Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1) - Rin Chupeco Page 0,22

concerts and celebrations. I’ve even been to Burning Man once.”

“You complained about the sand down your shorts the entire time,” her husband reminded her. “And you punched a guy for getting so stoned, he thought your shoes were pretzels.”

“You did?” Tala asked.

“The point,” her mother continued hurriedly, “is that we can have a good time at bonfires as much as a teenager can. Being a little older doesn’t mean we’re ancient, Tala. I was a pretty cool kid too. I’ve been to Pantera concerts.”

“What’s a Pantera?”

“We won’t get in yer way, is what she’s saying,” her father responded, intervening quickly. “Embarrassing you is the last thing we want.”

Tala glared at him. “I don’t know. Parents have a knack for it even if they’re not intending to.”

Her father spread his hands. “We’ll stay on the other end of the bonfire if you’d like. We oughta settle some house rules, though. No booze. No smoking. No boys within touching distance. Or girls, if’n they have the same intentions. I’m an open-minded bloke, s’long as they stay away.”

“Dad!” Tala nearly choked on her orange juice. “Look, I promise not to smoke or drink, but I don’t want you freaking out if some boy talks to me and—”

Her father scowled. “Is there a particular boy in mind?”

“This is the best we can offer, Tala.” Her mother took over. “We need to take precautions, and you know why. It’s a good compromise. It would be much safer if we were nearby, and you’d still get to enjoy the party.”

Tala groaned. “Okay. Fine. Do whatever you want. But can you at least stop Dad from going on a rampage if some guy wants to strike up a conversation, please? He’s acting like I’ve never had boys in my classes before.”

“I’ll handle your father,” her mother promised, placing Tala’s packed lunch on the table.

“I can hear you, Lumina,” her father grumbled.

“I know, mahal. That serves as a warning to you too.” And then her mother leaned across the table, smiling knowingly. “And when Tala’s comfortable enough to talk about it, she can bring whoever it is home so she can introduce them to us.”

Tala groaned. “Yeah, I’m out of here.”

“Wait.” Her father tossed a duffel bag her way.

She caught it. “What’s this?”

“Another gift.”

It was a pair of arnis sticks. Tala hefted them experimentally. They didn’t look any different than the ones she usually practiced with, but they also felt hollow, somehow.

“Should help you channel your agimat easier. Created by a spellforger I knew once, won’t trigger any magic sniffers. You can channel through it, make it easier for you to stop spells a mile away. Think of it as an extension of you.”

“Why didn’t you give this to me earlier? I mean, it seems like it would be easier for me to control my agimat using this instead of having me slog through basic maneuvers.”

Her father grinned. “Because you’re still gonna need to put in the practice, lass. And until you can best me in battle, you ain’t gonna be good enough, and some enhance-arsed sticks won’t give you much advantage when you’re facing someone better at this than you.”

Tala stuck her tongue out at him and grabbed her lunch. “Whatever. Thanks, Dad. Please don’t embarrass me at the bonfire.” She hopped up, then paused. “Say, Dad? Mum? If Alex’s going to leave…are we leaving with him?”

Her parents glanced at each other. “Do you want to?” her mother asked.

Tala bit her lip. “I’m not sure yet. I do, but…I’m not sure what to expect if I say yes.”

Her dad sighed. “It sounds all romantic and whatnot, the idea of leaving this hellfire town. But Alex’s still a fugitive. We may have to go into hiding too, and I’m not keen on having them spend resources on us when they should be focusing on him. And if you’re expecting tae stay with Alex…that may not be an option, lass. They’re sending him tae the next protected hideout on their list, and we’re not necessarily gonna be a part of that entourage.”

“Ah.” Tala looked down at the floor. It was naive of her to think that, she supposed. The fewer people associated with Alex’s past lives, the easier to hide him for the next one. Just because they could leave with him, didn’t mean she’d go where he went. “I…don’t know what to think.”

“We’ll talk about it at the bonfire,” her father promised. “Like it or not, Alex has tae leave by tonight, regardless of what our choices are.