CHAPTER 13
Reckless Abandon
“Hello, again,” Hugo said as he pushed through foliage to enter the bower with Izzy trailing behind him.
“Your wards are a pain,” Izzy accused, staring at me, but the ward wasn’t mine.
“It’s wish magic. I can’t control it,” I said with a shrug, not happy about lying to my friends.
Hugo made a hand gesture and with a chant under his breath, his opalescent ward surrounded Rory’s ward. He probably didn’t trust a ward that he believed came from my wish magic.
Regardless, I was pretty confident that no one would hear us now.
“People are starting to talk,” Izzy said without preamble.
“I’m sure they are after last night,” I answered with a sigh.
Izzy glanced from me to Rory and back to me, again. “Are we interrupting something?”
“Since when has that ever stopped you?” Hugo arched an eyebrow at Izzy.
“Well, it hasn’t, but I thought it would be good to know if I’m third-wheeling or something.” She dropped down next to me on the bench.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I chimed in.
Izzy absently scratched Cheeva’s head. I was relieved he didn’t chomp down on her hand. She obviously had not paid attention in Familiars 101.
“And you’re not interrupting anything, Izzy.” I recalled her implication. “Lady Acacia had a meeting with my father, so Rory and I came here to talk,” I explained.
“Well, I’m dying to know what happened this morning at the Evangelista family confab,” Izzy urged.
“Then why didn’t you call?” I asked, and then realized I didn’t have my cell phone. I had a bad habit of forgetting it. It was very un-teenage girl of me.
Izzy rolled her eyes.
“Okay, I forgot it, again.”
“Oh really,” Izzy deadpanned. “What a shocker!”
“Uh-hum,” Hugo cleared his throat. “How did it go this morning? Give, give, give!” Hugo sat on the end of the bench a couple of feet from Rory.
“First, Hugo, while I’m thinking about it, do you have an extra translation amulet I could borrow? I’m going to need one to do research, and soon.”
“Actually, they’re pretty expensive. I only have one and I need it every day for school. And Horatio is still in classes, too, so he uses his all the time. I’m not sure how we can get our hands on one.”
“I’d hoped it would be easier than that,” I said with a sigh.
“You don’t happen to have a bunch of money stuffed in your mattress or anything, do you?” Hugo asked with a half-grin.
“Unfortunately, no stash hidden anywhere,” I replied, “but I really need an amulet, Hugo. Can you help me figure out a way to get one? I wish I didn’t need to pull my friends into this mess, but I don’t have anyone else to turn to.”
“Look, Addie,” Hugo said solemnly. “I understand and I’ll try to figure out how we can get an amulet for you.”
“Thanks, Hugs. I really appreciate it.”
“Hello!” Izzy groaned. “Family confab?”
“Oh yeah. Sorry.” And I quickly told them every little detail about what happened. There was a lot of laughing and several no he didn’t comments about my brother.
“I don’t believe it!” Izzy barked out a laugh. “You’re actually getting your room remodeled? That’s awesome.”
“Hey.” I shook my head, smiling in disbelief. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you wanted me to be found out.”
“Of course not, you pixie-head!” Izzy slapped my shoulder. “I just can’t believe you went from being suspected of having a familiar to getting your bedroom overhauled. Don’t get me wrong—it’s amazing! I think I’m going to have to start taking lessons from you.”
“And, don’t forget the most important thing,” Hugo added.
“What?” Rory asked.
“Zarius totally blew it,” a smirking Hugo replied.
“Yeah, well,” Rory agreed, “that karma is a—”
Cheeva growled.
“What is it?” Not that I knew how to communicate with Cheeva yet, but we all sat up straighter as Zarius entered the bower, scowling as he pushed through the wards.
“Thought I’d find you here,” he jeered. His eyes narrowed. Piri ran from one shoulder to the other, chattering incessantly. “Oh look, the gang’s all here.” He gave each one of us his stink eye. “I felt those wards. That proves you all are up to something. And I’m going to find out what it is.”
“What can we do for you, Zarius?” I asked, biting back a challenge and channeling my former obliviousness. My stomach flip-flopped with anxiety, and I patted Cheeva. He growled quietly, the rumble vibrating against my leg.
“Father wants you, Adriana, and—” Zarius’ glare shifted from me to Rory. “Lady Acacia is leaving and needs her pet human. And, I volunteered to personally find you both. I suspected the two of you would be out here, all alone.”
“Well, as you can see,” I gestured to my friends, “Rory and I aren’t all alone out here.” Forget the fact that we had been moments before.
“Nevertheless, I think I need to let our father know you are spending too much time with this human. I don’t think he’d like it. Yes, I’m pretty sure he won’t like it at all. And lately he’s been asking me a lot of questions about Bart. I think I know why.” Zarius’ mouth twisted into a vindictive smirk, as if he knew a secret I didn’t know.
“You are such a tool, Zarius Evangelista,” Izzy blurted.
“Like I said yesterday, Isadora—” Zarius stepped toward my friend and we both stood up to face him— “That mouth of yours is going to get you into a world of trouble one day.”
“And, as Izzy said yesterday,” Hugo interjected calmly, standing so that all six-foot-four of him invaded Zarius’ space as he stared down at him, “a girl shouldn’t get in trouble for telling the truth.”
Zarius backed away from Hugo, his face turning red with fury.
Rory burst out laughing. “Izzy’s right.”
Without another word, Zarius spun around and stormed off.
Izzy threw her arms around Hugo. “I really, really love you, Hugs. You are the bestest bestie, ever!” She turned to me and gave me a quick hug. “Well, you are the bestest bestie, too.”
I smiled as sincerely as I could, but inside dread began to form at the revenge I knew Zarius was brewing up for me.
As we walked back to the keep, I told Hugo and Izzy about how my father had talked to Bart at the party and how I thought he might have rolled his eyes.
“Surely,” I said, “my father won’t betroth me to Bart.”
“His father is on the council,” Hugo pointed out.
I stole a glance at Rory and noticed the muscles clenching in his jaw.