He accepted her gift in his open palm. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for caring for my child. The trial was mine to bear as much as it was yours. Know that you have done well, and that you will always have my gratitude. Now, go.” She turned away, tugging Lloyd toward the tree.
Lloyd dropped his mother’s hand and launched himself at O’Neill. The griggin squeezed most of the air out of the peddler’s chest — but he didn’t mind. After a few seconds, Lloyd let go and stepped backward. Before O’Neill could say goodbye, mother and child scampered up the pine and out of sight.
As suddenly as O’Neill’s days as a griggin’s papa had begun, they’d come to an end.
The earliest of the early birds twittered in the treetops above the parked caravan, almost drowning out the crackling of the campfire. Scarff placed a big mug of mint tea into O’Neill’s hand. “Good to have you home and not much worse for wear — notwithstanding your clothes,” the old man said. “I daresay I was more than a little concerned for your safety.”
“The griggin was wild at times, but I don’t think he ever would have done me real harm.”
Scarff sat beside him on a matching stool. “Difficult to know, really. Faerie types being such as they are.”
“I think I’ll miss Lloyd, if I’m honest.” O’Neill’s eyes smarted. From the campfire smoke, he told himself.
“Aye. I suppose it’s only right. But tell me, lad. Did you learn your lesson?”
“Which lesson do you mean? Not to pick up strange babies? Or not to let you navigate in the mountains?”
Scarff chuckled. “Did I never tell you I was a bit lost when I found you as a howling babe? Sometimes getting lost is the best way to find what you need.”
“And sometimes getting lost gives you a case of poison ivy and forty-three mosquito bites.”
“True enough, lad. True enough. From now on, you choose the roads. If we wind up feasting with Eskimos, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.” Sipping his tea, he closed his eyes and pictured the girl he loved. In his heart of hearts, he felt a strong northward tug. Although he’d learned all his directional skills from a terrible teacher, he reckoned he could follow his heart to Llanfair Mountain and never make a single wrong turn.
As long as no abandoned babies got in the way.
About The Author
In the wake of her thrilling past as a theatre student, restaurant hostess, certified nurse aide, and newspaper writer, Carrie Anne Noble now writes enchanting fiction for teens and adults. Her award-winning debut novel THE MERMAID’S SISTER, was called “a must read” by Publishers Weekly. She lives in the mountains of Pennsylvania with her tolerant husband, charming children, two naughty cats, and some not-so-bright chickens. The chickens do not live in the house. Find out more at carrienoble.com or facebook.com/CarrieAnneNoble/
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