Page 28 of Wilds of Wonder
“My father was basically absent from my life,” she said, and I could hear the wobble in her voice. “Focused on his career, coming home to check on my progress and make sure I was being the good little daughter I was supposed to be. He died when I was ten years old. My mother, however, she was present.” She hesitated like she was choosing her words carefully. “Too present. She watched my every move, had... expectations of me.”
“Did you meet those expectations?” I asked. I knew all about parental expectations.
She wrung her hands together, her skin so pale, her skin so smooth and delicate. “I did. She died proud, all her dreams for me fulfilled. So I guess that’s what truly mattered.”
I scratched my head through the back of my hood. “Do you want to do this another time? We don’t have to?—”
“No,” she interrupted. “This is good. It’s the distraction I need.”
“Okay.” Now that she’d given me those small details about her life, little morsels, I was hungry for more.
But no. This could never be anything more than the game we played. No matter how intriguing she was. So I’d better make the most of it.
I gestured to the tree. “Go ahead.”
She brushed past me and I caught her scent in the air, alpine and pale blossoms. It wasn’t like the storm that whirled around us, but like the calm that came after. Like waking up after a night of heavy snowfall and stepping outside to take a deep breath. Refreshing and subtle.
She grabbed the little circle of wood we’d cut from the tree, sliding it out and revealing a small nook where our jar sat. “I chose last time.” She plucked out the glass jar and shoved it at me. “Your turn.”
I plunged my hand into the jar of small folded pieces of parchment, grasping onto one and pulling it out.
“Well?” she asked. “What’s the artifact?”
I unraveled the rolled parchment, my excitement building. “The Terramadeau Scrolls.”
“In the ice pits,” she said, the excitement also evident in her voice, and I fucking loved that she was up for this challenge.
The historians and scholars at the academy wouldn’t dare go near the ice pits, not if it meant risking their precious little necks. They wouldn’t let me go either. That would make them look bad. The new young professor showing off and embarking on dangerous missions. I shook away the thoughts. This was supposed to be my escape from all of that.
“Now that we’ve got that settled.” I reached into my cloak, pulling out a scroll I’d discovered recently that laid out ten rules for interacting with the spirits. One of the rules mentioned the Seven Spirits’ mythical weapons, stating that the weapons were never to be touched by anyone but a spirit. Though it didn’t say why. I wondered what the repercussions might be. I wanted to get her opinion, see if she knew anything about these weapons.
I looked up from the parchment to ask the white rabbit what she thought, but when my gaze lifted to find her, she was already gone.
Chapter Sixteen
EMORY
“Iced tits, it’s freezing.” Driscoll shuddered at the blistering-cold wind that rattled past us.
“Iced tits?” Leoni shot him a sidelong look from under the hood of her black cloak, a single red tendril of hair escaping from it. “You know, your curse words have gotten more inventive the longer I’ve known you.”
“I’m taking that as a compliment. And also a challenge to invent even more.”
“How lovely,” I said drily while Leoni just smirked.
We’d been following the bone collector for a week now. One week of trekking through the frost court toward the Glacier Mountains. We’d camped at night, all of us huddled together in whatever shelters we could find, waking up early and finding his trail. It wasn’t hard with all the snow, his bootprints fresh and thick. He hadn’t bothered covering his tracks. Why would he? He probably would never expect someone to be following him, especially not when he was going toward the mountains, known for their freezing temperatures, harsh terrain—and other threats like snow bears, wolves, and mountain lions.
“Why couldn’t he be heading somewhere warm?” Driscoll asked, teeth chattering. “Would it kill him to take the bolt to a beach where I can lay in the sand and drink all day?”
We came to a stop at the base of the mountains, harsh gray stone dusted with snow, the range rising so high and stretching so far it seemed like they went on forever. The wind howled around us, snow flurries swirling, thick and cutting. The closer we came to the mountains, the worse the weather had become. It would only get harder to stay on his trail, and I didn’t need any distractions.
I turned toward Driscoll and Leoni. “You’re both welcome to turn around at any time. Truly. I’m used to following him. By myself.”
I tugged at the blue scarf, still wrapped around my throat, covering my bruises. I let the words hang between us, hoping my meaning was clear.
Leoni scowled. “I promised Princess Poppy I would take care of this. That I’d get that bolt. I’m not leaving until I fulfill my promise.”
Driscoll raised a finger. “I, on the other hand, made no such promises. So, you know, it might be time to say my goodbyes.”
