Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1) - Rin Chupeco Page 0,93
he could, as if that was going to make a difference.
The firebird tried to edge its way out of the tent, reluctant to hide if there was something out there to annoy, but Alex tugged it back inside just as quickly. It mewled in protest, but then obediently fell silent.
The baying sounds continued for a while, and then Tala detected a faint shift in the air. Several tree branches outlined against the tent, swaying gently back and forth, stopped moving abruptly. “What’s happening?” she whispered.
“Wind’s absolutely dead,” Alex said. “There isn’t any moving air for at least a mile around.”
“How do you know that?”
“I…” Alex trailed off. “I just know, that’s all.”
They waited tensely for several more minutes. “You think they can still smell us?” Alex asked softly after a moment.
“I don’t wanna think about it. I’m too nervous.”
“Want to talk about your dad, then?”
Tala froze. “That’s the last thing I wanna talk about. We should be quiet.”
“Normally that’s true, except the last time I tried to talk to you about him, you brushed me off.”
“He’s not worth a conversation at this point.”
“You do know that once upon a time, it was he who commanded these ice wolves, right? He was the Snow Queen’s immortal general, he could control all those nightwalkers like she could.”
“Do you really want to die?” Tala hissed. “Because I’m going to lose my temper and start yelling at you before I think this through, and they’re going to find us.”
“Are you ashamed of him?”
That stopped her. Was she?
She should be. Being her father didn’t exempt him from the horrible things he’d done.
Alex’s shoulders sagged. “I felt bad about not telling you. Still do. I wanted to, but I knew it wasn’t my place to say.”
“I’m not blaming you, Alex. You’re not responsible for him.”
“I am, actually. He’s one of the few subjects I have left, and I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for him. I owe your father that much, and I hate that it’s giving you pain.”
“What do you want me to do? Forgive him? Because I can’t. I don’t even know how Mom could stand to stay with him.”
“You’re going to have to forgive him at some point. Or do you intend to cut him out of your life now?”
“I don’t know what I’m gonna do yet.” She wasn’t going to think about him trapped at the sanctuary with the ogres and the ice maidens. He had to be alive for her to be mad at.
A low, growling noise came out of nowhere, surprising them both—a noise that was coming from directly outside their tent.
Tala bit down on her hand to stifle her scream. Alex had stopped moving altogether.
A dark silhouette appeared. It had a wolf’s shape, but was twice as big and bulkier. Several sharp points protruded from its body, like there were large spikes embedded on its skin. Snapping sounds accompanied every step.
The figure bent its head and sniffed the air. It paused by the tent’s entrance, snuffling. The flap moved slightly, and Tala could make out, to her horror, a large glittering paw that was more ice than skin. The firebird slowly rose to its full height, eyes riveted on the shadow. Dim fire strands snaked out from its feathers, smoldering.
Several howling noises called out again, but the paw retreated, and the shape reared back and snarled. Its silhouette slunk away from the tent, moving out of sight.
It was quiet for several minutes, neither of them willing to look outside to see if the ice wolves had left, until the tent flap shifted again. Tala fought to muffle a shriek.
“They’re gone,” Ken said to them, looking relieved. “Something else chased them off. I don’t think I care what at this point.”
Still shaken, Tala crawled out.
“When I saw one making for your tent, I thought we were gonna fight for sure. Would have been a bloody mess.”
Loki shimmied down a tree. Zoe followed, lowering herself down from a whip that quickly uncoiled itself from a higher branch. Cole reappeared from behind some tall bushes. An owl drifted down in front of Tala, hooted once, and turned back into West.
“West,” Loki said. “Clothes.”
“Oh. Righty-ho.”
“Those were ice wolves? But they were all literally made of…”
“Ice,” Ken supplied. “Yeah, creatures spawned from Beira tend to be named literally. They’re blind, but they’ve got a very, very good sense of smell. Zoe’s trick worked, but that last one got a little too close to camp for comfort.”