Leven Thumps and the Eyes of the Want (Leven Thumps Series #3)

CHAPTER ONE A Stern WarmingThe Red Grove moaned softly, releasing the last bit of warmth it had held onto from the day. The thin veins of heat were smothered quickly by the cold. Trees shook, and their leaves curled like startled snails as a light wind drifted cautiously through the chill.The air thinned.All manner of creatures and beings looked for shelter beneath the roots of trees or in holes hidden in the tall cliff walls. The Tea birds remained in their nests, afraid to fly for fear of their shadows freezing and leaving them stuck in the air.The night blackened.The rambling forest of the Red Grove was circled by tall, jagged cliffs from which the dark night had stolen all outline and definition. A weathered cottage squatted at the edge of the valley. The tavern's tiny windows glowed from the activity inside as a small wisp of smoke oozed up from the chimney. When the smoke rose high enough, greedy plum trees reached out to pull and twist it in their branches like taffy.Beneath the trees' canopy, a rough stone trail ran from back to over across the dark valley. The sound of hooves echoed off the rock walls as three onicks raced closer. The onicks stopped in a clearing a hundred yards away from the tavern."Easy," Geth whispered to his onick. "Calm yourself.""Is that it?" Leven asked, pointing to the cottage."Should be," Geth answered softly. "If our contact in Cusp was telling us the truth.""At least it looks warm in there," Winter shivered. "I never knew it could be so cold.""Your gift kept you warm," Geth said, his long hair hiding his eyes. "Now you must feel the elements of winter just like everyone else.""I feel like half a person without it," Winter said. "I can't shake the feeling of being incomplete.""You look whole," Leven joked. "Don't worry -- if Jamoon was able to steal your gift, there must be a way to recover it."The onicks they were sitting on shifted."So we just march in?" Leven asked, diverting the conversation from Winter's condition."I was thinking we'd march quietly," Geth said."Let's go, then," Leven replied impatiently. "We've got to stop that secret. It could be selling itself right now.""I don't think it is," Geth whispered. "It's held its tongue this long. It is an unusual secret that recognizes what it has. This one is waiting for the right buyer, and, if what we were told in Cusp is true, we know that buyer has not arrived here yet. Besides, the secret's scared. It won't be standing in plain sight. Look for it in the corners or the rafters. It's waiting for the right moment to show itself and make the deal of its lifetime.""Let's hurry," Winter said, blowing on her stiff hands. "It's freezing.""Remember," Geth said. "If you spot the secret, don't react. Don't let it know that you know it's there. And Leven, you must keep your face and eyes hidden. It will recognize you easily.""Got it," Leven said."What if it runs?" Winter asked. She was wrapped in a dark brown robe tied around the waist. Her long blond hair spilled out from under her hood, circling her green eyes and once pink, currently blue, lips."Then we chase it," Geth said with enthusiasm."There must be..." Leven stopped to count the creatures tied up outside the tavern. "There must be at least twenty people in there.""Perfect," Geth whispered, slipping from his onick and sounding like the toothpick he once had been."Last time I counted, we made up only three," Leven said calmly."Nobody in there will give us trouble unless we ask for it," Geth said.Leven smiled at Geth. It was still not easy to believe that the toothpick Leven had toted around for all that time was now a man taller and stronger than him. And not just any man, but a lithen, which was about as close to royalty as Foo got. Geth's long, dusty-blond hair hung down in front of his blue eyes. The hood of his green robe was pulled back off his headSkye, Obert is the author of 'Leven Thumps and the Eyes of the Want (Leven Thumps Series #3)', published 2008 under ISBN 9781416947196 and ISBN 1416947191.