It would probably be best if she rested, butI could not deny her this. “We can stay.”
The skellein’s jaws clacked togethereagerly, and their bony feet clicked against the floor as theyrushed to make room for her at the bar. “Drinking with the WorldWalker!” one of them cheered. “Get her anything she asks for, onme!”
“You don’t pay for drinks!” anothershouted.
“Neither do you!” the first retorted. “ButIoffered her first drink to her.” He pulled at his brightorange tie as he proudly puffed out his chest.
River grinned at him then looked at me witha radiant smile. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling in return as Iran my hand over the back of her silken hair. My fingers brushedover some of the shells on the necklace she wore. When I’d firstmet her, the shells had been shiny; now they were dull and morethan a few of them had cracked and broken away.
The skellein with the orange tie extendedhis bony hand and leaned closer to River. “The name is Lix.”
She took hold of his hand. “River.”
“Or we could call you savior,” he said witha pull of his jaw into a grin.
CHAPTER 4
Kobal
I glowered at the creature who purposelyignored me as River tugged her hand away from him. “I am no one’ssavior,” she told him.
Lix adjusted his tie as he spoke. “We areeach trying to find our own way in the world. Some have no idea whoor what they are yet, but youwillfind out soonenough.”
River’s eyes widened on the skellein as heturned away from her to speak with the one wearing a yellow sun hatsitting beside him. I squeezed River’s neck gently, drawing herattention away from Lix when she continued to stare at him. Sheturned to face the skellein behind the bar, waiting for herorder.
“What would you like?” the bartender askedRiver.
River tapped her finger on her chin as shestared at the taps lining the bar. “I don’t know, somethingstrong.”
“How about some mjéod?” the bartendersuggested.
“What is that?” River inquired.
“It’s a demon brew,” I told her. “It’s whatwe often drank in Hell. It’s far too strong for you.”
Her eyes lit with curiosity. “I’d still liketo try it.”
Arguing with her would get us nowhere;besides, she’d hate it after one sip. “I’ll get one and we canshare it.” I focused on the skellein behind the bar. “I’ll take amjéod for the both of us.”
The bartender turned away and came back aminute later with a glass of the deep red brew. She placed it onthe bar before me. River stared at the glass before leaning forwardto sniff it. Her nose wrinkled at the pungent aroma, and she satback.
“What an odd color,” she murmured.
“It’s brewed from the rivers in Hell,” Itold her.
“There are rivers in Hell?” Vargasinquired.
“Of course,” Corson replied. “They are notthe blue of many of your rivers here on Earth or as numerous, butthey are there. We all evolved from the same beginning afterall.”
“How do the fires and heat not vaporizethem?” Erin asked.
Corson shrugged. “The water is not the sameas yours. It has evolved in its own way as well.”
“Can we drink it?” River asked.
“Humans have come here and consumed mjéodbefore without a problem,” Lix replied. “While they couldn’t standafterward, they did not die. They have tried our water too. Theymay not be able to survive our fires, but they survive drinking ourwaters.”
“Interesting,” River said and grasped theglass.
