Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1) - Rin Chupeco Page 0,75
common occurrence. Alex took his seat, frowning quietly into space as he grew lost in his own thoughts.
“It’s one of the few luxuries I indulge in.” The old man sat at the head of the table, barely touching his own food. “Knowing there’s a good meal waiting for them encourages my men to become better soldiers, and I employ a very skilled cook.” A large harp stood in the corner of the room. No musician was in evidence, yet the harp continued to play. As Tala watched, the strings drew taut, plucked by unseen hands, the music carrying across the hall.
“It’s good, Uncle!” West enthused. “We haven’t had anything but sloppy joes all day.”
“Sloppy joes?” The older man looked perplexed.
“American food. Made of camel.”
The count let that pass. “Your friends tell me you’ve spent all your life in a place where magic is nonexistent by nature, and that this is your first visit outside of the American kingdom, much less to Avalon,” he said to Tala. “My apologies for neglecting to inform you of the castle enchantments. I hope it didn’t sour your bath.”
“Not at all, sir,” Tala said, a little pink from the memory.
“The mirror you spoke of, though…that is curious. It’s not an heirloom, and not bespelled in the least. Was it possible that you were simply tired from the journey?”
“I know what I saw, sir,” Tala insisted.
“I meant no offense, milady. Odder things have happened. As to your journey, supplies might pose a problem. It will take a few hours to travel to the nearest village on foot, and I must inform you that that village did not survive the frost.” He paused. “Many did not. I cannot guarantee what other atrocities you might find as you travel.”
“We know, milord,” Zoe said soberly. “We’re prepared to take that risk. If you can provide a map to help lead us to the city of Lyonesse and Maidenkeep castle, it would be much obliged. Loki here is an excellent scout.”
“I’ll do more than that. One of my possessions is a bespelled cornucopia, so none of you will have to worry about going hungry. It can only pull up three meals a day, though, so it would be best to be sparing with it.”
“That’s more than generous, milord.”
“Surely you can’t expect me to let His Highness leave under such poor circumstances. For that matter, it would be easier on my conscience to ask that Prince Alexei remain under our hospitality instead of accompanying you. It is far too risky to have our last royal brave these unnatural elements.”
“Absolutely not,” Alex said immediately. “I appreciate the offer, milord, but I’m going to see this through with them. I might have been far too young to leave Maidenkeep, but my father taught me all its secrets. They will not be able to use the enchantments there without me, and their journey would have been wasted.”
“His Highness has already survived shades and ICE agents,” Ken quipped. “Avalon isn’t the only place teeming with unnatural wildlife.”
The man’s expression changed. “ICE agents? Those foul demons attacked the prince?”
“I take it they’ve been assholes long before the frost started?” Tala asked.
“Every encounter I’ve had with them has been less than cordial. Their objectives are anathema to Avalonian values. We have always opened our arms to the defenseless; it is not their crime to have been born in dangerous places. ICE takes what should be reasonable laws and twists them beyond cruelty.”
“The cruelty,” Alex said, “is the point.”
The count sighed. “You were fortunate to have reached the castle without incident. The forests teem with unnatural wildlife these days. My men have reported sightings of ice wolves and shades.”
“Ice wolves,” Loki mused. “It would have to be as cold as a Beiran winter for their kind to flourish here.”
“The frost has spread far enough and thick enough that even ice wolves can manifest. No doubt the accursed Snow Queen’s final gift. We have had sightings of them as far along as the Burn, and even into northeastern Albion. We’ve had ogre and even rare chimera attacks. Our enchantments prevent the ogres from drawing near, and they’re impatient enough to leave even without assuaging their bloodlust. The only chimera we’ve encountered in the last six months was a young jabberwock cub and we managed to take care of that with no fatalities, praise the heavens.”
Ken’s hands stilled. “A cub? It’s a Wonderland offshoot. Why is one in Avalon, and why is it breeding?”