Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1) - Rin Chupeco Page 0,119

her efforts. They ate more adobo (courtesy of Alex), ekwang (Nya), and peanut butter burgers (Loki, to everyone’s morbid curiosity, then intrigue, then seal of approval) and huddled in small groups to compensate for the lack of fire, while Ken took first guard. Cole settled down at a spot farther away, ostensibly to conduct his own watch.

“Now I know why Uncle Hiram never had many visitors,” West said.

“This place was a city once,” Alex said, still in that place farther away than from where he stood. “There were so many names for it. That it was part of Camelot, where King Arthur ruled until he was killed by Mordred. Or that it was a city called Tír na nÓg, led by King Fionn and his followers, the fianna, until his son, Oisin, disappeared, and the fianna grew corrupted. Or that it was the first city to be named Everafter, where Avenant Charming, the Three Great Heroines, and their descendants battled Koschei and the Snow Queen. Maybe it was abandoned and Lyonesse founded nearby because it was cursed with endless-seeming cycles of heroes fighting evil and dying for their troubles. All I know is that nothing grows here anymore.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tala asked, tentative.

Alex looked at her, and then back at the lifeless, frozen swamp. “Why?” he asked. “What’s the use? They’re all dead and gone.”

“What was that?” Nya cried out, pointing a trembling finger into the mist, where a faint glow of light ebbed back and forth across the bogs.

“Marsh lights,” Loki guessed. “Will-o’-the-wisps. My dad said some forms of fungi can combine with marshland gas to glow in the dark. It’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“I’m not afraid,” Nya said, shivering. “Although this wasn’t what I had in mind. Grammy made it sound like I’d be getting into swashbuckling fights and meeting more royal princes and finding caves of jewels like in the history books. Not freezing in a marshland in the middle of nowhere, waiting for something to crawl up and kill me. Reality’s a lot harder than it looks.”

A peculiar sound echoed across the open air.

“Okay, tell me that was just the bogs settling,” Ken said. “Because that sounded a lot like someone screaming.”

“Are you still all right?” Loki asked Nya. “Do you want another cloak?”

The girl flashed them a wan smile. “I’m fine. It’s just…water ought to be clean and clear. Like the ocean. I’d always wanted to see that one day. Not like this.” She looked back at Loki. “You seem to know your way around these parts.”

They shrugged. “My father was of the fianna sciath.”

“What’s that?”

“Rangers, scouts, warriors dedicated to the defense of Avalon. Only the very best are chosen. There’s usually thirteen honors at any one time—thirteen groups of thirteen soldiers, each with specialized training—and each honor led by a high lord, in turn led by a wake.”

“Was?” Tala asked.

“Father had to leave after he was exiled, but they extend invitations to all fianna’s children regardless. They’ve been inactive the last dozen years for obvious reasons, but I’m planning on following in his footsteps and joining up once they’re officially reinstated.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Tala interrupted. “I know nothing about this. Exiled?”

Loki coughed. “Some of King Ivan’s councilmen were…not very happy about my fathers’ romantic preferences.”

“Are you kidding?” Tala exploded. “Isn’t Avalon more progressive than that?”

Loki coughed again. “It’s complicated. My dad, Anthony Sun, was a high lord of the fifth fianna, but my father, Thomas Wagner, was seventh in line to the Avalon throne and betrothed to a princess.” They grinned. “They exiled Dad in an attempt to dissuade Father from marrying him, but he didn’t care.”

“You say that like it’s not a big thing,” Nya marveled. “I would be furious in your place.”

Loki shrugged. “We’re not very big on regret. You let go of a lot of unwanted baggage that way. And if things didn’t happen the way they did, I might have never been adopted by my fathers, so I’m grateful.” They squinted up at the sky. “Everyone best get some rest; according to the count’s map, we’ve got a couple more days to go before we reach the marsh’s edge.”

“A couple more days too many for me,” Zoe murmured softly, hugging the pouch the witch gave her against her chest.

The mist had barely lifted when they started out again the following day. They talked little as they led their horses, and then in only mute whispers. Loki halted every now and then to take stock of