AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nope.” He smiles to himself. “Still maiming. Best flayer I’ve ever seen.” He swipes at his cheeks. “Just miss her is all.”
“How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”
“A year.”
As terrifying as his mother sounds, he clearly loves and misses her. The hole in my chest gapes a little wider, but I ignore it and say, “You should invite her.”
He sniffs and gazes at me through watery eyes. “Ya mean it?”
“Of course.”
“In that case, I forgive ya for insulting my bounty.” He scrubs his hand over his face. “Any chance yer mate told you where they keep the messenger chickens?”
“Chickens?” I ask.
“Aye, chickens.”
“He didn’t tell me, but I have to see this.” I stand up, awkwardly holding Prometheus. The dragon is almost too big for me to carry now. It chirps and I pause, glancing at Zyla. “Do you think the dragon would eat the chickens?”
“It might try.” She takes the dragon from my hold, grunting as she takes the brunt of the baby’s weight. Prometheus screeches in protest, but Zyla murmurs something under her breath and it instantly settles, resting its head on her shoulder.
“The dragon whisperer.”
“I’m a witch,” she says with a shrug. “Go find the chickens with Harald. I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Oh, did Orcus plan something?”
Her lips twitch. “Someone did.”
“Is this the whole,I know the future and I’m going to tease you with it but never actually give it upbit?”
“See you later, Daisy.” She turns to leave and looks over her shoulder as she walks away. “Oh and I like green.”
“Cool? Navy blue is my favorite color.”
She laughs and leaves me with the trull.
Harald side-eyes me. “Witches are a strange bunch.”
Says the trull with a wagon full of skin. I bite back a laugh and hold out my hand for him to step on to. “Chickens?”
“Aye. Chickens.” Harald settles in my hold with his cart in his lap and I set off to find these birds.
* * *
“Thatisnota chicken.”
“What are ya going on about?” Harald asks after he gives the centaur minding the… birds… the message he wants the not-chicken to take to his mom.
“I thought you said they were chickens.” I stare at what can only be a dinosaur. It’s giant and has a pterodactyl beak. The only thing chicken about it is the bright orange feathers.
“Does the prince know yer not very smart?” Harald peers up at me from the ground. With his big personality, it’s easy to forget he’s only a foot tall.
“Wow, that was rude.”
“It’s a reasonable question,” he asserts. “Yer about to become queen.” He gestures for me to pick him up.
“Aw. You want uppies?”
