Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
We pushed on, putting more distance between us and the capital while heading south toward Wolfrest and Lockeheim. We followed the main road without actually being on it. A few times we spotted Galinaes soldiers on patrol, but it didn’t appear as if they were searching for us in particular.
As night fell, Adeline and Nylian directed us farther away from the road, locating a thickly wooded area for us to make camp and a fire without worrying about catching the attention of anyone insane enough to travel at night.
It was only when Nylian and Adeline stepped away to hunt for a late dinner that I finally cornered Jasper about what happened in Ulmenor.
“You know I have to ask,” I drawled, flashing him my most ingratiating smile. At least, it would have been on my old face. I wasn’t quite sure what it looked like on this new face, but at least he didn’t run off into the woods screaming.
“What?” Jasper’s head snapped up from where he’d been trying to assist Binx in making what looked to be a nest of leaves and soft flower blossoms.
“What the hell happened in Ulmenor? A building blows up, and you’ve got a wizard chipmunk in your hair. That might be a normal day for you, but that’s still a bit out of the ordinary for me.”
He swallowed and dropped his gaze to the chipmunk, who was moving things around to where he wanted them. “Oh…yeah…not an ordinary day for me, either.”
“Are you okay? Do Nylian and I need to go to Ulmenor and beat someone’s ass? Or should I step on the rodent for you?”
A series of high-pitched chirps left the tiny furry creature, its short tail standing straight up and twitching in its agitation. With a small grin, Jasper scooped up the chipmunk in one hand and stroked his fur with the other, calming him. “No, that’s unnecessary. I…” He paused and let out a sigh that sounded as if it had come from the very depths of his soul.
I held up a hand to stop anything else from slipping out of his mouth. “Jasper, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I just wanted to make sure you and Adeline were okay.”
“No, it’s okay. Bad day.” He huffed a sickly laugh. “Really bad day. We got off the boat okay and across town, where I’d heard rumors of Master Binx. That he was willing to help new wizards in their studies. He wasn’t too keen on taking me, but I convinced him. Unfortunately, Master Binx wasn’t the only wizard in the workshop. There was also Master Kolman. While I was working with Master Binx, Adeline was catching up on some sleep. I ran to the room where my stuff was stored and found him…bothering…my sister. Except she wasn’t kicking his ass like she normally would. I…I…”
“And you were afraid that she was holding back because of you. That she was afraid of ruining your chance to get a mentor,” I filled in for him.
“Yeah,” he mumbled. He put the chipmunk on the ground, only to have it scramble up his pant leg again and rest on his knee. “I’m not exactly sure what happened next. I lost my temper. The building exploded. Master Kolman was gone, Master Binx was a chipmunk, and we were running for our lives.”
“That is an impressive day you had.”
“I never meant to hurt anyone or blow up an entire building,” Jasper said.
I reached out and put a hand on his too-slender shoulder and squeezed. “You did it to protect your sister. Sounds like Master Kolman got what was coming to him.”
“Yeah, but Master Binx got caught in the crossfire somehow, and I don’t know how to fix him.” The young wizard sighed at the chipmunk, who appeared surprisingly happy and chipper for being a wizard trapped as a tiny rodent.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Or maybe we can find another wizard to help.” I dropped my hand from his shoulder and picked up a long stick to poke at the logs in the fire. “For now, he gets the luxury of riding on your head or in your pocket while the rest of us get to walk.”
“Oh! I almost forgot!” Jasper’s shout had me jumping almost to my feet. As it was, the stick in my hand swung wildly around as I searched for the would-be attacker lurking at the edge of our camp. “You and the prince were trying to sneak into the palace and get information about his brother’s killer. Did you learn anything? Did the king and queen have something to do with Prince Orian’s death?”
I slumped on the log serving as my seat and willed my heart to return to a somewhat normal rhythm. This kid was gonna be the death of me. Or he was just going to change me into some animal. Either way, not good.