Curse of the Stars Book 1

Chapter 29

Chapter XXIX

Fyran was busy scrubbing an especially stubborn piece of steel cut oat from one of the stained wooden tables when the door to the Pub flew open and a gust of wicked cold wind flew through her peach skirts.

She squealed and grabbed the edges of her dress and the wind disappeared just as abruptly as the door slammed shut behind the newcomer. Everyone looked up from their work in surprise, including a couple of the paying customers with ale smeared across their beards.

A boy cloaked with piles of frost nipped coats and scarves tromped in, dripping snow all over the floorboards. He was holding something brown, stained red in his grasp and some of it was leaking from his fingers.

"What on earth?!" Jaje exclaimed as she rushed over. "You're staining the floor! What is that?! For God's sake, get that thing out of here! Absolutely NO animals are allowed in here! Can't you read?!"

"Sorry..." Vaekan muttered.

Fyran gasped and rushed over to look at his bundle.

"It's injured. Really really injured." Vaekan looked up and his eyes seemed to shudder. "It needs help. Please."

Jaja looked uncertain as she stared at the two of them. "You know this guy?"

"He's...yeah." Fyran stuttered. "My friend..."

Jaja sighed. "Bring it into the laundry room. And try not to get any blood on the floor!" She rushed off to get towels and other supplies and Sylv brought over one she had found closest to her and held it under the creature as Vaekan carried it through the double doors that led to the laundry room.

"I found it in the snow. Another victim of Leviathan." Vaekan breathed excitedly as they set the creature down on a warm towel and Jaje and Sylv wrapped it in towels to staunch the bleeding.

"You...what?" Fyran's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. "You mean you didn't kill it?"

"I can't find it!" Vaekan exclaimed and Fyran shushed him. "It's always one step ahead of me. I feel like he's playing with me. He's so elusive. It's like he leaves little trails and clues about his being there, and they're always fresh, but just as I think I'm finally going to catch up to him, he disappears again—Oh! Nice dress by the way, where'd you get it?"

Fyran blushed. "Nevermind! What am I supposed to do now?! I thought you could do this. We can't go back to town till we have it. Your father will never let you out of his sight again!"

Vaekan shook his head and gave Jaje and Sylv a worried look. "Can we talk in private?"

"There's a bleeding fox on the floor, I think we should focus on that first." Fyran pointed out.

Vaekan was silent as the three girls continued to run back and forth to get more towels. Jaje had brought some medical supplies as well, and looked a little put out that she was using them on an injured animal—as they were probably not cheap, as she mixed a poultice together and applied it to the wound.

"There." She said after she finished her work. "His wounds are deep and he's lost a lot of blood. I hope these don't go to waste." She gathered up her jars and left the room to put them away.

Sylv was a little shaken but she regained herself quickly. "Poor thing." She cooed. "What's this about Leviathan? I thought it was just a story?" Her eyes were two watery pebbles as she looked to Vaekan for comfort.

"It's no story." Vaekan just muttered. Sylv gasped and her face drained of colour as she left the room.

"Good going." Fyran hissed. "You want to scare everyone?!"