Page 25 of Lost in the Fog

Zhin looked over at Knur. “We are doomed.”

He chuckled. “We always were. Canapé?”

She laughed, and they had their first picnic in front of the empty fireplace with purple flames dancing merrily. The tour that followed was interesting, and then they took some photos before heading off to the next house and the next picnic.

It was actually a fun way to spend the afternoon.

Chapter Five

Pandora sat cross-leggedin her slacks and said, “So, what is for dessert?”

Zhin smiled and grabbed the last basket. “Knur said you liked stuff from this bakery, so we made a stop. We also got coffee because you are known to consume it wholesale.”

Knur smiled. “Said the woman who owns the shop.”

“Regis would know. She used to be my boss.”

Zhin brought boxes out and started to flip them open. “Okay, so now is the time to tell us what happened.”

“Fine, but you are going to get mad. I remember roaring and screaming, and it wasn’t me.”

Knur raised a hand. “That was me.”

Zhin lifted his hand. “And me. They had us shackled to a wall the moment they took you to play their twisted game.”

She chuckled. “That didn’t turn out right for them.”

Knur asked softly, “What happened?”

“He held me over the crevice, dangled me over nothing. I started to claw at his arm and finally made it through that leather armour and into flesh. He didn’t like that. He tried to drop me. I didn’t let him. I dug both my hands into his forearm, and he tried to shake me off like a dog with a rabbit, but I didn’t let go. He tried to lean forward and throw me, but I didn’t let him do that either. I caught the crevasse edge with my feet and pushed back, overbalancing him into a fall that seemed to take forever.” She took one of the raspberry chocolate cupcakes. “He hit the ground hard, and I shattered into fog.”

She sipped at her coffee and nibbled at the cupcake.

Zhin said softly, “What next?”

“I learned to see, to feel, and I drained all the moisture out of the corpse because the cave was dry. I was trapped. I remained trapped, learning how to move and how to use the senses I had. I couldn’t climb. I didn’t move that way. My maximum height is about eighteen inches like that, unless there is a stiff wind.” She kept eating and got one of the blueberry lemon cupcakes.

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