Forged in Fire Read Online Free Page A

They would totally and utterly come unglued if they knew about Katie. Knew what I was.
    I took a deep breath, smelling her, letting my heart settle a bit.
    I didn’t fit into their cookie-cutter world of a wrathful god and his intolerant flock.
    Katie smiled at me, knowing full well how I was feeling. “We’re almost done here,” she said, stepping back.
    “Good. I’m wiped out.”
    She kissed me quickly and dashed back into the living room. Trisha and Deidre were in full-on baby mode, and Jimmy was grumping down the hall, muttering under his breath.
    “Be good, Jim,” I called to him.
    He turned, looked back at me, and shrugged. “Overwhelmed by women,” he said.
    I waved at him and zipped up my coat.
    “Hey,” he said, remembering something. “You may want to talk to your buddy, Bub. He took a trip out to the homestead.”
    That got my attention. The homestead was Anezka’s place—the one where Qindra was trapped. Bub was the kobold I’d inherited from Anezka. He was a creature from the plane of fire, and he could sorta teleport. It was complicated.
    He stood about four feet tall, covered in fine red scales. His ears were little nubs on either side of his face, and his nose was two slits over a cavernous mouth. Think a cross between a komodo dragon and Kermit the Frog.
    He was tied to the amulet I wore around my neck. For the last thousand years or so he’d been helping the amulet’s various owners, blacksmiths all, work their forges. The amulet claimed me when Anezka flipped her shit.
    With the amulet came Bub.
    I’m a blacksmith. It made sense. Anezka was supposed to be filling in on my education while my regular teacher, Julie, recovered from the dragon attack. Anezka had been well thought of in smithing circles. She was a bit of a recluse but knew her stuff. None of us knew that she’d gone over the edge. Well, to be fair, she was pushed.
    I walked across the kitchen. “What happened?”
    “Not sure,” he said, seriously. “Was gone three days. Looked like he’d been starved near to death. Ate a box of roofing tiles before we could get something less expensive into him.”
    “Thanks,” I said. “I’ll ask him what’s up with that.”
    “He’s here on your word, Sarah. So far he hasn’t done anything too far outside the norm, but I’m watching him.”
    “Good plan,” I said. “I think he’s an ally, but it never hurts to be cautious.”
    “It’s just…” He sighed, slipping his hands into his back pockets. “I’ve talked to him a couple of times. I think he’s lonely and homesick.”
    That was the Jimmy I was used to. Concerned for Bub’s welfare. “Thanks, boss. I’ll check on him.”
    “Good,” he said, brightening a hair. “Don’t want him moping around. Brings the whole joint down.”
    He gave me a little wave and headed down the hall. I scooted out of the house and let the crisp cold wash over me. I limped to the edge of the deck and called down to one of the folks on guard duty. Another newbie. Young kid in his early twenties. Didn’t look as if he shaved often, or had a reason to. I’d seen better beards on goats.
    Seemed Bub was hanging out in the old barn—the one the dragon burned. Had a place built up in the wreckage. I made my way over in that direction and called out to him.
    I had to call three times before he poked his scaly head out of the ruins.
    “Hey,” I said, shaking my head. “They make you live out here?”
    He clambered up some charred boards and squatted down, practically eye level with me. “No, I just prefer it when I want to think. I’ve missed you,” he said quietly. “How was the hunt?”
    “Not good,” I explained. He was sympathetic. By the time I’d relayed the whole story, he was nodding and craning his head around to the house.
    “Babies?” he asked. “Troll babies?”
    “Yes … is there a problem?”
    He waved his clawed hands between us. “No problem, just thought it would be cool to have some others to…” He