Rise of the Poison Moon by MaryJanice Davidson; Anthony Alongi

Author:MaryJanice Davidson; Anthony Alongi
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Magic, Fantasy fiction, Dragons, Fiction, Fantasy, General, Spiders, Shapeshifting, Epic, Good and evil
ISBN: 9780441019045
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 2010-07-27T01:04:22+00:00

CHAPTER 26

Jennifer

“Oh, mighty and benevolent Ancient Furnace—”

“Ah, geez, don’t start up with that.”

“I, the humblest of your many subjects—”

“I don’t have subjects, and you damn well know it, Goat.”

“—beseech thee to aid me into confronting mine own blood for the sake of peace.”

The Ancient Furnace snorted and banked left. She and Gautierre weren’t scheduled for patrol tonight, but she’d been restless and had volunteered. Anything was better than listening for another wailing alarm.

Then Susan’s boyfriend had tagged along, jumping off the roof and shifting to dragon form in midair; within seconds his powerful wings had brought him abreast of her.

That was when things started to get weird(er).

“Gautierre, will you kindly cut the crap? And speak English?”

“Okay.” He turned serious. “I want to talk sense into my mother.”

“Who doesn’t have mother issues in this town?”

“I think there’s an eight-year-old on the edge of town who has two daddies.”

“Brilliant. Look, I will gladly help you find and confront Ember Longtail, anytime you’re available. But only if you never call me the Ancient Furnace ever again.”

“Agreed, Elderly Heating System.”

“You and Susan really deserve each other.”

“Ah! Speaking of the light of my life—”

“No. Let’s focus on the purity of your revenge, on how major a smackdown we’re gonna give your—”

“I love her, and we’ve been talking about sex.”

Jennifer dropped thirty feet in about a second and a half, nearly crashing into a tree. “Yerrrgg,” she managed, spitting oak leaves. She stole a look behind; the poor tree was still shaking like it’d been hit by a gale. “What about me, or about any of the talks we’ve had in the short year we’ve known each other, indicates to you that I have any interest in talking about this, ya goob?”

“Oh, come on. Girls talk about everything. Pretend I’m a girl.”

“Okay. You’re a girl dating my best friend. Oh, wait—you just made it worse. How about we pretend you’re a mute instead?”

He laughed, swooped close, and managed to clumsily brush the large clump of leaves that had been sticking to one of Jennifer’s wing claws. “Wow, you’re going to be spitting toothpicks for a week.”

“A small price to pay on patrol, I s’pose. So let’s focus on what we’re supposed to be doing—confronting your mom—as opposed to what you’d like to be doing, which is violating my sweet and innocent best friend.”

“Violating? There’s no romance in your soul, Decrepit Blast Kiln.”

“Yeah, my soul’s all crowded with survival instinct and foraging for food.”

“Do you think if Susan and I do it, I’d be taking advantage, because I’m bigger and stronger and faster? And also because she’s really supergrateful I saved her life?”

“Ah, geez . . .”

“Maybe she’s not really in love with me, maybe she’s just happy she isn’t dead, and that would be how she wants to express it. Isn’t making love the ultimate expression of the thirst for life? I read that somewhere, once.”

I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to get ambushed more than right now. Come on, Ember, would you please show up and try to kill me already?

“Yes, she could love me as a physical expression of gratitude.

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