Free The Awakening by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson Page A

grateful that the elves’ initial curiosity and awe had worn off and she easily became accepted as an honored guest, but not so honored that people were afraid to talk to her.
    There were many children in the village, most of them either very young or a few years older than herself. Regardless of this fact, once lunch was finished she was dragged off by a large group of boys and girls to be shown the more exciting sights and wonders of Crie. Aydehn promised they meant no harm so with a shrug of her shoulder and a last glance towards the dome-shaped huts, she allowed the giggling children to lead her away.
    The first thing they showed her was the mid-pastures where they took the horses to graze, a vast flat meadow located near the center of the river.
    “It is shallow on this side and we walk them across,” a boy of about nine, Nerrid, told her. “That way they stay put and the predators can’t hurt them.”
    “What kind of predators?” Jahrra asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
    They were all perched upon a low hanging limb of a sycamore tree, watching the horses graze happily as the river flowed gently below them.
    “Oh! Lots, Miss!” Kerra cried.
    She was the same age as Nerrid, her pale brown hair as curly as the branches of a corkscrew willow and her face dusted with freckles.
    “We’ve got boarlaques, though they don’t come down this low that often, and mogrums. Dremmen wolves and igidons sometimes, Saem River water cats,” she prattled off.
    “You don’t have to worry about the river cats though,” Nerrid interrupted. “They’re only interested in fish.”
    Jahrra shivered, half worried about the daunting list Kerra had just given her; half eager to see the animals she’d named. Hroombra had told her about them, of course, and showed her pictures that she’d copied into her journal. But seeing them in the wild would be a rare treat.
    “We already encountered a boarlaque,” she said and watched the eyes of all the children grow wide with wonder. “But we only heard it at night.”
    “You are lucky then,” an older girl, Orella, murmured.
    She was the closest in age to Jahrra, just a few years older, but she was extremely shy.
    Little Phaea squeaked and wrapped herself around Jahrra’s arm.
    “Don’t worry, Phaea. I had Jaax to scare it off if it got too close.”
    The conversation then turned and everyone began asking her about the Tanaan dragon.
    “Have you ever flown with him?” one of the boys asked.
    “What color fire does he breathe?” Kerra begged. “I hear the different dragon kruels each breathe a different kind of fire.”
    Jahrra answered each of their questions patiently and to the best of her knowledge, for some of the things they asked she didn’t know.
    “How old is he?” Little Phaea wanted to know.
    Jahrra paused. How old was Jaax? She never really thought too much about it, as strange as that seemed. She furrowed her brow as they climbed down from the tree branch.
    Once everyone was safe on the river bank she crossed her arms and said, “I’m not quite sure. Not as old as Hroombra was, and he was very old, but older than me.”
    That seemed to satisfy Phaea’s curiosity and the next thing Jahrra knew they were hauling her off to see the next wonder of Crie.
    The children next took her to a grove of trees they called tofah. Jahrra was surprised when she spotted not only new leaves and buds covering the branches but clusters of deep purple fruit as well.
    “They produce fruit all year round,” someone said. “You must try some, Lady Jahrra.”
    Ignoring the honorific, she accepted a handful of the fruit.
    “Careful, it stains,” Nerrid warned.
    She took a tentative bite and the flavor of plums and cherries flooded her mouth.
    Once they had their fill of the tofah fruit they climbed deeper into the hills.
    “Aydehn said we can take you as far as the falls,” Kerra puffed as she climbed up a steep canyon, “but no farther. He says there are Red