Enchantment (14 page)

“You
never
listen
to
me.
I’ve
been
telling
y
ou
for
m
o
n
ths
about
this
unexpected
visit,” Threeo
said,
his
entire
bo
d
y
tre
m
b
ling
in
outrage.
Kerrigan
shook
his
head,
unsure
how
the critter
could
teeter
from
the
edge
of
the
m
a
n
tel and
not
fall.

Kerrigan
struggled
to
ignore
the
creature
as
he
chattered
through
the
entire
m
eal.
“
What
do the
visitors
look
like?
I
have
funny
feelings
about
this
visitor.
Y
ou
don’t
like
change,
but
that’s exact
l
y
w
hat’s
coming.
I
can
feel
it
in
my
feathers.”
With
a
poof,
Threeo’s
head
doubled
in
size, each
feather
standing
straight
up.
“
Look!
My
feathers
are
not
happ
y
.
Talk
to
me.
I
need
to
know the
details. Why
w
a
s
a
stranger
allowed
to
come
here
?
”

He
put
his
fork
down
and
finished
chewing.
“
It
’
s
a
long
stor
y
,
Threeo.
O
ne
I’m
going
to have
to
explain
to
the
council
to
m
orrow.
Th
e
y
need
to
be
sent
back.”

Threeo
s
hrieked,
wobbled,
and
al
m
ost
fell
off
the
end
of
the
m
an
t
el.
“
N
o!
No,
Kerrigan friend,
y
o
u
can’t,
they
m
ustn’t
go
back.
I
knew
so
m
et
h
ing
w
a
s
terrib
l
y
w
rong!
Todd’s
in
bad trouble
n
o
w.
What
are
we
going
to
do?
Did
y
o
u
s
peak
with
the
creatures?
Did
y
o
u,
huh,
hu
h
?
N
ot
good.
N
ot
good.”

“Stop
y
o
u
r
howling.
We
aren’t
going
to
do
a
n
y
t
h
i
ng;
I’ll
take
care
of
it.
Y
ou
alw
a
y
s
wor
r
y too
m
uch.”
He
straightened
to
stride
to
the
fireplace
and
stand
next
to
Threeo.
Fla
m
es
of
purple, blue,
red,
and
gold
sprang
to
life.

“The
one
creature,
not
from
Upper
World,
calls
itself
a
L
e
m
ren.
I
can
feel
its
power
and fierce
desire
to
protect
the
human
fe
m
a
le.
I
don’t
believe
it
m
eans
a
n
y
o
ne
har
m
,
as
long
as
the girl
st
a
y
s untouched.”
Kerrigan
frowned
at
the
niggling
sense
of
rightness
with
that
thought.

“So
m
et
h
ing
else
is
bothering
y
o
u
.
Spit
it
out,
tell
Threeo,”
he
d
e
m
anded,
stalking
back
and forth
on
the
m
ant
e
l.

With
one
e
y
e
b
row
cocked
and
his
ar
m
s
cro
s
sed,
he
leaned against
the
m
an
t
el. “If I
choose
to believe
w
hat
the
Le
m
ren
states,
I
am
to
be
a
part
of
her
desti
n
y
.
A
pparent
l
y
,
she
will
need protection,
and
will
develop
special
p
o
wers.
I’m
u
n
sure
of
whom
she
would
need
protection fro
m
,
but
I
don’t
plan
on
having
them
here
long
enough
to
find
out.
I
need
to
return
th
e
m
to
the Earth
pronto.”

Concern
e
m
an
a
ted
from
Threeo’s
little
bo
d
y
.
H
i
s
feathers
puffed
out,
and
his
e
y
es
glanced about
the
roo
m
.
“
Re
m
ember
my
vision,
and
y
e
s,
I
kn
o
w
th
e
y
haven’t
alwa
y
s
been
right,
but
I’m
s
ure
this
one
is.
Just
think
about
it,
oka
y
.”
Tucking
his
feathe
r
y
lit
t
le
head
under
his
stub
b
y front leg,
he
bid
Kerrigan
good
night
and
closed
his
e
y
e
s
.

Threeo
had
m
a
n
y
visions,
m
ost
of
w
hich
never
ca
m
e
true.
Occasional
l
y
,
he
blurted
out
a scene
w
here Kerrigan
investiga
t
ed
finding
s
ome
truths to
what the critter
reported.
The vision he had
about
the
foreigners
see
m
ed
so
farfetched,
he
refused
to
believe any
of
it.

