Holly growled at her, the tenor resembling a cougar’s snarl.
Wincing, I leaned toward the unicorn’s ear. “I hate to agree with her, but the zebra is kind of, er, noticeable.”
Snuffling in aggravation, Holly sent me an annoyed glance over her shoulder. But then she huffed out a breath, faced forward again, and immediately changed into a plain brown horse like the two Quilla and Melaina were riding.
“Great. May we proceed now?” Melaina wondered, already riding ahead.
“Aren’t you going to disguise yourself?” I called after her.
“I only hide all my amazingness under the direst of circumstances,” she tossed over her shoulder.
“Well, that’s safe,” I grumbled sarcastically. “It’s a miracle you two haven’t been caught and killed already,” I told the old-man glamour.
Quilla glanced my way, and I realized Melaina had left her eye color the same. She hadn’t given the man as irritable a disposition as she had the first time either. Today, he looked sad, worn down, and tired of this life. A pocket of pity filled my chest, as I wondered how these two continued to do this day after day, always operating under such precarious measures. It had been selfish of me for being so upset over learning they planned to leave the Outer Realms.
Leaving was the only chance they had at attaining a real life where they didn’t have to look over their shoulder and hide all the time. Of course, they couldn’t stay here. The helpless, panicking rage I’d felt when I’d learned she wanted to permanently vacate the world I lived in was stupid. Because she had to go. I knew that.
But she couldn’t leave me behind either. I would make sure of it.
“Just how sure are we that there’s another amulet in Tyler?” I asked, following when she started her horse into a canter.
“Not at all,” was her blasé answer.
I whipped an incredulous glance her way. “Are you serious?”
The old man gave a rather young-looking shrug. “The jeweler we went to Pinsky to question said we should talk to another jeweler in Tyler.”
“Jewelers?” My nose wrinkled in disgust. “You’ve been interrogating jewelers about this?”
“Since it’s jewelry we’ve been seeking, yes. Who did you think we’d been talking to? Stable masters?”
“Jewelers are the shiftiest lot of deceitful liars in the Outer Realms. You can’t trust a thing they say. They’re only after their own self-interests and the fastest way to make a coin.”
“I’m aware,” Quilla told me dryly.
“Then why are you letting them send you on a wild goose chase? They’re testing you, you know? Volleying you back and forth between their network of crooks, seeing how valuable this treasure is by how willing you are to go wherever they lead you. If they think you’re onto something big, they’ll put a tracker on you so they can steal whatever you’re seeking as soon as you find it.”
The old man sent me an irritated glance. “Then what do you suggest we do?”
“Stop and research,” I immediately answered.
She blurted out a harsh, disbelieving snort before asking, “How?”
“By asking reliable sources, to begin with.”
“Oh, so we’re just supposed to abandon everything we’ve done for the past eight years and follow your lead now, huh?”
I shrugged. “Why not? You haven’t had much success so far. And what could it hurt? I guarantee it wouldn’t take me years to find the second amulet,” I countered, chuckling when the old man sent me a sharp, scowling glance.
“You mean, the first amulet?” Quilla corrected. “We’re still looking for two.”
“Three,” I contended, winking at her. “Now that I’m tagging along, we’ll need three.” I glanced ahead to make sure her aunt was out of hearing distance before I leaned closer and added, “But if you want to pretend you haven’t already found the first one, that’s fine. I’ll play along.”
The old man arched an eyebrow slowly, looking convincingly confused, but I felt Quilla’s panic and surprise clearly under the glamour.
“Hey, I get it,” I told her. “Your traveling companion is perhaps the most unpredictable person I’ve ever met. How can you trust her not to take the amulet for herself and go through the portal without you? It’s smart of you not to let on that you already have an amulet. God knows if I had one, I’d do the same thing to ensure you didn’t leave me behind.”
“Do you have one?” she asked cattily. I felt her amusement pass through the mark as she spoke. She liked talking to me, I realized. Bouncing ideas off each other. Bantering.
I grinned, enjoying her interest. “Feel free to search me. Anytime.”
She groaned. “You never give up, do you?”
“I blindly followed Nicolette into enemy territory by myself, where a group of locals caught me, immediately pegged me as High Cliff scum, and tied me to a pyre of wood, planning to burn me at the stake. And I was only fond of her.” Shaking my head, I sighed. “If you think I’ll give up that easily on you, you’re sadly mistaken.”
The old man blinked slowly. “They tied you to a pyre of wood? How in the world did you escape?”
I batted my little-girl lashes at her playfully. “Would you believe I’m just that talented?”
When she snorted, I laughed. “Or perhaps Nicolette happened along and rescued me?”
“Now that I would believe!”
“Why?” I countered irritably. “Because it puts me in a helpless light, making me look incapable of taking care of myself, and ruins all my vain hopes of impressing you?”
She laughed aloud, and the sound broke over me like a freezing tonic, paralyzing me of all rational thought. This was honestly the first time I’d ever heard her laughter. True, joyous laughter.
It was intoxicating.
“I guess that settles it, then,” I said, gazing at the old man, unable to stop staring at him as Quilla’s amusement rattled from his wrinkles. “Since it’s your favorite, we’re going with that story.”
Her mouth dropped. “Are you seriously trying to tell me you escaped from a torch-bearing mob while being tied to the top of a pyre all by yourself?”
“Nope,” I announced happily. “Because I was rescued by who is now the Queen of Far Shore. Of course.” Except it totally sounded like I’d saved myself.
Quilla frowned suspiciously. I could tell she didn’t know which version to believe, and that amused me to no end.
“What’s taking you two so long?” Melaina hollered from in front of us.
Jumping in surprise, Quilla tore her attention from me and trotted forward, leaving me behind. Even decked out as the old man, she was absolutely adorable with the way she straightened her back, lifted her chin, and tried to hide the fact that she’d been so absorbed in talking to me.
Grinning, I followed behind at a slower pace, thrilled to know I was definitely growing on her. This, I could work with.
Chapter 20
Indigo
I was still grumbling to Quilla about my reservations to cross the canyon pass as we boarded the ferry. But just as Melaina had, she ignored my objections too. Neither of them seemed to care what kind of risk they were putting her through. So when the ferry master pushed his oar against the shore propelling us out into the water, my heart gave a jerky shudder of anxiety.