MA06 Little Myth Marker Read Free Page A

may seem a little gruff, but don’t let them scare you. They just act tough because it’s part of their job.”
    “Gee. I’ve never had a daddy who had bodyguards before.”
    “That’s not all. We also have Buttercup, who’s a war unicorn, and Gleep, who’s my very own pet dragon.”
    “Oh, lots of people have dragons. I’m more impressed by the bodyguards.”
    That took me aback a little. I’d always thought that having a dragon was rather unique. I mean, nobody else I knew had a dragon. Then again, nobody else I knew had bodyguards, either.
    “Let’s see,” Markie was saying. “There’s Tananda, Chumley, Guido, Nunzio, Buttercup, and Gleep. Is that all?”
    “Well, there’s also Massha. She’s my apprentice.”
    “Massha. That’s a pretty name.”
    Now, there are lots of words to describe my apprentice, but unfortunately ‘pretty’ isn’t one of them. Massha is huge, both in height and breadth. There are large people who still manage to look attractive, but my apprentice isn’t one of them. She tends toward loud, colorful clothes which invariably clash with her bright orange hair, and wears enough jewelry for three stores. In fact, the last time she got into a fight here at the Bazaar was when a nearsighted shopper mistook her for a display tent.
    “Aahh ... you’ll just have to meet her. But you’re right. Massha is a pretty name.”
    “Gee, you’ve got a lot of people living with you.”
    “Well ... umm ... there is one more.”
    “Who’s that?”
    “His name is Aahz. He’s my partner.”
    “Is he nice, too?”
    I was torn between loyalty and honesty.
    “He ... aah ... takes getting used to. Remember how I told you not to be scared of the bodyguards even if they were a little gruff?”
    “Yes.”
    “Well, it’s all right to be scared of Aahz. He gets a little upset from time to time, and until he cools down it’s best to give him a lot of room and not leave anything breakable—like your arm—within his reach.”
    “What gets him upset?”
    “Oh, the weather, losing money, not making money ... which to him is the same as losing money, any one of a hundred things that I say ... and you! I’m afraid he’s going to be a little upset when he meets you, so stay behind me until I get him calmed down. Okay?”
    “Why would he be upset with me?”
    “You’re going to be a surprise to him, and he doesn’t like surprises. You see, he’s a very suspicious person and tends to think of a surprise as a part of an unknown plot against him ... or me.”
    Markie lapsed into silence. Her brow furrowed as she stared off into nothingness, and it occurred to me that I was scaring her.
    “Hey, don’t worry,” I said, squeezing her hand. “Aahz will be okay once he gets over being surprised. Now tell me about yourself. Do you go to school?”
    “Yes. I’m halfway through Elemental School. I’d be further if we didn’t keep moving around.”
    “Don’t you mean Elementary School?” I smiled.
    “No. I mean...”
    “Whoops. Here we are. This is your new home, Markie.”
    I gestured grandly at the small tent that was our combination home and headquarters.
    “Isn’t it a little small for all those people?” she frowned, staring at the tent.
    “It’s bigger inside than it is outside,” I explained. “C’mon. I’ll show you.”
    I raised the flap for her and immediately wished I hadn’t.
    “Wait’ll I get my hands on him!” came Aahz’s booming voice from within. “After all the times I’ve told him to stay away from dragon poker!”
    It occurred to me that maybe we should wait for a while before introducing Markie to my partner. I started to ease the flap down, but it was too late.
    “Is that you, partner? I’d like to have a little chat, if you don’t mind!”
    “Remember. Stay behind me,” I whispered to Markie, then proceeded to walk into the lion’s den.

AS I TOLD Markie, our place at the Bazaar was bigger on the inside than on the outside ... lots bigger! I’ve