The Finding Read Online Free PDF Page B

eccentric stone cabin that slumped at the end of the dusty road. He saw that Abdhe and Lynhi had quietly crept out of their home and were now standing calmly on the doorstep, remaining perfectly still as if petrified to move lest they provoke him to attack. A great smile cut across Hroombra’s furrowed face and the two figures relaxed a little.
    Abdhe stood to the left of his wife. He was a tallish, worn looking Nesnan man, but not as tall as the humans Hroombra could barely remember. He wore faded gray pants that stopped at mid-calf, a dirty white shirt and a deep red, patched vest. His hair was gray and wiry and he had a weathered look about him. Lynhi, the woman who stood to his left, was a few inches shorter than him and wore a faded yellow skirt and a brown shirt. Her hair was ginger streaked with white and pulled loosely back into a braid.
    How wonderfully ordinary they looked, Hroombra thought. He could almost feel their joy and anticipation, their fear and apprehension, their hopes and dreams for this vulnerable girl. It hung in the air like the night chill clung to the early morning, reluctant to release its grip. He had spoken to them about this undertaking many years ago, for he had always counted on them to care for the child when she was found, if she was found in their lifetime. He’d explained everything to them then and he trusted them beyond anyone else he knew in Oescienne.
    The young Jahrra cried as Hroombra gently lifted her sling in his teeth and carried her towards the cottage. “Don’t worry small one,” he said rather awkwardly, trying not to let the sling fall, “he’ll be back to visit you, he hasn’t left you for good.”
    This didn’t seem to comfort the baby, and it didn’t comfort Hroombra either. He hoped Jaax would keep his word, but he had known the Tanaan dragon his entire life and knew how unpredictable he could be during difficult times. He can’t help it , Hroombra mused, his life has been harder than most. The weathered old reptile sighed, a sigh that revealed his inner thoughts. Now I have another young one to worry about.
    Although this day was no different than any other winter day, it felt new, clean and strangely calm. Hroombra didn’t know what the future held, even though his life experiences had given him some insight. All he knew was that Jahrra was safe for now and that it was his responsibility to look after her until her fate called.
    Hroombra left little Jahrra with Abdhe and Lynhi that evening, knowing she was in good hands. They promised to raise her as their own, a poor Nesnan girl growing up in a quiet, sleepy land where the Crimson King’s deadly force hadn’t yet reached. They promised to send her to school with the other children of Oescienne and they promised to give Hroombra free rein over extra lessons with her. They promised to love her and care for her, to teach her some good in this cruel world. And they promised, as hard as it was for them to do so, to part with her when the time came for her to face her destiny.
    These promises, along with all that had already happened, truly gave Hroombra something to look forward to. She would be safe here, and growing up as one of the Nesnan elves would keep her away from the curiosity of prying eyes. They looked enough like humans with their rounded ears and taller frame; Hroombra only hoped that Jahrra would look enough like them as well.
    Yes , he thought with a heavy yet hopeful heart, this is where she’ll be most safe.
    What Hroombra didn’t know, however, was that the arrival of this tiny, rather inconspicuous infant had already drawn someone’s attention, and as he greeted the happy new parents of the baby Jahrra, two glowing eyes were watching from the edge of the dark forest.
    ***
    When Jaax descended upon the Sloping Hill earlier that afternoon, something strange and wild had stirred deep within the shadowed forest. The eyes of a peculiar being, eyes so much like an animal’s, opened ever so