Enflamed (Book 2) Read Online Free

he
assured. “She is my familiar. She likes eating fruit and sweet things—like
honeysticks.”
    The creature scrunched his
face. “’Oneysticks?”
    “Yes.” Kaijin retrieved the
jar from his haversack and pulled out a treat.
    “Oh! ’Oneysticks! Kinda
like nyrium-tegos .”
    “What?”
    “It’s a popular treat amongst
brownie children. Nyrium-tegos are made from sweetberry nectar. Very tasty, indeed!” The stranger licked his lips. “Ah,
brings back memories of Mum givin’ me one before bed every night.”
    Before Kaijin could respond,
Miele screeched. She swooped down, snatched the honeystick from his hand, and
returned to the rafters.
    “’Ey, now! Get that soddin’ thing away from me!” the stranger
sank back into the hay.
    Kaijin smiled as he watched
Miele hang from one of the wooden beams and began feasting on her treat. “Don’t
worry. She would rather eat her honeystick. She is a fruit bat.”
    “Fruit bat, vegetable bat—does
it matter? She’s soddin’ dangerous! She bit me, she did!”
    “She probably thought you were
trying to harm me, so she attacked—and perhaps she had every reason to. Who are
you? Rather, what are you?”
    The stranger gawked at Kaijin.
“What? Never seen a brownie before? Well I sure as ’ells seen plenty of ’umans.
This place is swarmin’ with ’em—’umans, I mean. Did you ’ear about all those
refugees comin’ from Easthaven? Soddin’ shame, it is....”
    Kaijin opened his mouth to
respond, but the brownie continued talking.
    “Oh! Th’ name’s Nester. Also
known as ‘Nimble’ Nester Two-Blades. An’ you are?”
    Kaijin exhaled once Nester
finally stopped. “I’m, ah ... Kaijin. Sora. Also known as Kaijin.”
    “Kaijin! Good to meet you!” Nester relaxed a bit, his
attention no longer focused on locating Miele. He emerged from the hay and
picked out the strands from his hair and long sideburns. Standing before
Kaijin, Nester’s head barely reached his waist. “What were you doin’ all ’oled
up in ’ere for?”
    Kaijin sighed. “I was tired
and needed a place to sleep.”
    “Well th’
stables ain’t no place for winkin’—’less you like th’ smell of ’orse piss.” His eyes focused on Kaijin’s haversack. “’Ey, that
was a ... a nice book you ’ad in there....”
    Miele shrieked a message to
Kaijin in his mind. “He did that, did he?” Kaijin replied through
the link. He shot a cool gaze at Nester and said aloud, “It is, isn’t it? Some
ruffians tried to steal it from me, too. I dare ask what kind of bold fool you
are to attempt to steal from someone who is far bigger than you?”
    Nester huffed and puffed out
his chest, making his leather jerkin appear smaller on him. “’Ey! I may be short, but that don’t mean I don’t get around. ’Sides, your book
looked interestin’.”
    “There’s nothing interesting
about this book, I assure you,” Kaijin said flatly. “If it’s gold you want, I have none. Those ruffians beat you to it.”
    “Pah! These peepers know value
when they see it.” Nester deflated his chest and picked out another stray piece
of hay from beneath his jerkin. “Are you lookin’ to sell it? ’Ow ’bout we ... ah ... split th’ profits, aye?”
    “What!” Kaijin’s eyes widened.
“My spellbook is not for sale!”
    Nester’s jaw dropped. “S – spellbook?!”
    Kaijin pursed his lips and
quickly averted his gaze from him. “Yes, I’m a mage,” he muttered in a low, bitter
tone. “Apparently, people like me aren’t allowed in this city.”
    “Well, it ain’t like that.
There’re lotsa superstitious sods ’round ’ere—more than ever now after th ’ news of what ’appened to Easthaven. You know that
Ghaeldorund’s only a three-day walk north from ’ere, aye? Everyone around ’ere
says a fiddler from that city came an’ destroyed Easthaven. Can you believe it?
One soddin’ fiddler destroyin’ a ’uge city like that?”
    “‘Fiddler’?” Kaijin chewed on his