Shadow Fire Read Free Page B

She prances and spins around the room, continuing to list his assets. It becomes an extensive list before she answers my question.
    "You spend way too much time alone in the woods," Celeste replies with a dismissive wave of her hand. "And you stopped going to the tavern with me two years ago when the boys wouldn't leave you alone. When Zane's in town he's usually in the tavern at night. He's a big tipper. I always have to fight with the other barmaids to wait on him. Don't know why they bother since I always win."
    She drags me from the bed, forcing me to put my feet on the floor or fall on my backside, before circling my body like a bird of prey.
    "You need to get ready for the party. You'll want to look gorgeous if Zane'll be there," Celeste says, lifting my matted hair in her fingers and dropping it with a loud snort.
    "He already saw me like this," I reply, gesturing at my less than feminine attire.
    Cory is right. Without my fiery mass of long copper hair, I could be mistaken for a boy dressed like this. The tunic is several sizes too large, though at least the leggings fit. When did I start worrying about my appearance? My eyes widen when I realize I do care what Zane thinks.
    If only I was a normal girl with a normal life who could wear a normal dress to the party.
    "I don't think putting on a pretty dress will help at this point. Besides, I need to wear my travel clothes so I can sneak away tonight," I say, trepidation at my impending departure making it difficult to breathe.
    The air feels too thick, each breath a struggle. The chatter in the room sounds distant and hollow as darkness begins to form at the edges of my vision. It takes everything I have to calm my nerves enough to even out my breathing. My sisters seem oblivious to my plight; their conversation continues uninterrupted.
    "I already put your bag together," Brinda says in her usual soft manner. "Everything you laid out last night is packed in the brown leather backpack." She pauses, eyeing me with curiosity. "The map of the ruins, you know the one the town paid a small fortune for from that wandering monk. Do you think it's real?"
    "No, but I'll take it anyway," I reply shrugging. "If I make it as far as the ruins, I'll finally have proof Mayor Franklin is a full-fledged idiot."
    "Ashlyn," Brinda gasps at my disrespect. "You shouldn't talk about the mayor like that."
    "His son forced me to kiss him in the woods," I say, biting my lower lip to control my building fury. "I don't have any respect for a man who raised someone who would do something like that."
    "But…"
    "No, Brinda, don't defend him," I say, emphasizing each word. "Cory has never been responsible for his actions. He fancies himself better than everyone else and above the law. He certainly wasn't born that way… his father made him like that."
    My words silence her. But I'm not finished yet. Three weeks of pent up emotions have broken to the surface and if they aren't freed I'm afraid I'll burst.
    "The mayor is ultimately responsible for the decisions regarding this town, no?" I ask, not expecting an answer. "He's the one who condones… no… encourages the town to send a defenseless girl, by herself, across a dangerous continent to monster-infested ruins to find the Goddess Statue that was stolen twenty-five years ago. Not once has anyone other than a priest or two accompanied the Chosen on her journey. Never. And all this is based on some random, homeless monk weaving an incredible story about sending a girl between the ages of fourteen and eighteen to chase after the relic. Then, to top it all off, the elders paid him thirty silver pieces for a map of the ruins. Am I really the only one who sees the problem here?"
    "Of course not," Celeste says in a soft voice so out of character for the young blonde. She runs her hand through her curls before winding one long corkscrew around her finger. "This whole thing is absurd. But what can we do?"
    "Heh, I don't even get a priest to accompany me