Outcasts of Velrune by Isaac Crowe Read Free Book Online

white mouse. With an expression that dared Max to say something, she placed the furry little thing on the ground in front of her.
    Max sat in complete disbelief. He watched Eve as she broke off a piece of the cheese and held it out in front of the mouse. It took the cheese immediately and started to nibbling. Eve lay down on her stomach, propped her head up in her hands and watched her new friend eat. Max shook his head. At times he really did think she was crazy.
    “I’m not sure which I’m having a harder time believing: that you brought that thing with you or that Mrs. Tassi actually gave you cheese to feed it.”
    Mr. Penna, who sat next to Max, watched Eve and her mouse as well. He let out a soft chuckle.
    “Despite her fussing, Mrs. Tassi has quite a soft spot for all creatures of Velrune, though I doubt it was for the mouse in this case.” Mr. Penna broke out into a hardy laugh. “People, on the other hand, should be wary of her.”
    Max sighed. “Well, I guess if the little guy is coming with us we might as well give him his share.”
    Max reached into his saddle pack and brought out a piece of bread. He broke off a corner and tossed it over to the mouse. The crumb barely touched the ground before the mouse snatched it, ran over to Eve and hopped back into her shirt pocket.
    Eve giggled and looked over at Max with a twinkle in her eye. She gave him an odd smile that he had not seen before.
    “Thanks Maxy.”
    Max tried to figure out the her expression and only half paid attention as she continued.
    “Oh, and, by the way, her name is Spook.”
    Still confused, Max jumped when Tyco interrupted them. “I think it’s about time we got to sleep. After tomorrow, we have a lot of hard riding ahead of us. We’ll need all the rest we can get.”
    Tyco stood and walked over to his bedroll. He lay down and quickly went to sleep. Eve rolled over onto her back, so as not to squish Spook, and soon fell asleep herself. Max shook his head and heard a soft chuckle from Mr. Penna.
    “I don’t understand her, Mr. Penna.”
    “Nor will you ever, Maxwell, not completely. Do not worry though. It is more important that you try, not so much that you actually do. Over the next couple of weeks you must remember that.”
    Max shook his head again. “I don’t understand you either. Do you ever just say what you mean?”
    Mr. Penna rocked back, slapping his knee and laughing. “There are times you are so much like your father, Maxwell.”
    Mr. Penna faced out into the open plains and grew somber. “I believe Mrs. Tassi has put her trust in the right person.”
    Max wondered what Mrs. Tassi had to do with the conversation. “What?”
    Mr. Penna cleared his throat as he shook off the thought. “Tyco is right, Maxwell. We will need our rest. Get to sleep.”
    Max sighed. He knew he wouldn’t get any more information. He flopped down on the ground and fell asleep. Dreams of cats and mice playing together all across Velrune filled his night.
     
    The next morning, the four repacked their gear with Spook supervising from atop Eve’s shoulder. Max mounted Starlight and bent to help Eve up behind him. He noticed at once that she now wore a pink band around her neck. It was about a half inch in width and had a small pink stone set in the front.
    “I’ve never seen you wear that before.”
    Eve crossed her arms. “Mrs. Tassi gave it to me before we left. It’s popular to wear them in Moenia.”
    Max looked at it with some amusement. “If you say so.”
    To Max, the band resembled a collar you would find on someone’s pet. The stone looked smooth and seemed to give off a very faint glow unlike anything Max had previously seen. Eve’s crossed arms, however, warned him to drop the subject. He helped her on the horse.
    The landscape changed little as they rode north, so Max grew excited when in the afternoon he spotted a line of trees that spanned the horizon.
    “Finally, we’re getting somewhere.”
    In response, Max heard the