Michael reworked my brochure for a winter package, pointing out that the bridle paths through The Jumble would also be great for cross-country skiing. I’m not sure if we’ll get any bookings, but it’s worth a try—as long as the terra indigene don’t see humans on skis as a new toy to chase and nibble.
Julian found a couple of snow gliders—round thingies that were smaller and more lightweight than wooden sleds and could be used for sliding down a hill. The first day we got a few inches of snow, Lara and the Crows were out on the slope that ended at the beach, sliding and laughing until the adults standing watch got cold and made them all come inside.
Sproing and all the residents who lived around Lake Silence would recover, but I don’t think anyone will forget again how fast the terra indigene react to a threat—or who comes calling when humans don’t behave.
Two weeks after I was “almost dead donkey”—a phrase I’m sure will never be forgotten—two boxes arrived from the Lakeside Courtyard. One was filled with baked goods from a place called Nadine’s Bakery. The other was filled with new books. I’d heard of some of the authors but hadn’t purchased their newest titles because I didn’t want Julian to feel obliged to underwrite my book-buying habit more than he already did. And there were some authors I’d never heard of and wasn’t sure Julian had either, because the publishers were located in other parts of Thaisia.
When it came to books, someone in Lakeside had a very good pipeline.
Inside the box with the books was a note. An apology of sorts that read:
Ilya told Vlad that I scared you so much I made you sick, and Meg says I should tell you I’m sorry.
Meg was bleeding, so I’m not sorry I snarled.
Now that Nicolai has told us the story about how you helped him and the Hunter even though you were almost dead donkey, I am a little sorry I snarled at you. (Since everyone agrees that you’re human, we don’t understand about the donkey. Must be a human thing.)
Vlad and I are sending you these books as a way to say sorry for snarling at you and making you sick. I will try not to snarl next time, if there is a next time.
—Simon Wolfgard
P.S. Meg said I need to work on how humans say sorry. I said giving you books is better.
As I tucked in on cold nights with a cup of hot chocolate and a book—and sometimes with Julian as well—I decided I liked Simon Wolfgard’s way of apologizing just fine.
GEOGRAPHY AND OTHER INFORMATION
Afrikah
Australis
Brittania / Wild Brittania
Cel-Romano / Cel-Romano Alliance of Nations
Felidae
Fingerbone Islands
Storm Islands
Thaisia
Tokhar-Chin
Zelande
Great Lakes—Superior, Tala, Honon, Etu, and Tahki
Feather Lakes / Finger Lakes (not all of them are named in this story)—Silence, Crystal, Prong, Senneca
River—Talulah / Talulah Falls
Addirondak
Rocky
Bennett—western town near the Elder Hills
Bristol—human town located on Crystal Lake
Crystalton—Intuit town located on Crystal Lake
Ferryman’s Landing—Intuit village located on Great Island
Hubb NE (aka Hubbney)—human-controlled city; the government for the Northeast Region is located there
Lakeside—human-controlled city on the northeastern end of Lake Etu
Putney—human town located on Prong Lake
Ravendell—human/Intuit town located on Senneca Lake
Sproing—human village located near Lake Silence
Talulah Falls—human city
Toland—human-controlled city on the East Coast
Earthday (a spiritual day and a day of rest)
Moonsday
Sunsday
Windsday
Thaisday
Firesday
Watersday
Janius
Febros
Viridus
Aprillis
Maius
Juin
Sumor
Messis
Frais
Grau
Novembros
Dormente
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Horace and Hector Adams—owners of the stables
Sheridan Ames—owner of Ames Funeral Home, along with her brother Samuel
Jane Argyle—postmistress
Pops Davies—owner of the general store
Victoria “Vicki” DeVine—owner/caretaker of The Jumble and the Reader for the terra indigene settlement
Paulo Diamante—attorney
Julian Farrow—owner of Lettuce Reed
Fred and Larry—owners of the bait-and-tackle shop
Helen Hearse—manager of Come and Get It, the village diner
Gershwin Jones—owner of Grace Notes
Silas and Ethel Milford—fruit growers
Bertram Roundtree—mayor of Sproing
Dr. Steven Wallace—junior partner at the medical office; medical examiner
Ellen C. Wilson and her son, Theodore
Dominique Xavier—works for Ineke
Ineke Xavier—runs the boardinghouse
Paige Xavier—works for Ineke
Maxwell—Ineke’s border collie (no one told him he isn’t human)
Captain Douglas Burke—patrol captain in Lakeside
Wayne Grimshaw—Sproing’s chief of police
Captain Walter Hargreaves—patrol captain, Bristol Police Station
Detective Samuel Kipp—leader of the Bristol Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU)
Officer David Osgood—works with Grimshaw
Richard Cardosa
Fred and Wilma Cornley
Edward Janse
Peter Lynchfield
Ben Malacki
Jenna McKay
Rodney Roash
David Shuman
Ian Stern
Michael Stern
Meg Corbyn—blood prophet, Lakeside Courtyard
Constance Dane—Yorick Dane’s second wife
Yorick Dane—Vicki DeVine’s ex-husband
Adam Fewks—student
Greg O’Sullivan—agent in the Investigative Task Force
Tom Saulner—teenage boy; aka Hatchet Head
Jesse Walker—Intuit, Prairie Gold
Hope Wolfsong—blood prophet, Sweetwater
Aiden—a Fire Elemental
Air—an Elemental
Bobcat—Lynxgard
Conan Beargard—Black Bear
Coyote—Coyotegard
Crowbones—Elder and Hunter
Agatha Crowgard (aka Aggie Crowe)
Civil Crowgard
Clara Crowgard
Eddie Crowgard
Jozi Crowgard
Serious Crowgard
Earth—an Elemental
Elders—old, powerful forms; are called Namid’s teeth and claws
The Five—Elders
The Lady of the Lake—a Water Elemental
Robert “Cougar” Panthera—Panthergard
The Ponies: Fog, Twister, and Whirlpool
Boris Sanguinati—Ilya’s driver
Erebus Sanguinati—leader of all the Sanguinati in the Northeast Region of Thaisia