Wednesday, September 28, 2005

   Chapter 9: Gerrit (part 2)
“Oh dear,” Panda said, eyeing the dragon. “That’s where she went!”
“Didn’t she tell you where she was?” Pen asked him.
“Nope. But it’s okay. She’s still young and she needs to have attention.”
“What will happen to her when we get to University?” Lucifer asked curiously.
“She’ll stay there, for the time being,” Panda answered. “She has to get used to being around our people more before she can be sent out as a real king’s dragon.”
“Can she be with us, for now?”
“Of course. She’s a sweet little creature.”
Keion snorted suddenly and jerked his head around. Akana was coming from the direction of the port-town, followed by a man bearing a huge battle-ax in his hands that was as tall as he. As he drew closer to them, Pen noticed that he wore only a plain t-shirt and pants; his feet were bare.
“Well, if it isn’t Gerrit the Earthbound!” Panda exclaimed, walking forward to meet him. Up close, Pen saw that he had brown hair that stuck up straight, as well as hazel eyes and strange skin. It looked rough and tan, like carved stone.
“Hello, Panda. Is this the University Caravan?” he asked, shaking hands with him while looking around at the boat-tents waking up.
“Yes. We’ll be staying in town for a few days. Do you want to stick around for a little while?”
“That’s what I had been thinking, actually,” Gerrit responded. “I’m not a huge fan of walking through rain.”
Pen had caught his eyes, but Gerrit’s attempt to meet him was utterly interrupted.
“Gerrit!!” yelled the voice that Pen least wanted to hear at that point in time. Nomei came sliding up the slope, her shoes skidding against the wet grass. “I knew you would come!! What’re you doing here? Were you just passing through? Will you stay with us while we’re here?”
Poor Gerrit could not help but endure her pounding of questions.
“Nomei!” Panda barked finally, breaking into her incessant string of talk. “You need to go gather up the kids.” When she gave him a sad look, he added, “Now!”
As she slinked away, Gerrit only shook his head at her, before turning his attention back to Pen. “You must be Pen,” he said. He didn’t offer his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” A frown crossed his dark-skinned face.
“Is something the matter?” Lucifer asked carefully.
“It’s so odd,” Gerrit told them, speaking deliberately. “There is no angel or elvish magic that can achieve such evil to a soul, and yet I can’t sense even a drop of wildness in you, Penumbra. But there is something…”
A drop of rain fell, almost experimentally, on Keion’s beak. The griffon growled at it.
“Uh oh,” Panda started. “We’d better get moving before the clouds open up again.”
The soldiers were hurrying the kids out of the boats and gathering them at the path to the town. As soon as they were all together—most of them still looking asleep—they herded them into the port, where two inns happily accepted them.
Lucifer and Pen shared a room again, this time in the accompaniment of Sasheeta, which closely resembled the other chamber they had stayed in. This one, however, had stone walls (angels preferred stone to wood) and the window, overlooking the town, was larger. At the moment, rain was obscuring the view, leaving only the shadows of the rooftops of the port houses.
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