The Hatter is Mad: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Lillim Callina Chronicles Book 2) by J.A. Cipriano

Author:J.A. Cipriano [Cipriano, J.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy
Published: 2015-01-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

“You know you are going to be guilty by association anyway, right?” Caleb said.

“I really hope you’re wrong about that,” I said with a sigh. “I mean, It’s not like I don’t enjoy being known as the Dragonslayer or whatever else people are calling me. It is kind of flattering in a way. But I know how things like that are going to end.”

“Yeah… eventually you’ll get so hyped up you’ll be challenged by something that will obliterate you,” Caleb replied.

I nodded. It would never come to light that I was mostly just lucky. Sooner or later, something big enough and bad enough was going to come huff enough and puff enough to blow my proverbial house down.

That said, I didn’t see why we were venturing into the orc’s home world to find Grollshanks. I had, after all, made the completely reasonable argument that because I was wielding Shirajirashii again Grollshanks would come find me sooner rather than later. Still, the fates had said he was here so Caleb had smiled and promptly ignored me.

Every single animal in the orcish realm was made of spikes and poisons. And don’t even ask about the plant life. It all pretty much ate your face or boiled your blood. There wasn’t a lot about this place that wasn’t outwardly hostile. There were even dinosaurs. Living, breathing, eat you in one bite, dinosaurs. I suppose that did explain how the orcs rode them into battle.

Even the goddamned dirt was made mostly of diamond dust so when the wind blew, it hurt. It hurt so much that it could strip the flesh from your bones if you got caught in a good storm. Oh, and the temperature alternated between a billion degrees during the day and negative a billion degrees at night.

All in all, I could understand why the orcs were so damn aggressive. I’d be pretty pissed off if I spent my childhood playing pin the tail on not dying.

“Well, if I defeat Grollshanks in front of the other orcs, maybe you won’t be associated with the victory,” Caleb said a moment later.

“That does mean you need to win,” I replied as I looked off into the horizon.

Grollshanks worried me plenty. I had actually fought the big orc, and I wasn’t sure if Caleb could win. Still, I’d never seen Caleb really go full out, and he was considered one of the most powerful Dioscuri. Caleb was one of those childhood prodigy types and was raised in Lot under the tutelage of a Hyas Tyee. That had to count for something. Still, if it came to it, I was going to jump in and help before I let Caleb buy the farm. Reputation or not.

To my left a giant razor-beaked bird-thing snared some squirrel-creature with flippers out of a tree with tentacles. I shook my head. “This place sucks. Why can’t someone just live in the land of grape popsicles and cotton candy?” I asked.

Caleb stiffened next to me, and I glanced at him.

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