Chapter Thirty-One
“This way Lycurgoose,” Kiri said, tugging on the man’s sleeve. “Only a little further... Kiri thinks,” the little girl nodded.
“A-a-are you sure this is a s-safe way Kiri?” Saubre asked, glancing back and forth between the little girl and the wall Kiri had brought them to.
“It’s a shortycut!” Kiri exclaimed, bouncing happily on her toes in the dim light of sunset.
They had slept for a long time, and seeing Lycurgus in such a hurry, Kiri decided to make things go faster so he would praise her.
“Do you mean shortcut?” Lycurgus asked, trying to ignore the Mai Shashi’s snoring. Out of all of them she had gotten the most sleep and also was being carried around because of her nasty looking swollen knee.
“Is that what it’s called?” Kiri asked, bringing a stand of hair to her chin and tickling her lip with it.
“Yes Kiri,” Lycurgus said. “You said this is a shortcut?”
“Uhn!” Kiri nodded. “You climb over and balance! Kitty taught me!”
“This i-is an alley cat’s shortcut?” Saubre whimpered.
“Not alley cat! Kitty! He’s tall and nice and gave Kiri an apple! And he has ears like a kitty so I call him Kitty! But he doesn’t come to visit much....” Kiri frowned. “I miss Kitty....”
“I have no idea who you are talking about,” Lycurgus told the little girl.
“Maybe- maybe Kitty will come visit and you’ll get to meet him!” Kiri exclaimed. “Lycurgoose said he wants to hurry, so go, go, go!” Kiri waved at the wall. “You climb and walk and balance like this!” she held out her arms to demonstrate.
Lycurgus’ face showed the ghost of a smile. “Well then, by all means, do lead the way Kiri,” he said.
“Uhn, uhn!” Kiri nodded, her little hands curled to fists and she shook them up and down near her chest in a tight motion to express how sure she was.
Lycurgus was still trying to figure out whether her odd manner of speaking was just the dialect of the area, or something she came up with herself. He suspected the latter, seeing she did not know many words and most likely had never visited school and lived on the streets for a long time.
Kiri began scrambling up the wall, surprisingly fast with no real holds but the little cracks where the mortar held the bricks together. “Taddaaa! Like this, climb, climb like Kitty!”
Lycurgus studied the wall for a moment, sighing before turning to Saubre. “Saubre,” he said.
“Y-yes? I-is there something you need Sir Lycurgus?” she asked in a squeak, looking down at her feet.
“Just Lycurgus,” he reassured her. “Could you wake Mai?” he asked. “I won’t be able to climb with her on my back. Wake her and climb up so I can lift her high enough for you and Kiri to help her to the top.
“Y-yes!” Saubre nodded, placing a gentle hand on the sleeping woman’s back. “Mai, wake u-“
“DINNER!” Kiri yelled form the top of the wall.
The Mai Shashi’s eyes snapped open, and she was practically drooling. “Food- where?” she slurred, still half asleep.
Saubre was whining quietly, being ignored by the Mai Shashi.
YOU ARE READING
Ashes
Mystery / Thriller"Once a being has been named, it has power. Be sure to take care of yours. I'd know how important it is, because I lost mine." Joshua is always fretting over the "what ifs" in life, but never trusts his gut feeling because it's always wrong... at...
