Greetings, Dear Readers. In Book 3 I’m changing the format slightly. Interludes are being replaced with POV chapters. Gray is still the main character, but the story has obviously evolved and the characters in Gelderham, especially his children and wife, all have a life of their own and stories worth telling. From this point on, I will jump around POVs a bit more often.

Meeko was a big girl now. At ten years old, a lot had changed. She scarcely remembered her life before meeting her parents anymore—she only had little flashes of memories there, eating grass and strange berries, scavenging dead animals and hunting what she could. Ever since meeting her mom and dad, she wanted for nothing.

And then Kaya happened…Meeko became a big sister practically overnight, and with that came a lot of responsibility. Like now. Meeko and Yasmine were stuck babysitting little Kaya while they played on the bridge bisecting Gelderham.

“Kaya, wait!” Meeko shouted, furrowing her brow as she caught sight of her sister slipping away. The little black-haired girl wandered quietly in the direction of the great big bonfire at the center of Mister Pendercorn’s side of town. “Kaya, I’m fishing! Stay close! Yasmine, can you go get her? My hook is already in the water!”

Yasmine flipped her hair over her shoulder and grinned. “Just send Bones Malone to do it. Bones!” she said, and their skeletal chaperone looked at her, awaiting a command. “Bones, go get Kaya and bring her back, please.” Yasmine giggled and performed a little curtsy with her blue peasant dress. She loved commanding the skeletons around, but they rarely listened to her.

Meeko eyed Yasmine’s dress jealously. When Yasmine reached the Age of Choice and took her Primary Class of Merchant and Secondary Class of Huntress, to celebrate, Miss Finecloth made her that outfit. She was Yasmine’s godmother, so it made sense. But Meeko didn’t have anything that nice after her latest growth spurt. It was so fancy—with lacy white frills at the bottom, the bib, and the edges of the sleeves. She even had a corset built into the design—Meeko’s Dad wouldn’t let her wear a corset. He said it was “big girl clothes”.

Well Meeko was ten now. Wasn’t that big enough? She let out a sigh as Bones Malone predictably refused Yasmine’s order. “He won’t listen to you. Kaya has control over them, and she’s been abusing it lately. I need you to get her.”

“How about I handle your fishing pole for a minute and you get her?” she asked. “I don’t want her crow to peck me.”

Meeko let out a shrill growl and handed Yasmine the pole. “Fine.” She stood up and started running toward the bonfire, where Kaya was running around with her arms flung behind her. Daddy called it her “Ninja run” but Meeko had no idea why.

Meeko jumped into Kaya’s path and caught her, then picked her up and tossed the little girl over her shoulder. “Got you!” she declared triumphantly.

“Crying. Crying.” Kaya’s voice sounded pathetic. Over time, she had gotten better at feigning actual sadness. One afternoon, she caught Maribelle and Yasmine coaching her on her crying voice while Meeko was helping her mother with the baking. When she told her mother about that, it was the angriest she ever saw her except for that one time when Aunt Esbeth hugged her father after having too many drinks. That…was scary.

“Maribelle Hatebrand and Yasmine Culler, come here right this instant!” she had shouted, and Meeko could still hear that sharp tone in her mind. “Do not teach her that! It’s already next to impossible to get my husband to say no to her as it is!”

Though the words seemed funny, Mommy’s tone had been anything but amusing. Meeko remembered seeing Yasmine and Maribelle on the verge of tears. Eventually, though, Mommy relented and apologized for startling them—but she still got them in trouble with their parents.

“Yasmine Abricola Culler!” Missus Culler had said, wagging a finger aggressively at her daughter. “It’s already nearly impossible to get Mister Stillwater to say no to her at the best of times!”

“That’s what I said!” Mommy agreed, spreading her hands.

“Crying, crying!” Kaya shouted again, kicking and flailing in her sister’s clutches. “Meeko, let me down!”

“No! If you can’t stay close I’ll carry you on my shoulder like a sack of beets,” the Wildsoul child said. “I don’t have time for this. I’m going to hit level 17 soon, and I won’t have you slowing me down!”

“Birdy, peck Meeko.”

“No! Kaya—” Meeko shouted as Kaya’s undead familiar descended from the sky and started pecking her face. “Kaya, stop it! I’ll pinch your butt!” She followed through with her threat after barely letting it hang one second, causing the black-haired girl to squeal in anger.

“Bones Malone,” Kaya said, her voice sounding calmer than her actual mood, “Get me down.”

The skeletal minion approached and started trying to wrest Kaya free from Meeko’s mighty grasp. “Bones, I’m gonna tell Daddy on you if you don’t stop!” Of course, arguing with the mindless undead rarely got her anything in the way of results.

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“Oh!” Yasmine squealed. “I think I’ve got a bite!”

“Kaya, I’m gonna miss my fish!” Meeko’s voice came out exasperated and sad. “Please, Kaya, just come with me!”

Bones Malone froze, and so did Meeko’s little sister. “Okay. I’ll come with you.”

“Thank you,” Meeko breathed out at last, and she set her sister down—aaaand then Kaya immediately ran off in the direction of home.

Meeko fired an angry look at the undead skeleton standing impotently beside her, and she could swear it almost shrugged. “Forget the fish, Yasmine,” the blonde child growled. “We need to catch my sister.”

“Yay,” Yasmine grunted sarcastically. “Can’t we just drop her off at the church next time?”

