Free The Labyrinth of Destiny by Callie Kanno Page A

waved at them and offered his rope to tie the boat to the dock.
    When the villagers saw Ruon and the
two Rashad, they immediately backed away to a safe distance. Fear was apparent
in all of their eyes, except for the old man who had helped them to land. He
seemed nothing but curious.
    He chattered amiably in a thick
accent. “Donnot see many strangars ‘round heer. An’ ye lot be strangar than
mos’. How ye geet pass thar paytrol?” he chattered amiably.
    “Luck seems to be on our side,”
replied Adesina vaguely. “Do you know anyone who might be interested in buying
our boat? We could use the coin.”
    “No goin’ back ta sea?” queried the
old man. “Whall, I might be yer man fer tha’. Cannot give ye much, though.”
    Adesina really only needed enough
to buys supplies for their journey to Pevothem. She haggled with the old man,
as custom demanded, but she would have been satisfied with his original offer.
    When the transaction was complete,
Adesina led her companions into the village where they could buy travelling
supplies.
    The shop owner was a small, portly
man with a red face and a fierce frown. He looked ready to say something sharp
to Adesina, but then his eyes fell on Ruon. The man paled considerably, and his
mouth opened and closed soundlessly.
    The Laithur appeared to take a
perverse delight in the fear he caused, and he showed his pointed teeth in a
leering smile.
    Adesina tried to draw attention
away from her non-human comrade. “We need some supplies for our journey.
Standard foodstuffs and packs to carry it in.”
    The shop owner continued to stare
at Ruon, but he managed a hoarse whisper. “Of course, mistress. You…you may
take anything you desire.”
    Adesina and Sitara exchanged
glances and set to work in gathering what they needed. Adesina filled a
knapsack with fresh hardtack, while Sitara perused the water canteens.
    Ravi and Riel stayed at the
entrance of the shop in an effort to minimize the owner’s anxiety, but Ruon
felt no such inclination. His oval head swayed on his long neck and he made
soft humming sounds. The shop owner retreated behind some bolts of fabric and
stayed there.
    Adesina shook her head in
exasperation. “Does he have to antagonize everyone?” she muttered.
    Sitara smiled sadly. “The Laithur
have had a dark history with humans. I am afraid that he has not forgiven
them…”
    She trailed off and seemed
reluctant to say anything else, leaving Adesina burning with curiosity.
    When all of the supplies had been
gathered, Adesina approached the owner and inquired about price.
    The portly man shook his head. “No charge,
mistress.”
    Adesina stared at him. “I thank you
for your generosity, but I would much rather pay you for the goods.”
    He shook his head again and hurried
to the back room of the store.
    Ravi walked over to Adesina’s side.
“This is a rather unfortunate beginning for the return of the Immortals.”
    He said it with humor in his voice,
but Adesina could feel the truth of his words. She estimated the cost of the
supplies and then added a few coins on top of that, just to be safe. She didn’t
want the owner saying he had been robbed by the newcomers. The last thing they
needed was hard feelings toward them.
    From the shop they went on to a
small market at the edge of town. There were a handful of stands with various
fresh products, such as fish and local fruits and vegetables. Adesina made
inquiries about which direction would take them where they wanted to go, and
Sitara looked over the wares with a smile on her face.
    She picked up a pink apple that was
delicately veined with darker shades of red. “I cannot remember the last time I
tasted the fruit of this earth.”
    Adesina, in possession of the
desired information, looked at the Serraf with surprise. “Surely there must
have been food in the other realm.”
    Sitara gave a slight shrug.
“Perhaps, but we did not test the limited plant life. As with sleep, Immortals
do not need