Runaway Page 5

  “Aren’t you coming, too?” she asked. “Don’t we all have to follow his grand mighty lordship SinisterFace?”

  Turtle shook his head and held out the stick. “He can’t see me,” he whispered. “I hid myself from him.”

  Peril’s face lit up. “Of course!” she said. “That’s awesome! You have animus magic! You can kill him!”

  “Oh,” said Turtle, flustered. “No, I — I don’t really — kill anyone.” A brief flash of scales and blood darted through his mind, and when he looked down, he saw his claws curling dangerously. He jumped and shook them out until they looked like his own talons again. “That’s not my thing,” he said, tamping down a wave of panic.

  “I know, I know, it’s my thing,” Peril said, “but I can’t kill him, because of his stupid magic, GROWL. So you have to. Don’t worry, it’s not that hard, and it would be such a relief — for me, I mean — because I’m having this feeling — I don’t know what to call it, but it’s kind of big and heavy and annoying? And it’s filling me all up inside like everything is awful and it’s all my fault? Like maybe all the bad things in the world are my fault? I really don’t like it, so if you can make it stop, that would be the greatest.”

  “I think what you’re describing is what we call guilt,” said Turtle, “but it’s not your fault he tricked us. I still think you did the right thing, burning the scroll.”

  “Well, thanks, but the universe disagrees with you,” Peril said, jerking her head at the enormous crack in the side of the mountain.

  “Peril!” called one of the dragons in the distance.

  “Good luck,” Peril whispered. “Make it something really cool, like his insides exploding. Or his face falling off. I’m kidding! I’m a little bit kidding. I mean, insides exploding would be pretty cool, right? Never mind, it’s up to you! Destroy him and save the world! Three moons, I wish I could do it!” She took off and flashed away, fast as a firework.

  Turtle shivered.

  Save the world?

  That’s not my thing either. I would definitely mess it up. That’s way, way too much pressure.

  I’m clearly not a hero.

  He raised his eyes to the shadowy peaks of Jade Mountain.

  But I know where I can find some.

  Text copyright © 2016 by Tui T. Sutherland

  Border design © 2016 by Mike Schley

  Illustrations © 2016 by Joy Ang

  Design by Phil Falco

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  First edition, October 2016

  e-ISBN 978-0-545-95779-3