Free After The Rabbit (Waldo Rabbit Series) by Nelson Chereta Page A

enough.”
     
    Lorimer glanced to Gronk and back. “You won’t be allowed to take your ogre into Norwich. They don’t permit monsters.”
     
    “Really? I know Stratford allows them, and Middleton has hundreds if not thousands of them.”
     
    “That may be, but they’re not by the marshlands. They don’t have to deal with raiders. I expect your ogre will be killed on sight, even if he is travelling with you.”
     
    “I see. Well, good to know.”
     
    This was not happy news. Norwich was where he was supposed to find his third familiar. How could there be a Great Monster living in a city where monsters were forbidden? Normally, Waldo would assume Enver lied to him. However, he had found Alice and Gronk where Enver’s map said they would be. It only seemed logical to assume the third monster would be there, too.
     
    Well, he would go and search regardless. It was not as if he had a better option.
     
    As Waldo was thinking, Alice noted a wooden pole in the center on the village common with ten long strips of colored ribbon running down from the top of it. “Oh, you have a summer’s pole ready. Is it almost the summer solstice?”
     
    “It’s tomorrow,” Lorimer said. “We would invite you to stay and join us, but I am sure Master Rabbit wants to waste no time getting to Norwich.”
     
    “The solstice is tomorrow?” Waldo asked. “It completely slipped my mind.”
     
    “Could we stay and celebrate it?” Alice asked.
     
    Waldo immediately shook his head. “There is no time to waste, but I promise we will do something on the road.”
     
    “Great,” Alice sighed.
     
    “The village would normally want to give you some sort of reward for what you’ve done,” Lorimer said. “But I know White Mages don’t believe in such things.”
     
    “Yes, we do,” Waldo said.
     
    Lorimer looked at him in surprise. “Mistress Cornwall said her order didn’t fight for rewards. The only thing she asked was for us to remember her service and tell others about it.”
     
    “Obviously, Melissa is an idiot. I’ll take as much as you want to give me.”
     
    Alice quickly strode to Waldo’s side, waving her hands. “My husband is joking, of course we don’t want anything. Knowing these children are safe again is reward enough.”
     
    “No, it’s not.”
     
    Alice turned to him with a rigid smile and grabbed his elbow hard enough to make him flinch. “Yes, it is.”
     
    He really did hate her silly rules. “Right, I am joking. I do that some times. Because who would want to get a reward they can actually spend when they can get nothing instead?”
     
    Lorimer blinked and turned to the red haired woman. “Another joke?”
     
    “Of course,” Alice said as she poked Waldo in the ribs. “My husband never knows when to stop.”
     
    “Well, we do sincerely thank you and promise to tell everyone about the heroic Waldo Rabbit.” Lorimer bowed once more as did everyone else.
     
    “Wonderful.” Rubbing his side, Waldo turned to go. “Oh, and Unity, Justice, and Peace and all that.”
     
    XXX
     
    As Jenna’s mother was taking her home, the girl spoke: “Momma?”
     
    “Yes?”
     
    “Master Rabbit says the White Mages are plotting to take over the world.”
     
    “That’s nice, honey.”
     
     
     
    Chapter 8
     
    An Alterothan Tradition
     
    They eventually found the main road and were finally on the way to Norwich again. As they went, they crossed paths with other travelers a few times. On each occasion, the folk would get one look at Gronk and either scramble off the road or turn and flee in the opposite direction. Apparently, the people in this part of Lothas were too terrified to get anywhere near an ogre, even when accompanied by a White Mage. It was obvious to Waldo he would need to do something about the situation before they arrived at the city.
     
    As they walked, he pulled out his wand as well as one of his knives and began to do a little carving.
     
    XXX
     
    The horrible ball