Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1) - Rin Chupeco Page 0,113
and monkeys fly out of my butt.”
“Let it go, Tally.”
“But—”
“I said, let it go.” Alex turned away. The firebird let out a soft, unhappy sigh and flashed Tala a mournful look before turning to follow its master.
“According to our map, we should reach Maidenkeep by the end of the week,” Zoe said. “I’m not sure how much time that is outside of Avalon, so any problems you two have will need to be addressed while we ride. Between the ice wolves and the glyphs, I’d rather not dally for too long here.”
“Sounds good to me,” the girl said cheerily.
Ken glowered, then tugged at his horse’s reins. “Fine by me too.”
All were noticeably quiet when they started riding again. Tala kept her eyes on Alex’s back, but the boy never once turned his head. And it was a full fifteen minutes before Ken spoke up again.
“What do you mean, glyphs?”
25
In Which Dooms Are Discussed
After Cole proved he could stay upright in his saddle despite his injury, they had ridden harder, traveling a considerable distance by the time daybreak broke through the horizon.
Alex was ignoring everyone. After a few tentative questions by Zoe and Loki, they’d given up the attempts. Tala didn’t even bother to try. Alex had never exhibited any other magical abilities beyond his unfortunate frog curse, and his evasiveness about just how connected he was with the firebird was worrying. Otherwise, why refuse to explain himself? About the only thing Tala was certain of was that Alex’s dislike for Zoe stemmed from the fact she was dating his ex. That, at least, explained Alex’s passive-aggressiveness.
“Shouldn’t you be mad?” she’d asked Zoe, in a burst of frustration. “It’s clear he knows more about using the firebird as a weapon than he’s letting on.”
“Technically, that is a good thing,” Zoe pointed out. “It’s supposed to be Avalon’s most powerful weapon. Knowing how to use it works to our advantage.”
“But you’re not the least bit curious how he knows that? And why he’s being so ridiculously secretive about it?”
“I’m not going to be the person he confides to, though. If he refuses to tell you, he won’t be telling anyone else.”
Tala’s shoulders slumped. “He’s made it clear that I’m not important enough to be told.”
“I’m sorry I can’t help much,” Zoe apologized. “I think he feels responsible for Avalon, and it might be that he doesn’t want to shift that burden on you too.”
“He’s going about that through the asshole route, though.”
Ken was still having issues as well. “Nee-ya?” he asked incredulously. “Your name is Nee-ya?”
“It’s spelled N-y-a.” Like many of the other Ikpe women, the girl had smooth skin and long dark lashes. She wore a dark gray dress too coarse to have been made from anything other than rough gunny, and the bag she kept her herbs and medicine in was slung carelessly over one shoulder, along with the large broom she had insisted on bringing along.
She sat behind Loki, arms wrapped around their waist. It was obvious she was unused to riding; while not in pain like Tala had been, her gold and brown eyes kept drifting repeatedly to the ground with clear misgivings. They had no spare mounts, had been too pressed for time to purchase more in the village, and Zoe had very firmly put her foot down when it came to theft, much to Ken’s chagrin.
“You have a problem with my name?” the girl demanded.
“Of course not! It’s just—”
“Are you still hung up on my not being named Rapunzel? Do girls in towers have to go through some strange naming ritual I don’t know? Sage, or Coriander, maybe? Maybe at the next village we’ll find a girl named Nutmeg or Bok Choy.”
“I just thought it was hilarious,” Ken said, sounding injured. “And what’s with the broom?”
“You have something against brooms too?” Nya hugged its handle to her chest.
“Never mind.” Ken nudged his horse closer to Zoe. “I hope she’s worth what her grandmother gave us,” he grumbled.
“A million times worth it.” Zoe laid a palm protectively against a dress pocket, where she had stored the valuable glyphs. “We’ll talk about that later, since you’re in a foul humor this morning. What happened at the dance last night?”
“It’s not important,” Ken said sourly. “We ought to do the villagers a favor and spend a couple of days rooting out the ice maiden that made those Deathless, you know. It’s the least we could do.”
Several of the horses, including the normally docile Lass, neighed their assent.