“Like, every day,” the other one finished.
Kara took a deep breath and nodded.“Well, good to know that fish are friends, not food.”
“Oh, fish are definitely food.If you make friends with a fish you’re bonkers.”
“Good to know,” Kara pointed at the boys with a smile.Then turned back to the king.“So while we’re on the topic of ‘things we’re disclosing,’ would you mind explaining this?”She parted her robe and pointed to her rounding stomach.“Because, by my calculations, I should not be this round yet.”
The king stared at her and then smiled.“Yes, I imagine that you might be confused about that.”
“Well,” Kara said, her smile no doubt sacrine sweet.“I’m so glad that you find my confusion a tad humorous, but could you please explain before I lose my ever-loving, hormone-induced mind on your royal ass?”
A few of the female elder trolls chuckled as they finally stood and quit making Kara feel like the “chosen one.”The silver haired with the long braid said, “My name is Verna.I am the female leader of our council, and that one’s mother.”She pointed to the king.
“Verna?”Wadim asked.“Really?Not Maliki, or Sundra, or Zesa?Just ...Verna?”
“Can’t you put a muzzle on him?”Rachel asked Zara.
The old woman smiled, the wrinkles in her face rolling up and her eyes brightening a bit.“It’s actually LaVerna, but I find the little ones are able to say Verna a little more easily.”
“Huh,” Wadim nodded, his eyes narrowed in confusion.“I just expected something more, I don’t know, trollish.”
“And what is your name, young one?”Verna asked him.
“Wadim.”He said it proudly, puffing his chest out a bit.
“Interesting,” Verna told him.Then she turned back to Kara.
“Wait,” Wadim called quickly.“Why is that interesting?That didn’t sound like a ‘good’ interesting, that sounded like a ‘weird’ interesting.”
“Oh, well,” Verna said conversationally.“It’s just that your name is the same as what we call the manure of a morion.”
Kara glanced at Wadim.
His face looked a whole lot less interested and a bit greyish.“What is a morion?”
“It’s a type of worm,” Verna said with a jovial smile.
“So my name in the troll realm means worm poop?Seriously?”Wadim looked as if he’d just found out that his entire library had burned to the ground.
Verna’s smile dropped to a frown.“No, not seriously, but that will teach you to criticize somebody’s name now, won’t it?”
Wadim nodded, “Yes ma’am.”
“Excellent,” Verna rubbed her hands together.“Now, let’s get Kara and baby more food.Discuss the awakened darkness, this over-bloated ego Raja, and the business of the Nushtonia.”
“Now we’re talking,” Wadim clapped.“I’m starving.”
“Sit down worm poop,” Verna waved him away, “females eat first in this realm, children eat second.”
“Guess that means we eat last boys,” Wadim said, looking at Gavril, Nick, and Aphid.
Verna raised a brow at him.“I said children eat second.Torvik?”
“Yes, Grams?”The little troll child Kara had healed hurried out from between a group of males.
“Show Wadim where the children’s table is.”
Torvik’s face turned into a huge grin.“Oh, awesome.A wolf warrior of old gets to sit with us!”
