Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
“That’s because Tarq needs time.”
“Time to do what?”
“Learn to rule. I can’t be there, cramping his style.”
Pie snorts, then points at me. “I think you know I’m right.”
“Right about what?”
“That making Tarq king was a very bad idea. You know this, you just won’t admit it. And when you go back there, you’re gonna see that.”
I don’t answer her. Not because this matter has been settled, but because even though we have been idling in the road for a couple of minutes now, the fog has parted around the truck.
Suddenly, a large wooden sign comes into view on the side of the road. At one time it was painted white, but that paint has crackled with age and flaked off in several spots. The lettering is elaborate and large, done by hand, the way it used to be done a hundred years ago.
Pie leans forward, squinting at it. “Wow. That’s new, right?”
“It is.”
“It doesn’t say ‘Granite Springs’ though. What’s that about?”
She’s right. The sign does not say ‘Granite Springs.’ It says ‘Welcome to Savage Falls.’ “I’m not sure.”
“Hmm. Should we go somewhere else, Pell?”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. But this is rural PA. There has to be another place to buy hay.”
Just then, Batty lands in front of us, apparently intrigued by the new sign as well. He walks over to it, then looks at us. Pie cranks her window down. “What’s up?”
Batty chatters on and on about something, which does us no good since we can’t understand him. “You really need to come up with a potion so we can understand them, Pie.”
She looks over at me. Blinks. Then, “‘A tooth, a tongue, a mouth and lips.’”
I narrow my eyes at her. “What?”
“‘A whispered call in a hall of quips.’”
“What are you talking about?”
“‘A monster’s words carved from stone. Listen now. They are known.’”
“Pie?”
She blinks again, then laughs. “I totally meant to do that.”
“Meant to do what?”
Batty is still talking, but now he makes sense. “I’m telling you two assholes, this is not safe. Do you see this sign? He’s warning us. We should go back. Like… right now.”
“B-b-batty?” Pie stutters.
“Why do you people never listen?”
“We’re listening,” I growl. “You just called us assholes.”
“What?” Batty looks surprised.
“I totally meant to do that,” Pie blurts.
But she didn’t. The spell just came out of her mouth and now we can understand Batty.
“Well,” Batty says. He tugs on an imaginary coat, like he’s trying to straighten it, even though he’s only wearing fur. “Finally. You fucking people. I’m so sick of talking to myself. And by the way, my name is Darrel.”
I look at Pie.
“I totally meant to do that.”
“You didn’t.”
“I—” But she stops. “OK, fine. I’m having a little trouble controlling my spellings. But it’s OK, right? I mean, we understand him now. That’s convenient, isn’t it?”
She’s scared, I realize. Not that I will get mad about her not being able to control the magic, but scared because she doesn’t understand what’s happening. “Right,” I say. “It’s totally fine.”
It’s not. It’s very bad. But I want to think about this before I panic her more.
“Can we just get on with this, then?” Batty says. “If you’re going to insist that we shop here, let’s do it quickly.”
I can hear Pie’s heartbeat and smell her fear. So I reach over, place my hand on her leg, and say in the most calm voice I can manage, “It’s great. That language spell was exactly what we needed.”
Immediately, her heartbeat slows and her fear recedes. Like my gentle words have just as much power as my menacing ones.
Everything is changing. And even though change is not only inevitable, but welcome—I have been stuck in a curse for thousands of years, after all—it’s scary for me too. I want things to change. I do. I want to be rid of these duties, and this curse, and all the boundaries that have been drawn around my life.
But at the same time, the sanctuary is my home. Even more so now that Pie is here. When she said we can’t break the curse or we will no longer be safe, I got a weird feeling inside my chest. It took me a moment to identify this feeling as relief. And then another moment to feel guilty about that relief.
One day this will end. That’s for sure. All things end. It’s the way of the world.
But I’m not ready for that end. Not yet. I just want a quiet life with Pie. And maybe Tomas. I’m kind of used to him. I want to explore the hallways, and dance our way through exciting moments in history, and then come home and sleep next to Pie in our magical forest inside my tomb. I want us to take our time with the doorways and the rings. I want it to be an adventure of a lifetime.