Everything was just a
blur. I was blinking repeatedly, trying to get my eyes to focus so I
could see what was going on, but I think that just made them worse.
“Tinkerer....?” a
new voice demanded. Except it wasn't really a voice as much as it
was a sensation. Sure I heard the word, but more than that I felt it
rumble through me, deep and resonant, coming up from the floor,
through me legs, in the depths of my stomach.
Oak shrieked in
surprise, and then there seemed to be a great commotion. Something
big shot past me, faster than I could imagine, followed by strained
grunting noises.
“Give me that,”
Raven hissed through gritted teeth, followed by the sounds of
laboured, struggling breaths. Before me I could just about make out
two bodies, locked together. A loud thump was followed by the
clatter of crockery smashing on the floor.
“Careful!” Mum's
voice declared, then the sound of a slap, skin on skin, then nothing
but heavy breathing.
“Now,” Raven said
after a few moments, “Time for you to listen.”
