The Priestess and the Thief Kindred Tales 30 - Evangeline Anderson Page 0,54

flame her, Roke intended to yank her backwards off the fence, catch her in his arms, and carry her to safety.

Ellilah didn’t like this at all, but Roke wasn’t budging. If she wanted to take a second shot at taming the huge, murderous beast in the training ring, she had to accept his safety measures or he was taking her back to his ship at once. Reluctantly, she had agreed, though she was still complaining even as he finished tying the knot securely around her waist.

“There.” Roke straightened up. “Now I feel slightly better about letting you try this.”

Ellilah sighed again and shook her head, but this time she didn’t protest. She simply climbed the ladder, which had been propped against the side of the training fence, and sat on the top of the fence with her legs dangling over the side.

Demon took notice of this new arrangement at once. Lifting his head from the body of the burned groom, he snorted and came trotting over.

The sight of the huge zorel approaching made Roke feel like someone had dumped a load of dry ice into the pit of his belly. His hands tightened on the rope and sweat broke out on his forehead as he prepared to yank the little priestess to safety if necessary.

But Ellilah seemed not to be worried at all.

“Pass me that bowl of krispers,” she whispered to Roke, from the corner of her mouth. “Hurry—I need them!”

Keeping one hand tight on the rope, Roke took a few steps up the ladder and handed her the silver bowl full of the round, pink fruits. Elli picked one out and took a big, loud bite out of it, making certain that the juicy sound of her crunching the fruit’s crisp flesh could be clearly heard.

Demon came cautiously closer to her, snorting uncertainly as he eyed the intruder who was right on the edge of his territory. Ellilah didn’t move until the huge brute was right beside her, his long muzzle just level with her knees. Then she looked up and appeared to notice him for the first time.

“Oh, hello, Demon,” she said pleasantly and took another juicy bite of the fruit in her hand. Then she held the rest of it out to the huge zorel. “Would you like to try some?”

At her gesture, Demon tossed his head and snorted smoke, taking a step back from her.

There was a collective gasp from the watching Tenebrian nobles and again Roke’s hands tightened on the rope around her middle. He was all set to yank her down into his arms. If Demon made one more threatening move…

But then Ellilah leaned forward and looked directly into the zorel’s slitted eyes.

“Now, don’t be like that,” she said gently but firmly. “Come here and let me get to know you—we’re going to be friends.”

Demon snorted again but this time he came to her. Ellilah put out her small hand with the half-eaten krisper and he sniffed at it. After a moment, he lipped it delicately from her palm and crunched it between his great jaws.

“That’s more like it. Would you like another?” Ellilah asked him.

Roke watched in disbelief as the huge creature actually nodded its head, as though it understood her! What power did she have over these beasts? Whatever it was, it seemed to come as naturally as breathing to Ellilah.

“All right. Here. But you have to let me pet you if you want it,” she told the big zorel, reaching into the bowl for another fruit.

Demon didn’t appear to have a problem with this deal. He came closer yet and took another krisper from Ellilah’s small hand. As he crunched this one, she stroked his broad forehead and long muzzle, patting between the flaring nostrils which now breathed only mild puffs of benign white smoke.

Roke was amazed all over again at the little priestess’s courage. Despite having seen the huge beast flame a groom to death not thirty minutes before, she showed not a bit of fear as she stroked the huge head and deadly jaws. And Demon, for his part, seemed to enjoy being stroked.

“Now, do you want to tell me what happened just now?” Ellilah inquired, just as though she was talking to a young child who had done something wrong. She pointed to the dead groom, lying at the far end of the training ring. “What happened there?”

Demon hung his huge head and snorted and Roke could have sworn that the massive beast was actually expressing sorrow or