Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1) - Rin Chupeco Page 0,17
it really is. This is Skylar Ahmad, and I was today years old when I learned about the Nine Maidens.”
The A Brief History of Weird Things podcast was also an enjoyable listen. “Ever wondered how the Royal States of America wound up with a king?” its narrator began. “Well, believe it or not, it had everything to do with magic. You see, charms used to only be for the nobility in the same way only royal families were allowed to wear indigo-dyed clothes in the past. This was part of the so-called noblesse oblige, which means that while nobles enjoyed certain privileges—including access to magic that the poorer classes couldn’t touch—it also came with the responsibility to be generous to the less fortunate by using these spells for everyone’s benefit. Unsurprisingly, the nobles wasted no time using them for their own personal gains instead.
“It took the Revolutionary War for magic to be accessible to the common folk, but even that came with restrictions. For one thing, famous weapons of war only worked with certain members of the royal house. We know now that some spelltech was configured to work for only one specific person, usually the royals who could afford the price tags for it, but back in the day, people assumed this was because only kings could wield them, and said kings encouraged those assumptions. Notable figures like George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson soon proved that commoners were more than capable of harnessing spells of their own when they defeated the British forces, but even they realized that magic in the hands of the wrong people could easily go against them. Sure, all men were equal, but some dudes had to be a little more than equal to use certain powerful spells.
“To do that, they needed a king of their own, a royal figurehead with Washington as his prime minister. Someone sympathetic to their cause, preferably a known face among their supporters. Enter the Marquis de Lafayette, who we would eventually know as King Gilbert the first, of the Royal States of America.”
A knock sounded on her door. “Come in,” Tala called, hurriedly turning off her screen.
Tala’s mother stepped into her room with a package in her arms. “I need to show you something,” she said, laying the box carefully on her bed. She untied the ribbons and lifted the cover.
It was a beautiful dress of colored patterns and textiles. Embroidery danced along the edges, tilted up at the sleeves, and spanned themselves across the waistline. Small mother-of-pearl shells were woven into the fabric, glistening like prized sequins.
“This is from my tribe, the Mai-i,” her mother continued. “It’s woven from abaca. These shells? They’re called takmon. I’ve worn this many a time in Avalon, for important ceremonies. It was my mother’s, and her mother’s. They were valuable enough to be offered as dowries once, and it takes months of constant weaving to finish just one of these. When you turn eighteen, Tala, it’ll be yours to keep.”
Tala’s hands wandered down the diamond patterns, marveled at the softness of the cloth intertwined with the perfectly made, intricate stitching. “It’s gorgeous. But I won’t be eighteen until next year. Why show me now?”
“Because we’re not sure what’s going to happen in the next couple of days, love.” The response came from the doorway where her father’s hulking form stood, watching them. “And we want you prepared for anything.”
This was a lot more serious than Tala thought. Lola Urduja had been mum on further details that afternoon, and Tala was still bursting with questions nobody wanted to answer. How many more Avalonian allies were out there? Did they know about her and her parents? Why send a contingent of Bandersnatchers her age, instead of soldiers with presumably more experience? Would they take Alex away but keep her and her parents stuck in Invierno? Tala didn’t like that idea at all.
“Why are they so keen on finding Alex? Is it because of that Emerald law?”
Her mother hesitated, nodded. “After the Wonderland bombing, Avalon reneged on their agreement to share spelltech. That gave rise to a lot of resentment, especially from those who want to profit off it. The United Nations had declared Beira an enemy, but it’s been suspected that certain governments have been trying to woo their support in return for access to their spelltech. They also think Alex is the key to thawing Avalon.”
“And…is he?”
She sighed. “With the firebird, it might be possible. But we don’t have the firebird.”