Pig ride

Grabbing fistfuls of fabric, Cole scrambled up the side of the pig, pressing into her soft side with his knees and feet. It was like climbing a beanbag the size of a haystack. Once on top, he spread his legs wide to straddle the broad back just behind the head. Though understuffed enough to be cushy, the pig still felt relatively stable. The four of them fit on her without any trouble—Cole in the front, Mira kneeling behind him, then Jace, and Twitch in the rear. They would have had to squish together to add another rider.

“Comfortable?” Asia asked, her voice oozing sarcasm.

Cole rubbed his palms over the fabric in front of him. “Actually, yeah. What’s this material? It’s really soft, almost silky.”

“The boy has good taste,” the pig said.

“Let’s get this over with,” Asia grumbled.

Jamar and Asia led them away from the cavernous hall. The pig swayed as she waddled, but Cole felt reasonably secure. They moved through a room filled with musical instruments, including drums the size of hot tubs and a gleaming pipe organ that took up most of one wall. They passed through tinkling curtains made of long strands of tiny bells into a chilly room where everything was carved out of ice—the furniture, the statues, the fireplace, even the rugs.

Chapter 20