Page 70 of Heir of Ashes

“What would you suggest?” I asked curiously.

Ah, there it was—the triumph.

“I cannot think of anything you could offer that would be of use to me. Let’s see,” she said, placing her index finger over her lower lip. “How about we leave it as an open favor?” she proposed at last, clasping her hands together in an excited gesture.

I shook my head. “I have to know what I’m agreeing to, or it’s nothing.”

“Nothing, then,” she replied coolly.

Frustration surged through me. What could I offer this woman to return me to my world without making a colossal mistake? There was no point in surviving the Low Lands only to become a slave to this woman. Maybe I’d have been better off with Remo Drammen.

I knelt in front of the creature in the lead, holding back a wince when I found myself level with its inhuman gaze. I stared directly into its shell-shaped black eyes. “What can you do for me?”

It didn’t answer.

“What’s your name?” I tried again with the same result.

It just sat there, staring at me. There were three dime-sized spots that vaguely resembled a triangle just below its right eye.

After a moment of silence, I looked at Lee over my shoulder and accused, “You lied. It doesn’t understand me.”

Anger darkened the emerald green of her eyes and made her cheeks flush. “I do not lie. You should remember that, for I will not tolerate impertinence and insolence twice.” She inclined her head toward the creature. “He does not answer because he has yet to gain permission to speak, and he does not have a name.”

I turned back to the creature and asked, “Would you like me to give you a name? Something I can call you?”

It didn’t answer. Frustrated, I said, “You have permission to address me freely, whenever you like.” The creature’s ears flickered again, like that of an obedient puppy.

I looked back at Lee and found her watching us with a curious expression. “Is that good?”

She inclined her head.

“How about I call you Frizz?” I asked the little creature.

Its lips parted, showcasing two rows of sharp little teeth, and for a moment, I thought it was going to strike. Then it hissed, “Friiiizzzzzzzzz,” and began beating its small wings, stretching its legs, gaining a foot of height, and then crouching back down, just to repeat the process over again. “Friiizzzzz! Friiizzzzz! Friiiizzzzzz!”

After a couple of seconds, I realized it was jumping in excitement. I exhaled in relief and lost my train of thought when I noticed eleven pairs of eyes focused on me expectantly.

“What?” I asked, scrambling up and taking a step back. “What is it?”

“They’re waiting for their turn to be named. This is fascinating,” Lee’s voice was amused, but I didn’t take my eyes off the little creatures.

“Uh, okay. I can do that. Um, let’s see …” I turned to the creature at the edge of the semicircle and racked my brain for another name. “How about Taz?” I pointed at it.

Like Frizz, its ears flickered—like an antenna receiving a transmission—one of which was missing the tip. It hissed, “Taaazzz,” beating its wings and stretching its twig-thin legs over and over. “Taaazzz! Taaazzzz!” On and on it hissed, and the other unnamed creatures began beating their wings in unison.

“Okay. You’re Sylvester, and you’re Tweety, Bugs Bunny …” Now what did that say about the state of my mind? I was giving names of Warner Bros characters to a bunch of carnivorous creatures.

Well, who would know?But try as I might, I couldn’t remember any more names. My mind was blank—a white canvas missing the brush—and I still had seven more to go. They all buzzed loudly above their named fellows, waiting for their turns.

I racked my mind for a minute, but nothing came up. Then I had an idea, and I pointed at the next unnamed creature. “Okay. You’ll be Happy, and you’ll be Grumpy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful, Dopey, and Doc.”

It finally happened, Roxy. You lost your mind.I had a bunch of demonic cartoon characters jumping up and down, cheering me on, and I was feeling so very proud of myself.Yeah, I was a mess.

“Frizz?” I asked, and the little thing stopped jumping and focused. So did the other eleven.

“Can all of you together do something to get me back to my world?”

“No,” it hissed. It had a forked tongue. I held back a shudder.

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