Dame of Owls Read Online Free Page A

something, anything being done about her muscles saying hello to the fresh spring air.
                  Sid eyed Chris up and down, decided he probably wasn’t going to think any less of her at this point, and shifted her weight to pop her ankle back into joint. She screamed, and must have blacked out a little. By the time her vision cleared, Chris had a hand on her shoulder. She gave herself one more second of him supporting her weight, then shook him off.
                  “We can’t stay here. The knight and the unicorn found us, so there’s some way they’re keeping track of you. I’m not good enough with magic to tell you what the hell that might be, so our only option is to keep moving.”
                  “You never actually told me where we’re going.”
                  She was about to tell him where he could take shared information and shove it, but the stubborn line of his mouth promised her she wouldn’t get any sleep if she didn’t start making compromises.
                  “I’ll tell you everything I know, when we’re in a place I feel safe settling into. But right now, I need you to move before something bigger and less sparkly comes along.”
                  Chris took a minute to think, but eventually he nodded. Sid led the way deeper into the forest, feeling for a safe place in the Thoroughfare.
    ---
                  “You’re looking for something.”
                  Sid tested her weight on her ankle before jogging up the next crumbling hill. “Yes.”
                  Chris had been suspiciously well behaved for the last hour or so, no further escape attempts. Sid supposed facing down a unicorn was enough to subdue anybody, but she was still prepared to tackle him if necessary. It might not even hurt her ribs too much.
                  Still, he’d kept up competently and without complaint, and this was the first question he hadn’t been able to keep a lid on. Maybe she owed him something before his life got any more chaotic.
                  “The world of humans and the world of the fae are close, but not neighbors. It isn’t as easy as popping through a doorway,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “There’s a land between them, what we call the Thoroughfare. It’s in constant flux, but some places are more…reliable.”
                  “Faster?” Chris asked.
                  “And safer. I was taking us to the nearest mapped point when you decided to play Jean Valjean.”
                  Before the Lily Knight got the drop on me, she didn’t add. She needed to maintain some air of competence and authority.
                  “At the time, you were the most disturbing option,” said Chris.
                  “I’m flattered that’s changed. In any case, I think we have at least enough leeway not to charge into the Thoroughfare willy-nilly.”
                  Chris stopped short. Sid turned to see him gesturing broadly at the forest around them.
                  “All this,” he said. “Is the Thoroughfare like this? Or is there a Motel 6 we can stop at? Do you have food? Water? A tent?”
                  Somewhere in the wake of watching him brutalize a unicorn, Sid must have forgotten just how mortal Chris was. His questions surprised her.
                  “Don’t eat anything in the Thoroughfare. Don’t drink anything. Your mind will hunger and thirst, but your body won’t need them. We’ll sleep when, where, and if we can.”
                  “If,” Chris echoed darkly, but followed when she turned and walked on.
                  It was nearing sunrise before Sid was pleased with any of what she felt when she turned her mind towards home. The Thoroughfare was still broader here than she liked, but thin