“Are we going to die?”

  I turn my head away from the door and look at Yazir, a small ogre female with long bck hair pulled into one big braid and eyes as blue as the water. Her brown dress is simple with small bck patches sewn in. “No, sweetie, we aren’t going to die. Everything is going to be fine.” I crouch down and wrap my arms around my legs. “They’re probably just hungry like everyone else, and we have plenty of food to go around.” More than enough to feed the vilge and the goblin vilge. The harvest is still going. Every time a vegetable is plucked from the pnt, another one pops up, followed by another, and then another. Vegetable and fruit-wise, we are not at risk of going hungry.

  Meat wise, well, I can’t do much about the ck of beasts in the forest and it wouldn’t do well to plunder the river for fish either. The ecosystem in this area is all wonky and needs time to reset itself.

  “But the goblins don’t like us, and we don’t like them.”

  “Well...” I close my mouth and puff my cheeks. “That doesn’t mean we can’t put our differences to the side and start anew. You know there aren’t any ogres or demons in my vilge.”

  “Really? Not even a fairy?”

  Fairy? There are fairies in this world?

  “Nope, not even one fairy. Just humans.” I move my arms and sit down on the floor. I pat the spot next to me. Yazir sniffs and sits down.

  “Not even one demon?”

  “Nope,” I sing song. “Not even one demon. It was just humans. When I ran into Roharu, I was terrified. And we didn’t get along at first, but we worked together and became friends.” Okay, we’re more than friends, but it’s best to keep things simple. Yazir nods her head with that child-like wonder. “All it takes is one person to take that step. To make a change. We don’t know if the goblins will be receptive, so that is why we are in here, away from any disagreements, but I’m hopeful they will wish to take that step with us.”

  “You waste your breath,” Suzun, a demon, says. Not sure what kind of demon she is, and it seems rude if I ask her. Her eyes are solid bck. Her skin is tawny, and her hair is bright red. “Goblins do not change. They only work with other goblins and even then, they tend to backstab one another.”

  Yazir whimpers.

  I roll my eyes and give Suzun a look. “We can be hopeful.”

  “What does hope do for us? Leave us stuck in this building with only one way out?” She balks and then snorts. “You are young.”

  What is her problem? “I am young, but that doesn’t mean I have my head in the clouds. You say that hope hasn’t gotten you anywhere, and yet you are standing in a building overflowing with the answers to that hope.” I stand and dust my hands on my dress. “Regardless of what happens with the goblins, we will be fine.”

  Suzun crosses her arms and juts her chin out. “You have hope in them?”

  “I have confidence in Roharu.” The others do not seem to share the same sentiment as Suzun, so that’s a relief, but the young look even more afraid than they did before. “Come here, everyone. I’ll tell you a story while we wait.” I sit back down and lean back against Apollo. He huffs and watches the door. Even if a goblin gets through the door, Apollo should be able to hold at least one off.

  The young gather around me while the adults rub their arms in worry. I wish there was more I could do to comfort them. Shake it in them that they need to be brave for the children, at least.

  “What kind of story?” Yazir asks, snuggling close to my side. Her small fingers fist the side of my dress. The others sit next to me, but they don’t cling to me like Yazir does. My brows furrow together as I stare at her.

  Is she an orphan? I rack my brain and come up bnk. There aren’t that many vilgers and I like to believe my memory is pretty good, but nothing comes up.

  “A story about bravery. It’s about a fox and a hare.”

  “What’s a hare?”

  “Uhh, it’s a small furry creature that foxes like to eat.” I wrap an arm around her. It’s silly, but I feel some type of camaraderie with her. Maybe it’s because I know what it’s like to be an orphan and dependent on the goodwill of others. Well, some of that goodwill depended on how much they got from the state or how well I behaved while I was there. It was never enough. No amount of scrubbing the floors or the walls made anyone love me enough to adopt me.

  “Saintess?”

  “Megan.” I fsh another smile, trying to will those thoughts away. And I wish they wouldn’t call me that, but they seem insistent on giving me a title. “Anyway, back to the story. There was a hare that lived in the forest. She was the smallest of all the hares and even her shadow scared her at least twice a day.”

  “What a scaredy cat,” the children murmur. “I’m not even afraid of my shadow.”

  “Right. She didn’t have a brave bone in her body, and she was always pushing her responsibilities off to the other rabbits. Well, one day, it was her turn to go out and pluck the berries before winter set. Little Miss Hare lifted her head out of the hole and cried at the sight of the snow. She cried, and she cried until finally the other hares gave up and went to fetch the berries themselves. But little did she know that by sending the rest of the hares out to pluck the berries instead of going by herself, the great fox woke up from its slumber.”

  I pause and make eye contact with every youngling. They stare at me with mouths wide open.

  “And then what happened?”

  “And then, the great fox stretched its legs like this.” I mimic a fox stretching its legs out and wrinkle my nose, pretending to be tired from sleep. “He sniffed the air and wagged his tail at such a find. So many hares just for him.”

  “Oh, no!”

  Huh. Even Suzun is watching me with wonder. Man, I hope they don’t ask me to tell this story again because I’m talking out the side of my neck here. Pretty sure there is a story about a fox and a hare, but it’s been a long time since I’ve read a children’s story.

  “Oh, no is right! The hares were so loud with their grumbles and from thumping their paws on the ground that it woke the very, very hungry fox. So, while all the hares were gathered around the bush, thumping their paws, and compining about the small hare, the hungry fox jumped out and scared them!”

