Conway's Curse Read Free Page A

said, and stuck a burnt finger in his mouth.
     
    “Stuff like that happens to Kail all the time,” Tion said. “The puddle of piddle was over the top, I admit, but if there is a root to trip over, a post to walk into, or trouble to find, Kail is first in line for the prize.”
     
    “Maybe.” Conway sounded doubtful.
     
    “No maybe about it,” Tion said cheerfully.
     
    “There’s other stuff too.”
     
    “Like what?” Tion asked.
     
    “I can’t talk about that,” Conway replied, suddenly melancholy.
     
    Tion patted the shoulder beneath him. “Well, when you can, I’m all ears.”
     
    Conway stopped so suddenly that Tion nearly lost his grip. “Do you mean that?”
     
    “Mean what?” Tion asked distractedly, trying to reseat himself and wondering if this ride was worth the risks.
     
    “That you’d be willing to listen?”
     
    “Sure. We’re friends, aren’t we?” The words fell out of his mouth unbidden, and Tion was vaguely surprised to realize they were true. He liked this clumsy, bumbling human, despite their bumpy—and in Kail’s case, smelly—start.
     
    “I’d like that,” Conway said, now pensive instead of melancholy. “I never had a friend before.” He began walking again, moving slowly so he wouldn't unseat his passenger. “I just hope you don’t get hurt for it.”
     
    Tion laughed. “You worry too much. Besides, what’s the worst that can happen?”
     
    “Hopefully we’ll never find out,” Conway said and lengthened his ground-eating stride.
     

     

     
    The summer sun reached its zenith just about the time Conway sat down beside a small foot bridge. He extended his arm to the ground, and Tion shouted for Kail to wake up as he ran along the incline to land in the springy turf. Kail poked his head up over the edge of Conway’s pocket and scowled fiercely.
     
    “Try cleaning out your pocket sometime, you oaf.” Kail sneezed twice and plucked lint off his tongue. “I’ve got lint in places not even Tion knows about,” he grumbled. Kail scrambled into Conway’s waiting hand. “And it wouldn’t kill you to wash your hands once in a while, either.”
     
    “Sorry,” Conway muttered. He set Kail down beside his friend.
     
    Kail immediately skinned down to his smalls, tossing his sticky, smelly clothing to all sides with obvious relief. He dove from the bank into a slow-moving pool and paddled around happily.
     
    “Mind the trout, Kail. You remember what happened the last time.”
     
    Kail stopped paddling and scowled. Fierce green fire sputtered as water dripped into his eyes. “Very funny, wise guy. Very funny.” He dipped under the water and surfaced a moment later. Tion ducked as a soggy pair of smalls sailed past his left ear.
     
    “Trout?” Conway asked as he began untying his boots.
     
    Tion unlimbered his pack and dug beneath the flap. He pushed the clock and assorted knickknacks aside until he found the soap. “Yeah.” Tion grinned and tossed the lump to Kail, who was still scowling. “The last time Kail went skinny-dipping, he found out the hard way about dangling worms in front of a hungry fish.”
     
    “Ha ha. Very funny.” Kail turned his back on them both to soap himself vigorously.
     
    Conway looked confused for a moment, blushed furiously, and Tion laughed. “Yes, exactly.”
     
    “Hey!” Kail glared over his shoulder and threw the soap onto the bank. He dove several times, rinsing suds from his hair.
     
    Tion slipped out of his own clothes and, still laughing, splashed into the water to join his friend. He caught Kail’s slippery body and pulled him close. “Hey, you missed a spot,” he said, running his hands down Kail’s spine before capturing him in his arms.
     
    Kail’s body arched into the touch, and he turned to face Tion. “Water’s getting warmer,” he mumbled, returning Tion’s embrace.
     
    “Um, guys?” Conway called, still blushing and looking everywhere but directly at the pair. “Should I leave