Page 11 of Sanctuary

“Do you have a name, or is that a secret?”

“Finn.”

“And lo, he opens his mouth and sounds come forth.” Roman shook his head. “Do I need to let someone know where you are? Is anybody worried about you? Did you run away from home?”

“No.”

“Is that no to a particular question or to all three?”

“No to all three. My sister will find me. She will come for me.”

“Oh, good. Then we’ll just have to wait for your sister. But you must understand one thing. Some of the people tracking you can’t track anyone anymore. That’s a heavy burden. If I have to start taking lives, we’ll revisit this conversation. Killing cannot be done lightly, and I’ll need to know why I’m doing it.”

No response.

“Are you hungry?” Roman asked.

Finn nodded.

“Well, let’s get you and your hound fed.”

3

Roman pulled the smaller pot off the stove and set it on a trivet. “Hand me that stack of bowls over there, will you?”

Finn brought the bowls over. Roman lifted the lid and scooped the rice, cubed venison, and soft veggie mess into the top bowl and handed it to Finn. The boy looked at the food, clearly torn between hunger and being grossed out.

“It’s not for you. This is for Trigger. And this smaller one is for your puppy.”

Finn blinked. “Can dogs have carrots?”

“Dogs are omnivores. Carrots are good for them, and these two need a quick punch of energy to recover, so some brown rice will do them good, too. Now cats are a different story.”

Smoke swirled, and Kor popped into existence on the table, his long, fluffy tail curling around the bowls.

Roman waved at him. “Off the table.”

Kor purred.

“What kind of cat is he?” Finn asked.

“Kor isn’t a cat. He’s a korgorusha. They have a mind of their own, like cats. When they love you, they protect your house and property and bring you presents they steal from the neighbors. When they’re mad at you, they’ll claw your pillows and break your dishes.”

Roman ran his hand along Kor’s soft back, sending a bit of smoke curling up from his black fur, worked his fingers under the front left paw, and raised it. Wicked claws shot out of the fur and curled around his finger. “Iron claws.”

The kid opened his eyes wide. “Really?”

“No. But they might as well be. They’re magic. There is no cutting these. You’d need a hoof trimmer. Trust me, when he claws someone, they know it.”

Kor purred louder, his eyes small glowing slits.

Roman gave him another pet.

“Are you going to feed him?”

“He takes care of his own food. But I’m going to treat him.”

Roman pulled a bottle of milk out of the refrigerator, poured a bit into a bowl, and set it in front of the korgorusha. “Feed the dogs, Finn. We feed the animals first, then we feed ourselves.”

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