”
    Kristina stared into
the canister containing brownish-red, dried petals. “What is it?”
    “It’s dried fairy
blossom. Please don’t tell Werrien that I gave it to you,” Leacha whispered.
    “Won’t you need this to
keep up your own strength?”
    “Don’t you worry about
me. I’m an old lady and I have lived a poor yet very blessed life. If my days
are shortened, then at least I will know that I did my best to help the true
prince of Bernovem.” She smiled and took Kristina’s hands in her own. “Please
take it.”
    “But will you be able
to get more for yourself?”
    “I’ll be just fine,
child. Now no more questions. We need to get you two on your way.”
    Kristina accepted the
little pouch and was about to put it in with the sack of food, but Leacha
stopped her. “No, child, you must keep it with you, just in case you two get
separated from these other things.”
    The door at the back of
the kitchen opened and Werrien walked in. “We need to leave now. There’s
zelbocks looking for us. A dwarf passing by told me the zelbocks are less than
two hours away.”
    Kristina followed
Werrien out of Leacha’s house, and once outside, Kristina was surprised to see
that the house was in the bottom of a large tree. Not far off, under another
tree, stood a horse. Werrien walked up to it and threw a saddle onto its back.
Kristina had never seen such a beautiful horse. It was so elegant, with a
snow-white coat and a shimmering silver mane. She wondered if she was going to
ride on it. She went up to it and stroked its nose.
    “It’s not that bad.
Besides, it beats walking all the way.”
    Kristina pulled her
hand away. Was that the horse talking?
    “What’s the matter?
Haven’t been around horses before?” Werrien asked her.
    “I’m sure that I just
heard it talk.”
    “What’s the big deal?
All animals talk.”
    “Not where I come
from.”
    “Well they do in
Bernovem. Come here; I’ll give you a lift up on Taysha.”
    Kristina had never
ridden a horse, and she was a bit nervous to do so, but there was no way she
was going to let Werrien know—she’d had enough of his sarcasm as it was. She
calmly walked over to Taysha’s side, where Werrien was standing with his back
toward her. When she came close enough, he turned around to face her, holding a
knife in his hand. Kristina looked shocked. “Don’t be afraid. I
just thought that this would go good with those old clothes of mine you’re
wearing. Besides, it might come in handy along our journey,” Werrien said.
    Kristina wasn’t sure if
she should take the knife. Her mother and father would have never allowed her
to carry one around. Werrien sensed her