Page 40 of Kingdom of Chaos
“I don’t care if?—”
“Listen,” Imogen cuts in, “if we don’t collect a piece oftamalite, then it’s only going to be a one-way ticket. Get it?”
I crane my neck to look at Imogen in the seat behind me, and she sneers back at me.
“No, I don’tget it,” I say. “What even is tamalite?”
She sighs. “You know we need lunacitefrom the human world to travel through the gate. Well, to return, we need tamalite. Without it, we won’t be able to get back toourworld after we find your friend. So, if it’s okay with you,Your Highness, we’d like to make sure we don’t get stuck in a magicless world for the rest of our lives.”
I press my lips together to keep from sniping back at her. Talon could have just said so.
“But it’s not just the tamalite,” Talon adds. “We have to be smart about this. We’re going to need weapons, appropriate clothing, food rations.”
“Food rations? Is this human world back in the Stone Age or something?” I ask, alarmed even though I know that can’t be true. I spotted modern skyscrapers over the tree line through the portal.
“We don’t know where we are going to appear in that world or how long it’s going to take us to find your princeling.”
“Becks,” I grate out, but Talon keeps going as if I haven’t spoken.
“And even when we find this Central Park, he may be long gone from the area. We won’t have the local currency or knowledge about the land at all. The information Imogen and I have about the human world is over two thousand years old. Think about how different our civilization is since that time. It’s better to be over-prepared than under.”
As much as I hate to admit it, Talon has a point. When I look back at Ensley and Titus, I can tell they agree. “Fine. We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
Talon nods and Titus, Ensley, and I climb out. We head toward the front desk to ask about rooms, and I glance over my shoulder just as Talon and Imogen back out of the parking space and merge into traffic.
For a wild, irrational second, panic spikes in my chest. What if they don’t come back?
I know Imogen’s going to try to convince Talon to ditch us. It’s probably the only reason she tagged along in the first place. A knot of doubt twists deep in my gut.
But then, in my mind’s eye, I picture Talon’s face. The steadiness in his gaze. The warmth behind his teasing smile.
He’s coming back. I trust him.
I think.
Thirteen
Hours later,the sun’s set and Titus, Ensley, and I sit in one of the two shabby rooms munching on lukewarm pizza in relative silence. I tried calling Talon three different times, but I got sent to voicemail every time. As much as I try to reassure myself that there’s a perfectly good explanation for why they are taking so long, I’m still nervous.
What if after everything, Imogen convinces Talon to ditch us? There’s no way to get to the human world without his help. I’d never see Becks again.
“We should have asked to hold the book for collateral,” Ensley says as she drops her half-eaten slice on the napkin she was using as a plate. She eyes the slice with scorn, but it’s not the pizza she’s upset with. “At least we thought to grab our bags,” she grumbles.
“They’re going to be back soon,” I say with confidence I don’t feel.
“Locklyn’s right,” Titus says as he peers out the window through the curtains. “They just pulled up.”
I’m up and crossing the room in an instant. By the time I swing open the door, Imogen and Talon are already out of theValkyrie. They’ve moved to the rear hatch to unload whatever they have in the back of the SUV. I jog over to them just as Imogen hefts a couple filled backpacks over her shoulder.
“You’re back,” I say unnecessarily.
Imogen rolls her eyes. “Wow. Nothing gets by you.”
I clench my fist, wanting nothing more than to punch the snark out of her. “What took you so long?”
“What, you missed us?” she asks with a laugh, and then shoves a backpack at me. “Here, bring this inside.”
I sling it over one shoulder. It’s heavy. “What’s inside?”
