Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 67092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
“Do not fear, female of Raakshas,” Qi’s voice floated softly down to her. “All that you are served, you will be able to consume with pleasure. Come—will you consume with me?”
“Of course we will,” Raak answered quickly. “We would be most honored to consume comestibles with you, oh Qi. Thank you for your kind invitation.”
“Very well. Then bend your stalks, for I know your species prefers to be in a bent position while consuming,” Qi told them.
“Uh…bend our stalks?” Kara asked.
“I think he means he wants us to sit down,” Raak murmured back.
“Yes, that is the word—it escaped me for a moment,” Qi said and she heard a rustling as though his leaves were rubbing together in agreement. “Sit down, please, my guests.”
“Um, that’s very kind of you but where should we sit?” Kara asked doubtfully.
“Simply sit down where you are,” Qi answered serenely. “There will be a seating platform for you when you bend your stalks and drop your posteriors.”
Kara wanted to protest that she knew there was no “seating platform” directly behind her because she would have had to walk right through it or at least around it and that hadn’t happened. But Raak squeezed her hand again and murmured,
“It’s okay. Sit down.”
Doubtfully, Kara began to bend her knees and lower herself backwards. She felt like she was getting into “chair pose” in Yoga and wondered how long she would have to hold it for.
But just as she was wondering, she felt something firm and smooth pressing against the back of her legs and then her thighs and butt came in contact with a seat.
“Oh!” she exclaimed in surprise as she relaxed and felt the chair holding her weight. “Oh, but how—?”
“Who knows?” Raak murmured from beside her. From the way his voice was close to her ear, Kara could tell the big Unbondable had taken a seat as well.
“But he, I mean, it, somehow made a chair appear out of nowhere!” Kara protested in a low voice. “How is that possible?”
“I am afraid your small mammalian meat brain could not begin to understand,” Qi’s voice said from somewhere over her head. “Only one with a plant brain—one whose roots reach far and branches spread wide—can begin to contemplate the wonders and mysteries of bringing matter into and out of existence with a mere thought.”
“Oh. Okay,” was all Kara could think to say. She had never considered her “meat brain” to be a liability before but it was clear Qi did and since he was their host and she was hoping to get some help from him, she had better play along.
“Now place your hands before you onto the table,” Qi instructed.
Kara started to ask, “What table?” but then just decided to do as she was told.
Lifting her hands, she placed them in front of her and—sure enough—found that they were resting on a hard, flat surface that was a little higher than waist height to her.
Though she knew she shouldn’t be surprised after sitting on an invisible, magically appearing chair, the invisible table still surprised her. She felt around carefully with her fingertips on its smooth, flat surface but found nothing as far was she could reach.
“I don’t feel any food,” she hissed to Raak.
“Because I have not called any comestibles into being yet,” Qi’s soft voice said. Wow, he—or it—really had a good sense of hearing! And apparently he could understand the Kindred Standard tongue as well. Kara made a mental note to be careful what she said around him—or it—in the future.
“We await your pleasure, oh Qi,” Raak said formally.
“Then please partake of these luscious xanthos,” Qi told them and suddenly Kara felt several round balls appear under her fingers.
“Oh, what in the world?” she exclaimed, feeling the strange things. They were firm yet squishy with the texture of a well-filled water balloon and they ranged in size from a pea to a golf ball.
“These are xanthos,” Qi repeated patiently. “They are a rare delicacy. Please enjoy them.”
“Thank you, Qi,” Raak said. “They are indeed delicious.”
“Uh, yes—thank you,” Kara said. She wondered if Qi could see them or not and decided it probably could in some way. Which meant she was going to have to eat at least some of the round, squishy balls she felt under her fingers if she didn’t want to offend it.
Hesitantly, she picked up a pea-sized ball and popped it into her mouth. It burst the moment she sank her teeth into it and a liquid which was both sweet and bland coated her tongue.
Well, that isn’t so bad, Kara thought to herself. It’s a little bit like weak tea.
Feeling braver, she popped a slightly larger ball into her mouth and bit down on it as well. This one had a different flavor—it was blander and the liquid seemed a tiny bit thicker but it still wasn’t horrible.