Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 540(@250wpm)___ 450(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 540(@250wpm)___ 450(@300wpm)
So aye, I totally understand her tears. She thought she was going to be repeating for quite some time. To be in the guild now, able to take a name, able to earn a wage…it’s the best. I hug her close and smile at Mereden and the children in the audience.
Sparrow races toward us, beaming. She hugs me and then Lark, and even Arrod. She drops to her knees by Kipp and flings her arms out. “Can I hug you? Just this once?”
He shrugs and allows her to hug him, his little body stiff. I know it’s not because of the ceremony. He’s thrilled to be graduating. His lady friend is in the audience, and I caught him blowing subtle kisses at her earlier. He just doesn’t like touching humans. But everyone tolerates hugs today. I pat Kipp on his shell house in quiet approval. “Kipp deserves all the credit. If it wasn’t for him acting as our sword, we wouldn’t have gotten as far as we did.”
Kipp preens at my praise, gesturing out at Raptor, who’s coming toward us now that the ceremony is over.
“Oh, him?” I tease, loud enough for my husband to hear. “He’s all right. Don’t tell him that, though, or he’ll get a swelled head.”
In truth, Kipp and Raptor work as an excellent sword and shield for our team. Their opposite sizes serve them well, with Kipp able to race up and down the tunnel walls to do whatever it takes to move ahead or defeat the enemy, and Raptor sweeping through after him, bashing heads and clearing the way for the three humans. Arrod didn’t like being “pushed to the back with the women” at first, but once he saw how effective our team was, he took pride in becoming our gearmaster. He natters on and on in our ears about how much oil our lamp is using or what supplies we’re low on, and takes inventory constantly to ensure that nothing is missed. That leaves Lark as our medic, which she doesn’t mind. Says she picks up tips from Mereden and jokes that she likes to inflict pain as she cleans our wounds.
It means I’m the navigator of our small group. At first I wasn’t too sure how I felt about that, as the navigator is one of the most important positions in a Five. But with the dead whispering in my ears, it’s impossible for me to get lost, and it seems a natural transition for my skills. I haven’t had a chance to use my morning star in combat yet, but it goes everywhere with me, and Master Jay has shown me a few tips and tricks so I can be as effective a fighter as any.
The dead that speak to me are still too noisy. If anything, they’re noisier than ever. But I’m better at directing them with what I want. Oftentimes, they simply want to be heard, and it’s a matter of telling them that I’ll listen to all if they speak one at a time. One at a time, I can deal with.
And if I get a ghost that won’t listen? I have a big Taurian mate who doesn’t mind taking me aside and kissing the five hells out of me until my focus is entirely on him. And if that doesn’t work, well…I also have a ring piercing between my thighs, right on the hood of my clit. It’s a Taurian wedding thing, and just having it there makes everything ultrasensitive. If I have trouble concentrating, I can always squeeze my thighs super tight…which causes a different kind of distraction. But it all works.
Arrod flings his arms around Lark and me, hugging us. “We should go out somewhere to celebrate our new names and our status as official guild artificers!”
Lark politely peels his arm off and strides over to Mereden, kissing her and then picking up her son and carrying him on her hip. “Can we go somewhere kid-friendly?”
“Gods, why?” Arrod sounds horrified.
“Because I want to celebrate this moment with my family at my side, you hollow-brained pumpkin of a man.”
Mereden chuckles, shaking her head. “We can leave if it’s a problem. It’s your celebration.”
“It is,” I agree. “And it is absolutely no bother. You’re part of this crew, too.” I slide out from Arrod’s grasp and pull Sparrow in. “Just like Sparrow and Hawk, and Kipp.”
Everyone looks around for the diminutive slitherskin, but he seems to have disappeared. He reappears a moment later, leading his orange-pink lady friend, Vik. The little messenger gives us a shy wave of greeting, the gleaming thick shell of her house dwarfing her form.
“Vik is invited, too, of course,” I add. “But we need to sign the Book of Names first. I want to get mine recorded and done with.”
“What name did you request?” Arrod asks.