Chapter
Six

V
i
sions
of
the
girl,
with
her
slender,
s
hape
l
y
legs
and
her
wild,
sil
k
y
hair,
invaded
his drea
m
s.
Keen
senses
forced
h
i
m
awake.
The
air
in
the
room
seemed
u
n
settled,
perhaps
caused from
his
restlessness.
The
sheets
were
w
rapped
around
his
legs
as
he
kicked
to
free
hi
m
self.
In the
fanta
s
y
,
he’d
been
w
rapped
around
m
ore
than
j
u
st
the
sheets,
and
certain
l
y
didn’t
need
to
be freed.

The
m
or
n
ing
sun
bea
m
ed
through
the
wind
o
w,
casting
colored
r
a
y
s
of
light
across
his
face.
A
nn
o
y
a
n
c
e
flared,
and
Kerrigan
glared
at
the
sunlight
peeking
through
the
curtains,
forcing
him to
rise
from
the
co
m
fo
r
t
of
his
bed.
Once
free,
he
stu
m
b
led
to
the
bathro
o
m
with
a
throbbing headache,
and
stopped
in
front
of
the
m
irror.
He
looked
like
hell,
and
his
head
wasn’t
the
only part
of
his
body
throbbing.
H
i
s
e
y
es
had
changed
to
a
flashing,
eerie
gold,
a
re
m
n
ant
of
the se
n
suali
t
y
he’d
felt
in
his
drea
m
.
Another
characterist
i
c
of
whatever
he
was.
A
cold
s
hower
w
ould
put
things
back
to
nor
m
a
l. Then
he’d
focus
on
getting rid
of
the
girl
and
her
fur
r
y
friend.

The
cold
water
flowed
over
h
i
m
like
a
waterfall,
but
failed
to
dull
the
aches
in
his
bod
y
.
At least
his
e
y
es
had
gone
back
to
nor
m
a
l.
Shedding
the
towel
w
rapped
around
his
waist,
he
pulled on
a
pair
of
well-worn
blue
j
eans
before
tugging
a
white
T-shirt
over
his
head.
A
strong
cup
of lento
w
ould
help.

D
own
in
the
kitchen,
he
poured
the
ste
a
m
ing
dark
brew
from
the
pot
and
then
continued
on his
way
through
the
door
and
into
the
tunnel
leading
toward
his
parents’
lodge.
N
ow,
if
he
could just
convince
hi
m
s
e
lf
the
e
m
otions he’d
felt
y
e
s
t
erd
a
y
w
ouldn’t
descend
on
him
again
toda
y
…

Perhaps
it
had
been
too
long
since
he
had
s
hared
his
bed
with
a
fe
m
a
l
e.
But
there
were
no fe
m
a
l
e
Enchanters
who
even
r
e
m
ote
l
y
rese
m
b
l
ed
what
was
l
y
i
n
g
a
sleep
in
his
old
bed.

* * * *

Kerrigan
opened
the
door.
“
Hello.”

“Good
m
orning,
sweetheart.”
H
i
s
m
o
m
’s
reply
drifted
from
the
back
of
the
house.
He inhaled,
and
his
sto
m
a
ch
growled
as
the
rich
aroma
of
cinn
a
m
on
wafted
through
the
ho
u
se.
H
i
s n
o
se
directed
him
to
where
she
stood
at
the
island.

“Good
m
orning, Mo
m
. I
j
u
st want
to
s
a
y
sorr
y
,
I
behaved badly
y
e
s
terd
a
y
.”
Kerrigan
s
hifted from
one
foot
to
the other,
his
ears
burning
as
he
waited
for
her
to
speak.

Paddy
offered
him
a
forgiving
s
m
i
le.
“Kerrigan,
I
could
see
how
tired
y
o
u
were
y
e
s
terd
a
y
.
I kn
o
w
how
m
uch
energy
it
required
from
y
ou
to
heal
the
girl.
If
there
is
a
next
t
i
m
e,
stop
and think
first.”

“Mo
m
,
I
know,
and
I
appreci
a
te
the
understanding,
but
still,
I
was
rude.
Don’t
know
w
hat got
into
m
e.
Where’s
Da
d
?
I
should…”

Paddy
pulled
a
hot
tr
a
y
of
sticky
buns
out
of
the
oven.
“
I
bet
y
ou
didn’t
eat
this
m
orning before
rushing
over
here
to
check
on
the
visitors.
Sit
down,
and
I’ll
get
y
o
u
one
of
these
while
y
o
u wait
for
y
o
u
r father.”

Between
the
delicious
scent
of
cinn
a
m
on
and
the
thoughts
of
Meeka
down
the
hall,
his se
n
ses
were
on
overload.
“
M
o
m
,
did
she
wake
up
last nigh
t
?
” He
hoped
the
question came out
as nonchalant
as
he
wanted.