Enchantment (20 page)

She
turned
and
sat
down
on
the
m
a
ttress.
“Catz,
I’m
j
u
st
going
to
l
a
y
down
for
a
while,
and
w
hen
I
wake
up,
I’m
s
ure
this
will
have
all
been
a
bad
drea
m
.
None
of
this
can
be
true.
Why
is this
happening
to
m
e
?
”
Placing
her
head
on
the
pillow
and
tight
l
y
closing
her
e
y
es,
she
let
sleep rescue
her.

Chapter
Eight

The
pal
m
s
of
Kerrigan’s
hands
bore
the
holes
where
his
claws
had
dug
in.
The
primal
beast inside h
i
m
wanted
s
atisfaction…wa
n
ted
her.
S
he
w
a
s
quite
liter
a
l
l
y
out
of
this
world.
He
wanted to
claim
every
inch
of
her
lush
bo
d
y
until
she
surrendered
to
him
and
him
alone.
Eve
r
y
second near
her,
te
m
p
t
ation
engulfed
hi
m
.

H
i
s
m
o
ther
stood
outside
the
door
with
her
hands
twisted
in
her
apron,
her
br
o
wn
e
y
e
s searching
for
s
o
m
e kind
of
answer.
“Is
she
oka
y
? I
heard...scuffling
and
y
e
l
l
ing
.
”

“She’ll
be
oka
y
.
I’ll
m
ake
s
ure
of
that.
I
believe
Catz
is
telling
her
s
he’s
not
in
her
own
w
orld
a
n
y
m
o
r
e
.
I
real
l
y
don’t
kn
o
w
h
o
w
that
will
go
over,
but
it’s
best
if
she
hears
it
from
one
s
he
trusts.”

Paddy
waddled
up
closer
to
him
and
s
poke
with
m
othe
rl
y
concern.
“She
s
e
e
m
s to
have
so
m
e kind
of
effect
on
y
o
u
. I
can see
it in
y
o
ur e
y
e
s
. Be
careful, Kerrigan.”

He
chuckled
rueful
l
y
.
“It’s
best
if
y
o
u
and
Dad
don’t
check
on
them
an
y
mo
r
e
unle
s
s
I’m here.
She’ll
expect
y
o
u
to
be
hu
m
an.”
Kerrigan
turned
to
leave.
“
The
Cou
n
selors
have
so
m
e explaining
to
do.
I’ll
be
back
shortly
to
check
on
the
Upper
Worlders.”

Kerrigan
closed
the
door
and
stared
at
the
slow,
rolling
waves
of
the
pond
in
front
of
his parents’
ho
m
e.
With
a
m
u
t
tered
curse,
he
started
along
the
walkwa
y
.
He
would
need
to
clear
his head
before
m
ee
t
ing
with
the
Council.
He
w
anted
a
n
swers,
but
not
a
confrontation
with
a
bunch of
old
warlocks
and
witches.

The
Upper
World
had
powers,
and
for
so
m
e
reason,
he
hadn’t
been
infor
m
ed
of
that.
The time had
come to
face the past.
He
needed to
learn the
truth about his parents and how he'd
co
m
e to
be
there,
in
Enchantment.
He
ignored
the
fact
he
w
a
s
h
i
m
self
a
foreigner.
Enchanters
were forbidden
to
s
peak
about
it,
because
it
would
a
d
m
it
the
Counselors
had
broken
one
of
their
own precious
rules.
Rules
m
eant to
be
kept,
at
all
cost.

He
could
deal
with
the
wo
r
st
de
m
onic
spells—rotting
flesh
and
nasty
creatures—but
the warrior
in
h
i
m
disappeared
when
it
w
a
s
his
own
life
he
needed
to
confront.
It
w
as
w
hat
it
w
as. He’d
confront
his
fears
and
learn,
once
and
for
all,
why
his
parents
abandoned
hi
m
.

It
was
turning
out
to
be
one hell
of
a da
y
.

* * * *

In
the
distance,
the
ci
t
y
center
stood
out
with
the
Counselors’
Realm
towering
over
all
else, peaks
upon
peaks
of
c
r
y
s
tal
shining
bright
l
y
through
the
s
k
y
.
Turrets
enco
m
p
assed
the
highest points,
and
garg
o
y
l
es
protected
th
e
m
at
all
t
i
m
es.
The
Enchanter
gargo
y
l
e
s
served
as his warriors.

The
m
assive
doors
groaned
in protest,
but swung inward.
He nodded to
the
two gargo
y
l
e
s
in Enchanter
form
w
ho
stood
inside,
dre
s
sed
in
shining
full
-
body
ar
m
or.
D
evoid
of
all
e
m
otion, both
of
th
e
m
nodded
their
heads
as
Kerrigan
pa
s
sed.

O
n
the
m
ain
level
was
the
training
field
where
dozens
of
gargo
y
l
e
s
practiced
their
skills. Metal
on
m
et
a
l
clashed
and
grunts
of
exertion
rang
out
through
the
air.
Worn
leather
loincloths— the
on
l
y
clothing
th
e
y
w
ore—covered
their
groins.

Kerrigan
scanned
the
field
of
training
warriors,
spotting
St
r
y
k
er
im
m
e
di
a
te
l
y
.
The
captain’s long
hair
w
a
s
wet
from
p
h
y
s
ic
a
l
exertion
as
he
lifted
his
s
word
and
dealt
a
crushing
blow
to
the poor
gargo
y
le
cringing
before
hi
m
.
Flipping
backward
through
the
air,
he
quick
l
y
and
graceful
l
y landed
fir
m
l
y
on
his
feet,
sweeping
his
s
parring
partner’s
legs
out
from
underneath
h
i
m
.
The point
of
the
s
w
ord
glistened at
his
opponent’s
throat.
With
a
s
m
i
le,
his
captain re
m
oved the
threat of
the
sword
and
extended a
hand to
the
poor
warrior on
the
ground.
He
began with
praise,
w
hich effective
l
y
lead
into
suggestions
on
w
a
y
s the
y
o
u
ng
warrior
could
i
m
pro
v
e.