Rolling flat onto his back, Drake shuddered. Then he inhaled deeply. He stared up at the night sky. “We’re going to win,” he said, his voice calmer, less strained. “This is nothing. Keep going. They...

How do you kill something that’s already dead?Nobody knows enough about them. Ask Jason. He’ll have an opinion.Wait a moment. Rachel could see Corinne talking to Jason, but they were too far ahead to hear....

Ew, sicko. I was practicing Edomic.””Sure you were,” Jason said. “You’re just too embarrassed to admit you were playing hide-and-seek all alone. Rachel hiding, nobody seeking.

Jason glanced at the creature. It remained the same distance away as before, still as a statue.”What do you want?” Jason asked.No answer.”Are you the thing that followed Tark? You should keep following him. He’s...

If we can expect another journey tomorrow, we should secure horses,” Ferrin went on. “And if the sun will be shining, perhaps a goat for Aram.””Keep it up,” Aram dared him through clenched teeth.”Is a...

Jason and Ferrin turned. Aram, face shiny with sweat, pulled a small pair of pants over his skinny legs. His shrunken hands trembled.Ferrin struggled not to smile. He was unsuccessful.Ferrin’s involuntary grin forced Jason to...

It was an emergency!” Seth blurted. “Read my lips – emergency reading – not some demented idea of fun. If I was starving, I would eat asparagus. If somebody held a gun to my head,...

Not that I lack confidence in the outcome,” Ferrin said, “but would you consider entrusting the piece of my neck to somebody who is not about to confront one of the most deadly beings in...

You look tired,” Rachel told Jason.”I wish I could jog and sleep at the same time.””Can’t you?” Ferrin asked, joining them at the little cascade. “I always imagined that you could sleep rolling down a...

What if a pair of us head off on our own?” Nollin proposed, panting. “A small detachment might avoid detection.””It’s a gamble,” Ferrin said. “If the duo gets noticed, they’ll be defenseless. Who’d you have...

He’s stubborn,” Tux warned in a singsong tone.”Stay out of this,” Mark spat.”And touchy,” Tux added.

You don’t know how to respond,” Ferrin said. “I’ll make it easy for you. The safest course of action for your young rebellion would be to toss me off the tallest cliff you can find....

Please,” Kendra said. “Think of all the lives that will be destroyed.””I have,” Mark said. “Believe me, darling, I grasp all aspects of this, I really do. But how much has the public I’m protecting...

You have been spying all along,” Conrad said, unconvinced. “The manhunt for you was a ruse.””Check with the emperor,” Ferrin replied coolly…. “That will not take long,” said a man in the corner, studiously picking...

And you came back to Lyrian?” Galloran said in disbelief.”Believe it or not, I came through the same hippopotamus that brought me here the first time. Jumped into the tank on purpose. I wanted to...

Then don’t ask us to share your weakness!” Jason interrupted.

Yes, we have different viewpoints represented among us,” she continued. “Yes, we have a displacer in our number, and a half giant, and a seedman who publicly disgraced us.””She’s talking about you,” Drake muttered to...