Issue 4 - Entangled

HOUSTON HARE

Tallstrunt Press LLC

Sprig

Issue 4 - Entangled

Copyright © 2021 Houston Hare

Tallstrunt Press LLC

https://Sprig.Houstonhare.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

First eBook Edition

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents either are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Published by Tallstrunt Press LLC

TallstruntPress.com

Dedicated to Daisy,

I can’t wait to dream with you.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3 Interlude: Sillius

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

The Adventure Continues!

A Quick Favor

Want More Sprig?

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

With mountains high and valleys low

We dig deeper in the earth

To protect our mountain home

And all that it is worth

Not the dragons of the sky

Nor the serpents of the sea

Nor the beasts of the land

Can ever take what’s mine from me

The red-haired Dwarf sang his song as he sat in the corner of his cell. He was slumped over on a bench, worn out, as if he’d been sleeping in a pig pen. He had a nice voice despite his lazy, mumbled singing. From what I could make out through the metal bars that separated us, he had a kind face.

Oh good. You’re awake, said a voice next to me. Zef. I could tell it was him without looking. He had the voice of an old man, not like the Dwarf chained to the wall outside of our cell.

Here, you should drink, Zef continued. I could hear him shuffling with something before pressing the waterskin to my lips. I drank, if only because it was Zef. Although, I would’ve liked to sit up first.

I struggled to get the fluid down, sat up, and spat out the last drops of water that had caught in my throat. Where’s Chipry? I asked, coughing.

I cleared my eyes, allowing myself to observe the jail cell I was stuck in. Zef was locked in with me. To the left of our cell were Tigala and Lolan, and to the right was an open area where the singing Dwarf was. His wrists were shackled to the wall.

I looked back at Zef, letting him know I still wanted an answer. Zef’s eyes darted around before he turned back to me. They trapped him. They were afraid you would be too dangerous with him.

Is he okay?

I think so. The bird bit Rodrigo’s finger, but Chipry wasn’t harmed, said Zef.

I took a deep breath. They better not hurt him. I let out a chuckle under my breath. Rodrigo was afraid of what I could do with a bird? I asked.

They all were a bit nervous, said Zef, smiling back at me.

I looked