Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 21341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
If nothing else, I've delighted one person this night.
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
HAEDEN
"Is everyone ready for the maze?" Hassen booms out, swaggering and acting as if he dug the entire thing out of the ground himself. "Who knows what fierce creatures lurk in the depths of the ice!"
"No creatures," the human female Sam calls, stepping forward, cupping her hands to her mouth. "It's just for fun."
At my side, my daughters clutch my hands a little tighter. "Is it going to be scary, Daddy?" Joha asks, a worried expression on her small face. She looks just like her mother in this moment, and it makes me ache to see uncertainty on that tiny brow. On my other side, Shae just chews on her pigtail, watching us to see if she should be frightened or not.
"Not scary," I reassure Joha. As long as she is calm, Shae will be, too. If Joha frets, then Shae will scream and cry and be inconsolable until she is soothed by her mother. Joden has inherited his mother's chattiness, but my sweet Joha has inherited the side of my beloved Jo-see that worries over everything.
"Will you hold my hand the entire time, Daddy?" Joha's voice is wobbly.
My chest puffs out. "I will."
Shae puts her arms up, a sign she wants to be held. I heft her into the air and settle her on the crook of my arm, then offer Joha my other hand. "Daddy will be at your side the entire time. This will be fun, yes?"
"Yes?" Joha sounds uncertain, but she takes a step forward.
We head into the maze, the three of us. Sam beams as we walk past, calling after us. "There is a prize at the center of the maze! See if you can find it!"
"I like prizes," Joha offers timidly.
"Then I bet you'll get it," Sam reassures her and gives me a sympathetic look.
My daughter takes a few steps inside. I can hear voices deeper in the ice maze, and somewhere in there, Joden is talking to Holvek and Masan at high speed. I have barely seen my son this night, save in flashes of excitement as he races back and forth with his friends. I do not mind this, because I want him to be close to his age-mates. They will watch his back for him on hunts and take care of each other. Far better for him to have many friends than to be surly like me.
It is clear that a lot of work has been put into the maze. I am reminded of the trails by the old cave at the end of a brutal season, when the snows were piled so high on either side of the walking path that it made a narrow valley in between two high drifts. It is like that here, but the drifts are so tall that one cannot see over them, and the “valley” between the walls is wide enough that I can walk comfortably with both my daughters at my side...if they want to walk, that is. Shae seems content to cling to my tunic and watches everything with wide eyes.
Joha is not stepping forward, though. She continues to hesitate at the front of the maze.
"Do you want to lead the way?" I ask Joha.
She thinks for a moment. "No."
I bite back a sigh. "Do you want to walk behind me so I can go first?"
Joha nods and moves behind me, grabbing my belt and holding on tightly (and stepping on my ankles as she does). I enjoy being my daughter's protector, but at the same time, I worry that she will not be able to handle the difficulties that life will inevitably throw her way. Joha cannot hide behind me all her life. I will have to figure out a way to encourage her bravery.
Somehow.
We move into the maze. Slowly. At the end of the first “turn,” there is one of the carved not-potatoes with a leering expression and a flickering candle inside, illuminating the ugly face. "Why do the vegetables have candles in them, Daddy? And creepy smiles?"
"Your mother says it is a human custom."
"Scary," Shae whispers, burying her face against my sleeve.
"Not scary," I reassure her. "It is food. The only thing that should scare you about them is how much not-potato we are going to have to eat tomorrow."
Joha giggles. "You're silly, Daddy. You like roots."
"I like everything your mama cooks. She has a magic touch." Though I prefer my meat raw, I have gotten used to eating the stews and roasted meats, simply because Jo-see enjoys them so. As our family grows, the little ones do not care for the raw meat, and when my mate is pregnant, it turns her stomach. So, cooked food it is. I find I do not care what I am eating when I am feeding my sweet mate and little ones.