Activity

Avin

The girl didn’t say anything for a moment, and Avin wondered if he’d frightened her. Then she began talking. Slowly at first, but faster as her words sketched her home and family. Suddenly she stopped. He could see her grin sheepishly in the darkness.  “Sorry, I can go on and on when I start talking. It runs in the family.” she said.

Avin shrugged and prepared to reply, but she asked, “So, what about you? Where would you want to be?”

Avin smiled a little sadly, and something like guilt shot through him that his first answer wasn’t Home, like it should have been. What he called home now wasn’t what he used to call home. Now it was a mansion, with servants,  plenty to eat, and work he was still learning to like.

Home as it used to be was a stand of fir trees, or the rocky streams in the mountain foothills, or a stretch of open prairie just northwest of the capitol. Or wherever Big Jack was. [Big Jack is Avin’s mentor].

“Here is about as good as any place.” his voice was still quite, but it had become flat; almost hard. he suddenly seemed to realize it and tried again. “I like the woods too. I used to call them home, if you can believe that.”

As Enydd was answering, a shout rang out through the room. “Everyone get back! Get out of the room!”

Avin took the room at a glance. In the corner opposite him was a huge swarm of bugs, but he couldn’t see where they came from or what they were doing. All he could tell is that they were angry. Angry and numerous enough to kill.

“I think we should go, Enydd.” His voice was still quite, but there was a note of urgency and command in it now that couldn’t be ignored.

Enydd looked around. “Where?”

The others were making for a door in the wall, but as he watched, the bugs swerved, moving after them. There wasn’t time to follow; they would be lucky if they made it in time. Then he saw it: a stream coating the wall behind her, coming from a crevice and a ledge. If they could reach that, the bugs wouldn’t be able to reach them.

“There!” He ran toward her, eyes glued to the place.

@inkhorn feel free to change anything, and we can draw out the conversation longer if that would be more desirable.