Enchantment (23 page)

Thalius
s
poke
again.
“
We
will
need
m
ore
time
to
think
about
this
situation.
For
now,
Todd
m
ust
keep
the
foreigners
in
his
lodge.
Y
ou
are
to
watch
them
and
report
what
y
o
u
learn
of
th
e
m back
to
u
s
in
three
da
y
s’
t
i
m
e.
Todd
will
not
be
happy
having
visitors
in
his
ho
u
se
for
even
three da
y
s.
With
regards
to
y
o
u
r
second
question,
we,
the
Council,
have
decided
Todd
and
Pad
d
y m
a
y explain
to
y
ou
h
o
w
y
o
u
c
a
m
e
to
Enchantment.
Th
e
y
have
our
per
m
ission
to
do
so.
Report
to
u
s in
three
da
y
s’ time,
and
we
will
decide
the
fate
of
both
the
foreigners and
y
o
u
r
father.”

* * * *

Kerrigan
took
a
stea
d
y
i
ng
breath,
and
with
rough
m
ov
e
m
e
nts,
pulled
on
his
ar
m
or.
A
good
s
parring
m
atch
would
clear
his
head.
Cu
r
sing
fluent
l
y
,
he
sla
m
med
the
door,
stalking
down
the corridor
to
find
St
r
y
k
er.

Like
the
garg
o
y
l
e
warriors,
Kerrigan
had
next
to
nothing
on
except
a
s
m
all
piece
of
leather hanging
j
u
st below
his hips.
Leather bands holding his knives were
strapped to
his
m
assive
ar
m
s. H
i
s
m
us
c
les were
taut
and
rea
d
y
for
the
fight.

The
gargo
y
l
e
s
stepped
back
as
he
walked
toward
the
centre
of
the
field,
each
one
casting
its e
y
es
down
in
hopes
it
w
ould
not
be
the
one
to
spar
with
him
tod
a
y
.

He
s
pied Str
y
k
e
r
at the
end
of
the
field.

“Did
it
go
that
ba
d
?
Your
look
alone
has
alrea
d
y
scared
all
the
others
aw
a
y
.
”
Str
y
ker
raised his
s
word
and
shield.
“Perhaps
a
good
workout
will
ease
y
o
u
r
mind.”

Kerrigan
s
m
i
l
ed,
and
the
clash
rang
throughout
the
Councilors’
Real
m
.
The
fight
with Str
y
k
e
r
would
be
nothing
co
m
pa
r
ed
to
the
fight
he’d
have
to
face
with
Meeka.

Cha
p
ter
Nine

W
ow!
W
h
a
t a dream.

Peeling
her
e
y
es
open,
Meeka
groaned.
That
was
the
last
time
she
was
going
to
go
boating… at
least
for
a
while.
Pre
s
sing
a
hand
to
her
head,
she
sat
up,
blinking
while
glancing
out
the wind
o
w.
There was
no
window.
N
o
dressing
table or
closet. It
wasn’t
a
drea
m
.

Panic
swept
through
her.
Fully
awake,
Meeka
stared
at
the
large,
round
bed.

O
h,
my
God,
I’m
still in
this
horrible nightmare.

With
la
z
y
e
y
es
and
a
y
a
w
n,
Catz
m
urmured, “I
told
y
o
u this
wasn’t
a
dre
a
m
.” “This
isn’t
p
o
ssible.”

Catz
rubbed
her
head
along
Meeka’s
ar
m
.
“
Meeka,
y
o
u
have
alw
a
y
s
been
s
pecial.
You
are
m
eant
to
be
here.
I
know
it
see
m
s
i
m
possible
to
believe,
but
I
w
as
sent
to
Earth
to
be
with
y
o
u and
to
co
m
fo
r
t
y
ou from
people
like
y
o
u
r
worthless
parents.”

Meeka
let
out
a breath
and
s
urv
e
y
e
d her surroundings
again. “I
think my
head
is okay
n
o
w.
I
s
hould
t
r
y
to
stand
up.”
She
scooted
over
to
the
edge
of
the
bed
and
stood.
The
dizziness
and headache
had
subsided.

Meeka
stood
with
determination.
“I’m
going
to
t
r
y
the
door
again.”
She
frowned
at
the doorknob
and
twisted
it.
No
success.
“Catz,
w
h
y
didn’t
y
ou
speak
to
m
e
out
loud
before
now
?
”

Catz
stuck
out
her front
leg
and
licked
her
p
a
w,
rubbing
it
over
her ear
and
face.
She
looked up
at
Meeka.
“
Y
ou
were
not
rea
d
y
to
hear
m
e
speak
this
wa
y
.”
She
ju
m
ped
off
the
bed
and followed
her
as
s
he
ex
a
m
ined the
roo
m
.

“But,
w
h
y
m
e,
Catz?
Why
am
I
her
e
?
”
Still inspecting the
large roo
m
,
M
eeka id
l
y
w
ondered h
o
w
a
round
room
was
built.
When
w
ould
the
Adonis
wanna
-
be
come
bac
k
?
He
had
to
have
m
ore
answers
for
her.
She
looked d
o
wn
at
her
disheveled
clothing.
H
er
black
j
eans
were
w
rinkled, and her
pink
sweatshirt
torn
and
hanging
slight
l
y
off
one
s
houlder,
showing
portions
of her
pink
la
c
y
bra.

I
m
ust
look
ho
r
ribl
e
.

A
bathro
o
m
and
s
hower
would
be
great.
Did
th
e
y
have
such
things
in
this
different
world? Her
sto
m
ach gr
o
wled
unhappi
l
y
.
It
was
her
fault
for
not
eating
breakfast.

W
h
a
t
do
they
eat?
H
opefully not
huma
n
s.

“I
can’t stay
in
this room
for
m
uch
longer,
Catz,
I’m
going to
go
cra
z
y
.
Do
y
o
u
think
we
will be
able
to
go
ho
m
e
s
oon
?
”

“I
w
ouldn’t
count
on
it.
You
have
a
desti
n
y
here,
ties
to
this
place
that
y
o
u
m
ust
fulfill.
It see
m
s
the
m
an
wants
us
gone,
but
I don’t
believe
that
will
happen
s
oon
enough.
I’m here
to
help protect
y
o
u in
the
journ
e
y
, and
s
o
will
the
m
an.”

G
oosebu
m
ps
for
m
ed
up
and
down
her
ar
m
s,
and
the
hairs
on
the
back
of
her
neck
stood. “Protection?
Why
w
ould
I
need
protection?
W
h
y
would
so
m
eone
want
to
harm
m
e
?
”
Meeka scrunched
her
brows,
deciding
she
didn’t
w
ant
to
know
the
answer
to
that
question.
“
Catz,
what exact
l
y
are
y
o
u
?
”

“I
am
from
a
species
called
Le
m
r
ens.
We
are
shape-shifters,
but
can
on
l
y
do
so
into
an ani
m
a
l
for
m
.
We
have
m
a
n
y
m
a
g
ical
abilit
i
es
w
hich
allow
u
s
to
protect
our
co
m
panions.
F
rom time
to
t
i
m
e,
we
are
s
ent
to
Earth
to
help
special
beings
like
y
ou
discover
the
m
sel
v
es
and
their p
o
wer.”