(AN: I'm taking a brief break from my stories to start a new one. It's called "Harry Pothead: Why DID the Sorceror Get Stoned?" It' a comedy/suspence/brief romance and is even odder and madder than I am. Now, excuse me, my salad is boiling so I must fish it out of my shoes.)

"Come on, children," Daine said, trying to sound like a responsible adult. "We'll go for a nice walk in the woods and then we'll come home and see how your mamas are doing."



"Okay," Kally said. "Um...Daine?"



Daine looked at the nine year old girl. She looked harmless, but Daine could detect a twinkle of mischief in her hazel eyes. "Hmmm?" Daine asked, lazily.

"Can we walk through the orchard?" Kally asked, eyes wide. "Please? Mama told us we could later on today, but she's helping Aunt Alanna...," she said.

"Well...I suppose so," Daine said. "But, don't eat anything, and DO NOT climb the trees! They're still young, the fruit isn't ripe, and your mothers'll kill me if you fall and break your neck."

"Okay," Thom said, happy that he wasn't banished to the nursery like Alianne and Alan. Thom decided he would actually try to be good, so Daine would tell Alanna how he'd been perfect and she wouldn't punish him for the hole in the wall. His da thought it was funny when he tried to "help" by bathing the animals, but his da wasn't here, so it wouldn't do him any good.

Roald, who had been perfectly quiet said, "I think we should play a game."

"Yeah!" Kally said. "We'll be knights!"

"No, we'll be mages," Thom said. "I mean...okay," he tried to be agreeable.

"I think we should be immortals," Roald said, winking quickly. "Maybe...um...Trebblens."

Trebblens were friendly creatures who started appearing a few years ago. They were allowed to stay in mortal realms because they made good pets and had a friendly disposition. They were small, with brown fur and wide, pink eyes. They had big, floppy ears like a dog, and fingers like a monkey. And, of course they lived in trees.

"Yeah! Trebblens!" the children yelped, running to the orchard. Thom decided to play along, forgetting about being good.

"No!" Daine yelled, but they had already scrambled up the trees. "Get DOWN!" Daine yelled, and was answered by giggles, and a green apple that Roald had thrown. "Goddess above, help me," Daine murmured.