A Debt; A Conversation...

 

Hey Everyone!! 😊

Happy Friday! :-) Since we've all made it through the week, I thought I'd share a little peek at Fairie to help get your weekend off to a good start. Enjoy! 😉

Excerpt from Bound by the Summer Prince:

The cool trickle of water was the first sensation Roni became aware of.  Somehow she had been turned onto her back, and the blessed nectar was being dribbled into her mouth. This must be heaven, was her first thought.  Her second thought was that some of the water had missed her mouth and run down her neck.  It was cold and itchy, and she didn’t think heaven would be either of those things.

Opening her eyes, she looked up to see a hooded figure standing over her and slowly pouring the contents of her (now full) canteen into her mouth.  Seeing that she was awake, the figure withdrew a couple of steps and handed the canteen to Roni.

Sitting up and taking the water, Roni began to gulp it down.

“Drink it slowly, or you will become ill.” The figure cautioned.

Roni stopped drinking, choking a bit from the speed with which she had tried to swallow the water, and looked at her savior.  The voice had been female, but somehow indistinct.  She wasn’t tall or short, but somewhere in the middle, and Roni couldn’t get a sense of her age at all.  Her hood was attached to a cloak that fell to her feet, and her stance and body language could indicate any age, from young adult to aged crone.  The hood that concealed her face was impenetrable.

“You saved me.”

“Yes.”

“Who are you?”

“You may call me Dee.”

“Dee. Just Dee?”

“That will do for now.”

Roni thought that over.  The other female’s opaqueness, both in appearance and in answers, should make her suspicious.  But for some reason she felt an absolute certainty that she could trust this female.  “Okay, Dee, thank you.  I owe you my life.”

“Do you?  How will you pay such a debt?”

Taken aback, Roni asked uncertainly; “How would you want me to pay it?”

The strange female sat on the ground a few feet away from Roni, her feet tucked under her, and said; “I would like you to speak with me a while.”

Looking at her, Roni said; “That’s all?  You want me to talk to you?  About what?”

“Oh, whatever comes to mind will do.”

“Um…okay.”  Roni took another sip from the canteen and dug the rest of the food out of her bag.  She offered some to Dee, but the other female shook her head. “How did you find me?”

Somehow giving the sense that she was smiling, though her face remained completely concealed, the female replied; “I have a talent for finding those who are lost.”

Thinking about that while she chewed, Roni swallowed and said; “Do you know of a way out of here?”

“What do you mean by ‘here’?”

“Huh?”

“Well, do you mean ‘here’ as in this specific place? Or do you mean ‘here’ as in the Summer kingdom? Or is it the forest you mean? Or Fairie itself? The answer to all of those questions is yes, but I was curious as to which you meant.”

Roni thought about what the other female had said, and realized she didn’t have an answer. “I’m not sure.” she said before she knew she had spoken. Surprised that she had spoken her uncertainty aloud, she turned astonished eyes on her companion. One of the first lessons she had ever learned on the street was to never give the appearance of uncertainty; that opened the door for others to try to steer your actions. And Roni always wanted to be the one doing the steering.

Want to find out which way Dee steers Roni? Grab your copy at the link below. Happy reading! 😊

Bound by the Summer Prince