“Mommy wants her getting fresh air in the mornings,” Meeko murmured. “She spends all afternoon in class with Mister Pendercorn.”

“So do we,” Yasmine grumbled, but she obediently pulled in the line, revealing an empty hook with no fish attached—or remaining bait.

They took off in the direction of home, urging Bones Malone to lead the way to her, and thankfully, that order he was able to follow. It wasn’t a surprise where they found her after all—when they got back to Meeko’s farmstead, they found Kaya trying and failing to lift a potted plant up.

“Kaya,” Meeko said, trying to sound patient, but she was all out of patience. “Why don’t you come with me to see Mommy and Daddy?”

Kaya’s eyes lit up. “Can we?” she asked.

“Can you?” Yasmine echoed, noting the chimney pluming smoke from Meeko’s parents’ room. “They have that big meeting today, don’t they?”

“Pish posh,” Meeko said, swishing her hand dismissively. “Kaya, why don’t you tell the big dragon skeleton blocking the door to get lost.”

“Go away, Rosie.” Kaya commanded, wiggling her fingers in front of her like she was casting a spell. The undead dragon obeyed and took off, flying into the sky.

“I—I’m just going to stay out here,” Yasmine muttered. “I don’t want to get involved in Bright Lord business.”

“Suit yourself,” Meeko chuckled. “Go on in, Kaya. Let’s see Mommy and Daddy!”

Kaya let out a cherubic giggle and opened the door, immediately rushing inside. “Mommy! Daddy! Uncle Whiteadder!” she squealed happily.

Meeko waited a few seconds to gauge the mood of her parents before following. “Hey, sweetheart, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in town with your sister?”

That was Daddy’s voice. Good. He wasn’t immediately upset, so she had a chance to pull off this mad gambit of hers. Meeko ran through the door at top speed and started panting, hands on her knees. She pointed at Kaya and shouted, “She’s out of control! Mommy, Daddy—she ran away from Gelderham and commanded Bones Malone not to let me bring her back!”

Meeko’s mother sighed and lightly shoved her father. “This is because you let her eat pudding last night.”

“What does it have to do with that?” he murmured, apparently confused by that interpretation of these events. He then turned his attention to the human guest dressed in black leather and a flowing kingly cloak. “Sorry, Minister Whiteadder. Kids.”

“Of course, Bright Lord. Take your time,” the man said, bowing his head low.

Daddy turned to Mommy and made a face. “Uh. Would you mind taking the kids back outside and figuring out what’s going on?”

Meeko’s mom nodded, pecked her father on the cheek with a little kiss that Meeko felt was pretty superfluous for this situation, then turned to face her. The quick, steely glint that flickered in her eye told Meeko that this might not have gone as perfectly as she’d dared hope.

“You two. Outside. Now.”

Kaya and Meeko traded looks. Meeko’s face, she knew, betrayed her nerves, but Kaya had the same vacant expression as always, though it belied a hidden fear. “Kaya,” she whispered. “I love you. I’m sorry.”

Kaya nodded sorrowfully, her fists balling as the two of them accepted their grim fates.

The door closed gently behind their mother, and her face set into a terrible frown. “Kaya! Listen to your sister. It’s her job to keep you safe and play with you, but if you aren’t listening to her, then how can she do that?”

Meeko’s eyes widened with awe. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

“And you!” her mother hissed, wagging a finger at Meeko, causing her stomach to lurch. “How many times have I told you to never, ever let her come in while we’re meeting with Daddy’s regents?!”

“Seven,” Meeko whimpered. “Well—now eight.”

“Exactly. Eight times. And I’m willing to bet you let her come in here on purpose, hoping she’d get in trouble, right?”

Kaya shot a wide-eyed look at Meeko, a “say-it-ain’t-so” look that made her instantly regretful. “I’m sorry,” Meeko said, her lip trembling.

Her mother’s expression softened into a wry smile, and she took a knee, placing an arm around each of her daughters. “You two are my greatest treasures. I need you to follow our directions and stay together, stay safe. Always.”

“Yes, Mommy,” Meeko replied.

Kaya nodded. “Okay, Mommy.”

Suddenly, her brow arched. “Yasmine? You’re here, too?”

“Hi, Missus Stillwater,” Yasmine replied, waving from behind a nearby apple tree. “Sorry, I didn’t want to get into trouble.”

“No one’s in trouble. Not this time,” Meeko’s Mommy giggled, standing back up. She patted Meeko and Kaya both on the head and took a moment to straighten Kaya’s hair buns. “Let’s try this again. Girls?”

“Yes, Missus Stillwater?” Yasmine said.

“Yes, Mommy?” Kaya and Meeko replied.

“Be good. You get off with a warning this time, but if you break the rules again—no cookies for a week.”

Meeko gasped. “Mommy! But I have to bake! I need to work on my Secondary Class!”

“Baking isn’t the same as eating. And if it’s too much of a temptation I’ll give you some wheat bread recipes to practice.”

Meeko shot a scornful look at Kaya—but then thought better of it. Her face went soft, and her eyes gleamed with her understanding. “Okay. We’ll be good. Right, Kaya?” she said, putting her arm around her sister’s back.

“Right,” Kaya agreed, her head nodding slowly.

“Now,” Mommy said, rubbing her palms together and nodding her approval. “We have a very important meeting with Uncle Whiteadder. I’ll see you two after dinner.”