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grass at the rivers edge. Misty spray matted her fur as she crawled away from the water, her instinc-
tual hatred of it still remaining.
In a flash she quickly changed back as Sam wrestled Scott to the ground, his hand firmly placed
over Scott s writhing mouth. Sam looked at me as Scott s face turned as red as a beet in his attempt
to scream, What is your fascination with this breed? Really, he hissed, throwing Scott to the
ground.
Scott instantly began to roar with a throaty laughter, like a mad man sent to solitary confinement.
Amazing! Absolutely wild! he yelled, quickly standing and skipping to the rivers edge where he
inspected the damage. Being as sheltered as he was, this was certainly new to him. I m sure there
was never a time when he thought he d fly from a waterfall in the abusive hands of a Guardian An-
gel.
Sam snorted in disgust as he walked to the water s edge and attempted to wash himself of the hu-
man scent. I twisted back to my human form, hastily checking my belt hoop to ensure the dagger
was still there. I had left it behind when I d gone into the painting so I hadn t worried about loosing
it, but in the commotion of the river, loosing it would have ruined all my plans and I would have
been left trying to negotiate with nothing.
Did you have to grab my tail Elle? Margriete s voice was full of sass as she shook off the rest of
the mist. I mean, really, she rubbed her hand against the base of her back, where her tailbone was.
I shrugged and smiled, Sorry.
She exhaled as her breath dragged between her lips, causing them to flap with annoyance.
We all took a moment to regroup as I calmed Scott, helping him to realize where he was and hoping
he d find his sanity. After a few minutes, I had managed to get him to stop laughing and look at me,
where he proceeded to forget that I had been here the whole time.
Remember Scott, we came down from there, I pointed to the top of the waterfall, From the river,
where you first saw me at the tower.
He pointed his finger at me like he always did, narrowing his eyes in recognition, By gosh Elle,
you re right! The look on his face was priceless, as though he couldn t believe he had been so
lucky and adventurous.
Rolling my eyes I stood and joined Sam and Margriete as they went over what to do next.
I hope he wakes up soon, Sam whispered under his breath.
I attempted to elbow him, but instead I ended up with a bruise.
Sam, forget Scott, he s here for now, so get over it, Margriete cautioned one hand at him and Sam
shut up.
Nice job, I yelped, giving her a high five for successfully beating Sam at his own game.
So, Margriete calmed her laughter as Sam sulked, back to business. I think it s safe to say that if
we follow the river, it won t be long until we come across the city.
I nodded while Sam refused to give her any acknowledgement. On our way down, it didn t seem
too far off, I added, looking in the general direction.
Smiling to myself, I recalled the works of Jewels Vern, remarking at how truthful the Journey to the
Center of the Earth had been. I wondered if he knew, much like Scott would, that this place was re-
al, and I wondered if he had indeed been here in the way his book would suggest.
Margriete gathered her things, the paint now washed from all of us, leaving a somewhat presentable
party. As we made our way along the riverbed, I watched the colorful fish weave beneath the sur-
face, no longer in need of my life, or my attention. For all I knew, this was heaven, or at least what
any man would consider it. Everything seemed perfect and healthy, eternally bound to a life of hap-
piness.
It wasn t long before the trees began to thin and we came upon a small cottage with a gated farm.
The roof was thatched, much like you might have seen from old colonial days, or perhaps the coun-
try. The fencing was rather tattered, and in spots, completely torn down. A herd of goats were scat-
tered across the landscape, half within the farm gates, half out.
Is there some sort of currency here? I asked, to no one in particular.
Margriete nodded her head, Hmm& she looked at the worn down house and weighed her
thoughts. Yes I believe there is. She pulled her book from her back and flipped through a few
pages, swiftly finding the spot she was looking for. She smiled, Yes, it seems the angels earn their
retirement& she paused and eyed Sam with an accusing glare. You are such a money grubber!
she exclaimed, dropping the book to her side and gawking at him.
Sam smirked and looked away from her.
She brought the book back to her face, It says that Guardian Angels earn various amounts based on
whom they choose to protect in their life of duty. Protecting someone like you, she pointed toward
me, her head still buried in the page, Fetches the largest bounty, something equivalent to royalty.
She snorted, now seeing Sam as greedy, not chivalrous.
I let out a surprised grunt, my mouth gaping as I looked at Sam wide eyed. You little sneak! I
yelped, somewhat amused. Sam s personality certainly suggested he d be so vain, but I had hoped
otherwise. But why would he get paid so much to protect us when the gods actually want us dead?
Doesn t that seem a little strange to you?
Margriete s brow furled, You have a point there, but I don t think I know why. Her mouth curled
into a smile, Maybe there really is more to us than just being a mistake. Her eyes glazed as she
turned her thoughts inward, now thinking of a rational explanation.
Sam stuck his nose in the air, Before you chastise me, you should know I didn t want the job.
Yeah right, Margriete choked.
Sam looked at her with a frightening glare, his eyes now blazing a deep gold, I did it for Edgar,
ok?
My smile sank, seeing the tension in his expression.
Edgar has done a lot for me in some very hard times. The money is just a bonus. He looked away,
his face stung by the hurtful assumption.
Margriete looked at her toes, somewhat ashamed. I m sorry Sam. I didn t mean to hurt you.
Sam said nothing as he crossed his arms.
What did Edgar do for you? I pressed, now selfishly intrigued by the conversation.
Sam turned and looked at me with narrow eyes, the mauve of his dead face darker than I had ever
seen. He helped me get over Jill, he replied plainly.
I gave him a polite nod, letting him know that I wasn t the enemy here, He helped you forget her?
He nodded, He said that no man should have to endure that kind of torture for all eternity.
My heart sank at the words, and for the first time, I wondered if Edgar really had gotten over me, if
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