Chapter 10
Dori
“No!” Batten and I shouted together.
I lifted my hands to shield myself, wincing, just as Batten jumped in front of me to protect me. “Wait, Mama, no! She helped me.”
Winnifred shrieked in fear and turned to run away, only managing to bump into Phillipa and cause her to stumble, which unseated Tolman from his saddle.
As he fell to the ground with a curse, Arlyssa nosed her son aside, sternly demanding, “Batten, get back. Humans are dangerous.”
“Well, this human’s not,” I told her as Batten clambered right back between me and his mother. “I swear. I just wanted to help.”
“Yeah, I bet all you humans say that. Now…” She slowed to a stop, and her expression dropped from rage to confusion. “Wait. What did you just say?”
“I said I wasn’t dangerous. I swear.”
“I…” She tip
