Enchantment (38 page)

Todd
cringed.
“
They
have
to
st
a
y
here!
They
know
how
I
hate
others
in
my
ho
m
e.
S
piteful old
wizards!
W
h
y
can’t
she
st
a
y
with
y
o
u
?
”
He
paused
then
asked,
“
What
kind
of
m
ind
control does
s
he
hav
e
?
”

“Don’t
w
or
r
y
;
I
w
on’t leave
y
o
u
alone with her. I
don’t
for a
m
oment
think
s
he’s
dangerous. Frankl
y
,
she’s
in
m
ore
danger than
y
o
u
are.” His
m
ind
darted
back to the
experience
of her
m
ind control,
and
he
ducked
his
head
to
hide
his
reaction.

Kerrigan
looked
over
at
his
m
other.
S
he
bea
m
ed
with
happiness.
“
O
h,
this
is
great
news. Final
l
y
s
omebo
d
y
to
look
after!
Todd,
y
o
u real
l
y
will
like the
two
of
th
e
m
.”

That
did
not
m
ake
Kerrigan
feel
the
least
bit
co
m
fo
r
table.
He
could
feel
the
weight
of
his father’s
questioning
gaze.
This
topic
had
to
change,
but
Kerrigan
was
filled
with
apprehension. “Mo
m
,
Dad,
tell
m
e about
the
day
I
c
a
m
e
here?
Thalius instructed
m
e to
ask.
It’s
time
I
know.”

Both
Todd
and
Paddy
froze,
uncertain
t
y
in
their
faces.
He
had
to
start
the
dreadful conversation,
one
he
w
a
sn’t
sure
he
wanted
to
hear,
but
had
been
waiting
to
hear
since
he
w
a
s
a bab
y
.

Paddy
gasped,
and
Todd
reached
for
her
paw.
They
both
stopped
and
looked
at
one
another as
if
wondering
w
here
and
how
to
start.
The
couple
both
s
at
in
the
loveseat.
Their
expressions
m
ade it
clear
that
this w
a
s
not
s
o
m
e
thing
th
e
y
had
looked
forward
to.

“Kerrigan,
please
understand
we
love
y
o
u
.
There
is
nothing
that
we
w
ouldn’t—”

“Mo
m
,
I
need
to
know.
Thalius
thinks
that
this
w
o
m
an’s
arrival
is
putting
ever
y
o
n
e
in danger
like
last
time.
Please.”

“Pad
d
y
,
no.
He
needs
to
know.”
Todd
shifted,
his
nails
scratching
at
his
fur.
“In
the
third drawer,
there’s
a
letter.
Please
fetch
it.”

He
flashed
to
the
den
to
retrieve
the
old
worn-out
letter. “Read
it,”
his
father
instructed.

Careful
l
y
and
slowl
y
,
Kerrigan
opened
the
letter.
H
i
s
m
y
s
t
e
rious
life
was
about
to
unfold with
a
letter.
He
sat
stoical
l
y
and
read
the
letter
from
so
long
ago,
the
letter
from
his
biologic
a
l parents.
Time
s
e
e
m
ed
to
stop.
He
m
et
i
culous
l
y
read
each
word
twice.
H
i
s
confusion
turned
to
a warm
glow
as
he
read
their
declarations
of
love,
but
quick
l
y
replaced
the
e
m
otion
with
anger. What
a
joke!
Supposedl
y
,
his
parents
loved
hi
m
,
y
et
they
left
hi
m
.
What
a
way
to
teach
love. Magic
or
no
m
agic,
power
or
no
power,
y
ou
didn’t
abandon
people
y
ou
loved.
He
never
wanted to
see
th
e
m
–
ever
.

“Sweetheart,
are
y
o
u
oka
y
?
”
Taking
a
deep
breath,
he
stood
up.
“
I
should
go.
I
need
to
go get
Threeo
and
grab
s
o
m
e
stuff
from
ho
m
e
so
I
can
stay
here
for
a
f
e
w
nights.
I
j
u
st
need
so
m
e time
to
think.”

* * * *

Before
he
even
got
up
the
stairs
to
the
first
landing,
he
could
hear
Threeo.

“Kerrigan
where
have
y
o
u
been?
It
wasn’t
very
nice
of
y
ou
to
leave
m
e
alone
for
so
long.
Y
ou
should
have
taken
m
e
with
y
o
u.”

He
couldn’t
help
but
s
m
ile,
i
m
agi
n
ing
Threeo’s
indignant
look.

O
n
the
last
step,
he
rounded
the
corner
into
the
den.
Threeo
w
a
s
sitting
on
his
desk, scratching
his
grey
s
kin
with
his
beak.
“
I
shouldn’t
talk
to
y
o
u
.
Here
I’ve
been,
sick
with
w
or
r
y
, despondent
with loneliness, but
y
o
u
just left
m
e
here for
hours on
end.
W
h
y
do
I bother
?
”
With
a huff,
Threeo
puffed
up
his
feathers and
narrowed
his
large
y
e
l
l
ow
e
y
e
s
at
hi
m
.