Cyrion Read Online Free PDF Page B

forgot how slow humans are. You did your best. My fault. I forgot neither of you can shift.”
    Jon’s stomach had been rumbling for the past hour. “What’re we going to do about dinner?”
    Anya reached into her pack and tossed the two of them a green apple each. Jon sighed with resignation and crunched into his. At least I’m not eating crackers and raisins.
    “There are about thirty—well, twenty-five goblins now,” Anya said, a feral glint in her eyes. “The children are locked in what seems like a covered, barred wagon. The men are chained. But the women aren’t.”
    “How’d you know?” Jon said. “Did this have anything to do with…what happened? Just then?”
    “I…persuaded some bats to lend me their ears. Then I persuaded some adders to lend me their fangs and venom sacs. So what was thirty, is now twenty-five.” Her voice grew much colder, more vicious. “They never even saw me coming. At night, those goblins are almost as blind as I am.”
    Jon started to smile, then stopped, his lips frozen in a grimace that quickly faded. He glanced at Saul, and spotted guilt written all over his face.
    “Oh stop. It’s all right if I make the joke.”
    “Still doesn’t seem right to me,” Jon said.
    “Me neither,” Saul said.
    “Okay, no more blind jokes. So,” Anya said before munching on her own apple, “how should we do this?”
    The boys exchanged a look.
    “You don’t have to do this,” Jon said. “We appreciate your help, but—”
    “Oh, stop it. I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Mother used to say I should help people. So I am.”
    Saul shook his head. “But you’ve already helped us. A lot. And this could get dangerous.”
    “Yeah, I mean, we’re not even your people. It’d be better if you stay here.”
    There was a pause. Anya looked down at the ground, tangled locks of hair hiding her face. Back slumped, she drew her knees up to her scrawny chest and held her arms stiff on both sides of her slight frame. Her right foot moved back and forth rhythmically, as if trying to dig a hole into the limestone floor.
    “I know you don’t want me around,” she said in a small voice. “I thought we could be friends because I thought we had a lot of fun. Well, I had a lot of fun.”
    Minari whined.
    Jon thought he heard a soft sniffle. He shook his head. “That’s not what we meant at all.”
    Anya’s foot moved a little faster, her calf muscles visibly tensing. “But I…But you really do need my help. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
    “That’s our point, Anya,” Saul said. “We don’t want you to get hurt.”
    “You’re our friend,” Jon said.
    Saul bobbed his head.
    “We don’t want you in danger,” Jon said. “If you come along, you will be. That’s why I said you should stay here.” He shook his head. “Which part of this don’t you get?”
    “Well, I’m coming and you can’t stop me. So we better come up with a good plan.” She drew her sleeve against her face, and then glared at the boys with red-rimmed, silvered eyes, as if daring them to object further.
    Minari growled a low warning.
    Jon huffed in exasperation. “It’s pointless arguing with you.”
    “Exactly.” Anya lowered her legs, returning to her original cross-legged posture, an unmistakable expression of stubborn determination on her face. “So stop wasting time.”
    The trio fell silent as they all tried to think of something. Minari rested his head on his paws, and continued watching them.
    Saul’s head snapped up, his eyes sparkling in excitement. “Our mums aren’t even chained or anything. So can’t we unchain the men, free the children, and then run for it?”
    Jon thought for a few minutes, shook his head, and turned to Anya. “Something’s not right. Why’re the women free?”
    “Maybe because the children are very heavily guarded?”
    “That’s the key. The grumps wouldn’t want to try anything if there’s a chance the children would get hurt.”
    Anya shook her