  Apollo lifts his head. I force a smile to my face to distract the children. “Back at the den, the scared hare waited all day for her friends to come back, but no one came back. She waited all through the night and then when morning came, the other hares weren’t back yet.”

  “What did she do?” Yazir asks.

  I lean forward, so Apollo can stand. Something must be going on outside. I hope Roharu and the others are okay.

  “Miss Hare climbed out of the hole, took two steps, and then cowered with fear. She was still afraid of her shadow, but when she heard the yelp of her friends, she lifted her head and took it one step at a time. Step by step, she inched closer to where the hungry fox held her friends hostage. She knew she couldn’t fight the fox head on, so she devised a pn. If she could win the fox over, then maybe he would leave her friends alone.”

  Suzun scoffs. “That is so stupid. Why would she try to win their enemy over?”

  “Well... Suzun, you are welcome to sit down and listen to the rest of the story.”

  She hesitates and then sits down with a flourish. Her dress poofs around her as she sticks her nose in the air, as though she is above all of this. Maybe she is young by demon standards. Apollo nudges me with the back of his hoove. Got it, need to wrap this up and keep everyone calm.

  “Anyway, because she couldn’t fight him outright and because the thought of future conflict scared her, Miss Hare made a deal with the hungry fox. If she could make the fox a meal so great, then he would agree to never hunt her or friends again. The fox ughed and agreed to her terms.”

  I pause. That sounded too close to the building for comfort. There’s only one way out of this pce unless we break a window.

  “Miss Hare gathered all her fears and stuffed them way down. She knew if she allowed fear to overcome her, then she would never see her friends again. So, she gathered the juiciest berries she could find and the crunchiest carrots. She mixed them all together on a giant leaf and sprinkled some herbs on them. The hungry fox was stupefied when she gave him the food and when he took a bite, it changed his life.”

  Crash.

  I inhale and force myself to stay calm. That was really close to us. Apollo presses his head close to the door.

  “Because the hare, the smallest of all the hares, blessed the hungry fox with a meal so tasty, he vowed to never hunt the hare or her friends again. All it takes is one person to hold out a hand or paw.”

  “I thought foxes are carnivores.”

  “They’re actually omnivores,” I say offhandly. “Now everyone up and go stand next to Ms. Yenk.” I stand and dust my hands on my dress. The children hesitate, shuffling their feet, before heading over to Ms. Yenk, a rge ogre with the kindest smile. She’s as tall as Bazur and looks just as mighty. I wrinkle my nose. Something smells like smoke.

  Shit.

  Smoke.

  Apollo rears on his hind legs and kicks open the door. Fmes lick at the entrance. It’s not too high yet. I don’t know what is waiting for us outside, but we can’t stay in here.

  “Everyone outside!” I yell. “Follow Apollo. Everything is going to be fine.”

  Suzun snatches a pan and clutches it to her chest. “Following your lead,” she says. I nod and motion for everyone to follow me out. On the floor, a goblin lies ft on his back with Apollo pressing down on his chest. There’s smoke everywhere. How did the fmes spread so quickly? I cough and try to cover my nose, but there’s no point. The smoke irritates my eyes, but I can’t look away, not until everyone is out of the building.

  Shit. Shit. Shit. Even if there were buckets of water close by, it wouldn’t be enough to put out the fire. Yazir runs over to my side and clutches my dress. The fire spreads up to the roof. If it keeps going, the building will colpse on itself and all that food will be gone.

  “Megan!”

  Roharu? I snap my head and breathe out a sigh. Ugh, forgot about the smoke. “Is everyone okay?”

  “Yes, they are fine.” He pulls me into his embrace. “Never mind that. We need to get out of here. The smoke is far too dangerous for anyone to be breathing in.”

  I know that, but...isn’t there something I can do? My prayers never worked in my world, but they seem to work here.

  Bash!

  What the hell? I peer around Roharu and snort. Guess that hare and the fox story resonated with Suzun. I Almost feel sorry for the goblin. Almost. He did set the building on fire, but getting bashed in the head must hurt.

  “Megan,” Roharu warns.

  “A quick prayer,” I rush out. “For rain to put out the fire before it spreads even more. Give me two minutes.” I hold up two fingers. Yazir whimpers and tugs on my dress. “Just two minutes and I’ll get out of here. Promise.”

  Roharu narrows his eyes and then rolls them skyward. “Fine. Two minutes and not a second longer. Time starts now.”

  Of course it starts now. I close my eyes and concentrate. The familiar pool of energy swirls in my gut. It’s warm, but strained. Like a muscle. This may be pushing it, but I have to try. Everyone else is putting themselves on the line. I can do this much. Please let the sky open up and rain fall upon us, putting out the fire and watering the crops. It’s been a while since I’ve seen rain. May those that need it receive it as well.

  “Megan.”

  Distantly, I hear Roharu’s voice. Sounds muffled. My body feels as limp as a noodle. I peel my eyes open and sway backwards. My shoulders droop. The building is still on fire. Damn. So much for—

  Boom!

  Thunder reverberates through the sky. The clouds form, and the onsught of rain drenches me. Yazir squeals and pushes her face closer to my side.

  “Oh. It worked,” I slur. “M’ tired.”

  “Seven hells, vixen. I told you not to overdo it.” He gres down at me. Oh, when did I end up in his arms? My head hurts. The pain blooms between my eyebrows and pounds and pounds like someone trying out for the marching band.

  “Gonna sleep now.”

  “What? No—”

  AutumnBanks

  Thanks for reading and have a great week! Made a cinnamon roll cake the other day and it was so good.