Nomadin by Cormier Shawn P

Author:Cormier, Shawn P.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pine View Press
Published: 2010-08-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter XIV

The Test

Ilien awoke suddenly, his face drenched—not from a cold sweat but from a sickening mixture of dog slobber and bad breath. Kink sat by his side, painting his face with long strokes of his enormous tongue. Ilien shot straight up in bed, waving him off with a yell.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!"

Kink laid his enormous head on Ilien's chest, pinning him back down on the bed. His tail thumped the floor like a hammer. Ilien tried to push Kink off but the giant dog wouldn't relent. "Kink," he croaked. "It's a bit hard to breathe." He reached up and scratched the giant dog behind the ear. "Please, Kink."

After a few moments lost in ecstasy, Kink lifted his head and looked down at Ilien. "Are you alright?"

Kink had acted so much like a regular dog that Ilien was almost surprised to hear him talk. "I'm fine. I'm both rested and bathed now, thank you very much." He wiped his face with his sleeve and knuckled the sleep from his eyes. The lamps had been relit, casting their golden light about the room, and a warm breeze blew in through the windows, bringing with it the faint scent of flowers from the distant meadow.

"The Swan told me to come and wake you. She says to meet her down by the lake right away. Says it's urgent." Kink fell into a scratching fit, oohing and aahing as he attacked his crooked back end. "Buh uf ur tard," he continued, his mouth full of his own hide, "I cud teller yuh neeg mur resk."

Ilien climbed out of bed. His legs felt solid once more, his head clear. To his amazement the clothes he wore looked and smelled as if they had been freshly washed and pressed. He felt his pockets. His house key and pencil were still there. He shrugged. He hadn't felt this good since the last time he'd slept in his own bed. "I'm fine, Kink. Besides, you just told me it was urgent. Let's go."

Kink stopped his chewing and looked at Ilien in embarrassment. "Oh yeah, you're right."

Even though he felt fine, Ilien left Hemlock with a knot in the pit of his stomach. He glanced back at the magnificent tree-house, with its front door magically hidden and its windows thrown wide, lit like enchanted eyes beneath the thick forest canopy, and he felt somehow homesick. The pervading gloom only added to his sense of foreboding. He looked long and hard at the secreted sanctuary, wanting to commit to memory everything about it. He had a sinking feeling it would be the last time he would ever see it again.

He made his way slowly through the forest, Kink leading the way through the shadows. Ahead, he could see the bright outline of the forest's end, where the trees fell away and the sun shined slanting upon the field far away. Behind him, the bright glow of Hemlock's open windows dwindled then died away, lost among the intersecting rows of trees. He quickened his pace.

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