a satisfied smile. “There. Once Tharin is here, all he needs to do is call out my name and the message will appear.”
“ What did you say?”
“ I told him to look for a troll name Mirnuk at an island playground.”
“ What does that mean, anyway?” asks Julia.
“ A playground that’s on an island,” I reply, shrugging. “Besides, between him and Tolan I’m sure they’ll figure it out. If not, Alorn will.”
Julia nods. “So which way do we go?”
“ Hello, I got here the same time as you, remember?” I look around. “Maybe I can reach out to another dryad here.”
“ Fine,” replies Julia. “Go ahead. I’ll cover you while you do your elf thing to find Ziri.”
I look at her perturbed, before closing my eyes again. I concentrate on releasing my senses searching the nearby trees for a dryad to help us find our way to a troll. I feel a tug at my coat and look down to find a dryad who looks no more than six years old.
I smile down at her and without a word she takes my hand and leads me further into the grove until we reach a young gum tree. Julie moves next to me and we stand looking at the tree. When I look down to ask what to do next, the dryad is gone.
“ Now what?” asks Julia.
“ Now you tell me where you two think you were going,” demands the voice behind us.
We both turn quickly to face Tharin with a hard look on his face. Tolan stands beside him with an unreadable expression. Alorn is on the opposite side of Tharin with a distant look on his face. And finally, Mellis, standing next to Alorn, grinning with a look telling me he missed me.
“ How?” I ask, a little taken aback.
“ You left a message,” replies Tharin, stepping up and taking me by the hand. He leads me a few yards from the others and I glance back at Julia. She stands expectantly in front of Tolan, but he turns his back on her and walks off.
Tharin swings me before him, taking hold of my shoulders. “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t run away again.”
It t akes me a moment to get what he is implying and decide arguing would be useless.
“ Tharin,” I say placing my hand on his chest, “I wasn’t running away. If I did, would I have left a message? I know who has Ziri and who knows how to get to him. And from what Minth told me, he could be seriously hurt. I figured we could make it there to help him and you would be right behind us.”
“ Minth?”
“ She said they call her the Gija Jumulu here. She came when I called for a dryad.”
Tharin lets go of my shoulders and steps back, taking a patient breath. He straightens, searching about him, and then he gives me that look that irritates the hell out of me.
“ What?” I ask, annoyed.
“ Lily, I know you want to help everyone and their mother, but you have to understand what kind of danger you’re in just by being here.”
I take a breath, tryi ng to hold onto my own patience.
He continues, “Look, all I’m asking is that wherever it is we need to go, we go together until we’re back at the tower. That’s all I’m asking.”
“ Please stop worrying, Tharin. How can you take care of me, any of us, if all you do is worry about me? And just for the record, I did think to wait for you, but the thought of Ziri being tortured I felt I couldn’t wait.”
I can feel the tension coming from him and I take a calming breath. “I’m sorry,” I say and that seems to take the wind out of him. He pulls me close, holding me tight and I don’t resist. In fact, I wrap my arms around him and breathe in his scent, feeling safe and warm within his embrace.
“ Tharin,” interrupts Mellis.
We turn and find him standing only a few feet from us. “According to Julia, we need to find the troll Mirnuk. The dresi Ka’sith has Ziri.”
Tharin turns to me, asking, “Is that true? Is that what Minth told you?”
“ Yeah. She sounds dangerous, that’s why I wanted to
“ What did you say?”
“ I told him to look for a troll name Mirnuk at an island playground.”
“ What does that mean, anyway?” asks Julia.
“ A playground that’s on an island,” I reply, shrugging. “Besides, between him and Tolan I’m sure they’ll figure it out. If not, Alorn will.”
Julia nods. “So which way do we go?”
“ Hello, I got here the same time as you, remember?” I look around. “Maybe I can reach out to another dryad here.”
“ Fine,” replies Julia. “Go ahead. I’ll cover you while you do your elf thing to find Ziri.”
I look at her perturbed, before closing my eyes again. I concentrate on releasing my senses searching the nearby trees for a dryad to help us find our way to a troll. I feel a tug at my coat and look down to find a dryad who looks no more than six years old.
I smile down at her and without a word she takes my hand and leads me further into the grove until we reach a young gum tree. Julie moves next to me and we stand looking at the tree. When I look down to ask what to do next, the dryad is gone.
“ Now what?” asks Julia.
“ Now you tell me where you two think you were going,” demands the voice behind us.
We both turn quickly to face Tharin with a hard look on his face. Tolan stands beside him with an unreadable expression. Alorn is on the opposite side of Tharin with a distant look on his face. And finally, Mellis, standing next to Alorn, grinning with a look telling me he missed me.
“ How?” I ask, a little taken aback.
“ You left a message,” replies Tharin, stepping up and taking me by the hand. He leads me a few yards from the others and I glance back at Julia. She stands expectantly in front of Tolan, but he turns his back on her and walks off.
Tharin swings me before him, taking hold of my shoulders. “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t run away again.”
It t akes me a moment to get what he is implying and decide arguing would be useless.
“ Tharin,” I say placing my hand on his chest, “I wasn’t running away. If I did, would I have left a message? I know who has Ziri and who knows how to get to him. And from what Minth told me, he could be seriously hurt. I figured we could make it there to help him and you would be right behind us.”
“ Minth?”
“ She said they call her the Gija Jumulu here. She came when I called for a dryad.”
Tharin lets go of my shoulders and steps back, taking a patient breath. He straightens, searching about him, and then he gives me that look that irritates the hell out of me.
“ What?” I ask, annoyed.
“ Lily, I know you want to help everyone and their mother, but you have to understand what kind of danger you’re in just by being here.”
I take a breath, tryi ng to hold onto my own patience.
He continues, “Look, all I’m asking is that wherever it is we need to go, we go together until we’re back at the tower. That’s all I’m asking.”
“ Please stop worrying, Tharin. How can you take care of me, any of us, if all you do is worry about me? And just for the record, I did think to wait for you, but the thought of Ziri being tortured I felt I couldn’t wait.”
I can feel the tension coming from him and I take a calming breath. “I’m sorry,” I say and that seems to take the wind out of him. He pulls me close, holding me tight and I don’t resist. In fact, I wrap my arms around him and breathe in his scent, feeling safe and warm within his embrace.
“ Tharin,” interrupts Mellis.
We turn and find him standing only a few feet from us. “According to Julia, we need to find the troll Mirnuk. The dresi Ka’sith has Ziri.”
Tharin turns to me, asking, “Is that true? Is that what Minth told you?”
“ Yeah. She sounds dangerous, that’s why I wanted to
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