****
“What are your plans for today, Mikal?”
Busy wolfing down his breakfast, the young boy glanced up, piece of toast halfway to his mouth. “I am still teaching Peanut how to catch the disc with her mouth.”
Months before, while channel surfing one night from the comfort of his media room, Steve had come across one of those dog agility programs. It was the type of show which had various obstacles placed before the dog and the dog is then timed as it races through the course. Mesmerized by all the different and amazing tasks the dogs were put through, Steve had wondered aloud if Peanut would ever be capable of doing something like that. Passing close by on one of his evening romps, Mikal promised himself that he’d teach the young Corgi to do all the cool tricks that the other dogs could do.
“Making any progress?” Steve asked.
“She seems to be more interested in watching it spin,” Mikal answered, sighing.
“You’ll have to keep at it. Don’t give up. Would you like me to give you a hand?”
The boy’s eager face lit up. “Aye, I would!”
“Tell you what,” Sarah began, thinking ahead. “I’ll pack us some sandwiches and we can all go to that glade you and Peanut discovered. We’ll make a day of it!”
“Will Tristan come with us?”
Steve shook his head. “Probably not. He found some rare manuscript in the library and hasn’t budged much from it in the last couple of days. When I came down for breakfast, he was already in there. Barely looked up long enough to say good morning.”
“I hope he can make it.”
“Don’t worry, squirt. I’ll ask him.”
Surprising them all, Tristan joined the festivities, even lobbing a tattered tennis ball around a few times for the overjoyed Peanut.
“This location is very picturesque,” Tristan noted, glancing around. “Reminds me of Lentari.”
“Do you miss it?” Sarah asked.
“I do not have family, Lady Sarah. The Kri’yans are my family, and if I can serve them best by being here then I am quite content to stay as long as needed.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Tristan’s mouth turned upwards in a smile.
“Peanut, I would not –”
There was a loud splash, followed closely by nervous laughter.
“It is not my fault!” Mikal exclaimed, laughing as the drenched Corgi emerged from the pond and vigorously shook herself off. Water droplets went flying everywhere. The boy made a move to grab the wet dog, but Peanut had other ideas. She sprinted around the boy, barking joyously before she caught sight of the water again and dove back in, spraying water everywhere.
Tristan nonchalantly moved his precious book out of harm’s way, as though the prospect of averting impending water damage was something he did on a regular basis.
Sarah and Steve groaned, holding a rapid rock-paper-scissors session.
Steve sighed. “Oh, come on! Best two out of three!”
Sarah grinned, shaking her head. “Nope. Here’s the towel. Have fun!”
Hours later, after they had returned from their picnic, husband and wife were enjoying some quiet time on the top floor while boy and tutor played a video game in the rec room.
“Are we still going to visit Annie tomorrow?”
Sarah nodded, walking into the luxurious master bathroom while simultaneously checking herself in the huge mirror. “That’s the plan. She’s totally excited to see all of us again.”
“She’s certainly handled the news quite well,” Steve observed. “I’m impressed. I totally expected her to freak out when we told her what had happened to us last year.”
“What did you expect? She’s a smart girl. I still think you didn’t have to wave lit hands in front of her face.”
“Hey, seeing is believing,” Steve retorted. “I thought she looked a little skeptical and figured a small demonstration couldn’t hurt.”
“You scared the crap out of her, that’s what you did.”
“At any rate,” Steve continued, disregarding Sarah’s outburst, “Annie took the news well. She’s quite fond of Mikal.”
“It’ll be nice to see her again.”
“We get to bring Peanut, right? She’s old enough now where she doesn’t have any more accidents. Of course, it’s only taken ten months or so. Besides, Mikal would be crushed without her.”
“Mikal would be crushed or you’d be crushed?”
“She’s Mikal’s dog,” Steve stated again for the umpteenth time.
“If all of us were standing in the room, Peanut would run to you first.”
“Hmmmph.”
The Prophecy Page 56
