Trial of Ice by Stephen H King

Author:Stephen H King [King, Stephen H]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: coming of age, Elves, future queen, kiirajanna
Publisher: Stephen H. King
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

A Day For Dogs

I slowly came to, the aroma of bacon filling my nose with happiness.

Mmm, bacon....

There's nothing quite like waking up to the smell of bacon and Momma's coffee. I laid there for several minutes, sniffing the air with my eyes closed, memories filling in my vision.

Eventually I had to open my eyelids, though. As much as I didn't want to leave the warmth and comfort of the bed, the need to go to the bathroom snagged my attention and then grew to a dull, throbbing pain.

Seph's elbow to my midsection didn't help.

"Thanks, Cousin."

"What? Oh, sorry. I wasn't quite awake yet."

"Me neither. Dibs on the bathroom, wherever it might be."

"Outside, around to the right. Make sure you wear something warm, though. It's a frigid one this morning!" a voice chirped from over near where I could hear the spattering of bacon grease. A glance confirmed that Blodwyn was making a huge pan of the thin slices of heaven.

After the weirdness of the evening before, which in turn had fueled weird dreams about being eaten alive by large, grey potted plants named Blodwyn, I wasn't sure whether to trust the bacon or not. That, or the coffee. Or anything else, for that matter. One thing I had to trust, though, was her instruction on how to get to the outhouse.

I didn't really have much choice in that matter.

Now, if you've never used an outhouse in freezing weather, you'll have to take my word for it: it's a horrible experience to be avoided at all costs. I mean, it's better than the other alternatives, but it's really strange, frightening, and literally chilling to bare certain parts of your body to that kind of cold, especially once the outside air gusts up between your bare legs. I was glad to see that Blodwyn's outhouse had a seat cut out of some sort of soft spongy material, so it wasn't as miserable as the bare wood itself would've been, but still–just, take my word for it, and don't.

I giggled to myself as I left the outhouse and saw the line to get in. Seph was the next up for the frozen butt award, followed closely by a grumpy-looking Keion, with a glaring Aerona right behind. Apparently both the need and the morning grumpiness were universal.

Of course, since I'd gotten to the outhouse first, I got back inside first. I went over to the bustling cook, who was still smiling widely. "Can I help?"

"Sure!" she said, more cheerful than anyone had a right to be that early in the morning. "Would you mind setting the table?"

I began to wonder about my strange, dangerous dreams, and also about Keion's reaction. Blodwyn seemed to be as perfect a hostess as they come–nice, chipper, sweet, and so on.

Once I'd finished setting the table, Blodwyn asked, "Is Alis doing okay this morning? She slept restlessly last night."

I panicked for a second, with no idea who she was asking about. Then I remembered Keion's made-up names, and though I couldn't remember exactly, it seemed like Alis was one of them.

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