Chapter 21
Wanted — A Champion
On the horizon, the first light of dawn broke over the tops of the distant trees, while inside Esmerelda’s cottage, Slinky nuzzled Esmerelda as she slept at the table with her head on a book. The rod and the bracelet lay nearby while Esmerelda mumbled incoherently as she tried to push Slinky away, but he persisted until she raised her head. "Ye gads! Morning already?" Esmerelda exclaimed with a sleepy-eyed look. "What am I going to do? You foolish girl. What have you gotten yourself into?" she asked herself.
Slinky climbed on her shoulder and looked her in the eye with concern. She returned a droll facial expression and gawked at Slinky as he stared back at her.
"All right," she acknowledged, "I've got to finish what I started." She briefly returned to th
