Free Love Never-Ending by Anny Cook Page A

pounded
it in the porch roof with her hammer. Mali solemnly hung the wind chime and
gave it a small nudge. The deep ringing tones drifted in the evening air.
    “Oh, it’s lovely! Please tell your mother I will stop by her
shop tomorrow to thank her properly!” Samara leaned her head back and closed
her eyes, listening to the cheerful ringing as a gentle breeze set them moving
again.
    “Of course.” Mali hopped down from the porch, patiently
waiting as Arturo gravely returned the hammer to Samara. Things had gone well,
he decided. Arturo had resisted accompanying him out to Samara’s but it had
turned out very well. Very well, indeed. Mali had a notion that Arturo would be
most comfortable with Samara since they had suffered similar experiences and
apparently his notion was correct.
    Arturo joined him and they made their goodbyes. They were
nearly out of the small yard when Arturo remembered a bit of news that surely
would please Samara. He turned and faced her as she stood silhouetted in the
doorway. “I almost forgot to tell you! Llyon and Tyger are moving out to
Eppie’s cabin. So soon you will have neighbors once again!”
    “That will be wonderful! I must admit that it is far
lonelier out here than I anticipated. Who could dream that Dancer would
suddenly arrive in the valley and sweep Eppie off to the bonding circle?”
    Arturo snorted in disbelief. “You have it the wrong way
around, I think. Surely Eppie was the one who dragged him to the bonding
circle? The way I remember it, he was barely in the valley before she had him
wound around her finger.”
    Mali snickered in the darkness. “I don’t think that’s what
she captured him with.”
    Arturo gave him a hearty swat. “We must go. Have a good
evening, Samara.” And then they were swallowed in the darkness as the evening
insect chorus resumed. She closed and locked the door, suddenly eager to get
back to her dinner.
    * * * * *
    A perfunctory knock on the door was all the warning Bishop
received before Dai bustled in unencumbered, followed by several of Bish’s
nephews toting the boxes and bags from the cave. Though not inherently modest
about his body, Bishop was used to a modicum of privacy and therefore the
sudden invasion left him feeling out of kilter.
    Without even thinking about it, he found the sharda ,
still lying on the bed, and tugged it over to cover his groin. Dai hid a grin
that threatened to sneak out. Bishop was going to find the valley a difficult
adjustment to be sure.
    When everything was piled against the wall the boys left,
eager to get cleaned up for dinner. Robyn and Arano were serving a rare
treat—country fried rowan steak with rice and creamy white gravy. The
scent of honey-glazed carrots and mako , the vegetable normally used in
sweet pies, wafted through the domes, filling the air with the hint of sweet
spices.
    Dai placed a small basket on the chest in the corner. “There
are a few personal items for you in the basket. You will be more comfortable
with your own things, so the brush and toothbrush and tooth cleaner are yours
to keep.”
    “You always just barge into people’s rooms when the door’s
closed?” Bishop asked grumpily.
    “Frequently.” Dai trotted over to the door. “How else would
I catch the children when they’re misbehaving?”
    “I’m not a child.”
    “Then you have nothing to worry about, do you? Hurry up and
get dressed. Dinner will be served shortly.” Dai went out, softly closing the
door behind him.
    Bishop scowled as he tossed the sharda to the side
and rolled from the bed. His mouth tasted like an old sock and it aggravated
him no end that Dai undoubtedly knew that. Irritated and cranky from not
finishing his nap, he grabbed the basket and stomped into the bathroom. Maybe a
splash of cold water on his face would work.
    His wild reflection in the black glass mirror had him
hastily twisting the cold water tap. He dunked his head under the rushing water
and groaned. While rubbing the worst