ALiCE in WoNDeRLaND
-18-
"Magic? But you said..."
Zale cut me off. "Yes, she's not supposed to have magic. Only the King..."
Our eyes met as we both reached the same conclusion. "You don't think..."
Zale began walking again. "Now we're screwed."
Namdhari took off after him. "Not entirely. I mean, we have ALiCE."
"And what good is she going to do us?" Miyka'el demanded.
"More good than you must be doing them," I replied.
Miyka'el ignored me. "This doesn't mean anything. We can't go making assumptions like this. We have no idea..."
"Fiore wouldn't have told her," Zale interrupted. "You know that as well as I do."
Miyka'el was hushed.
I was shocked by this. What was Zale talking about that had the power to silence Miyka'el?
I decided to change the subject. "So, uh... who's Fiore, anyway?"
Zione responded, desperate to take the focus away from whatever it was Zale was referring to. "An associate of ours."
"Associate?"
"Not a Villikin per se, but he knows who we are and what we do, and he helps us out a bit."
"And in return?" I asked.
"If the apocalypse comes, we save his ass first."
I laughed. This seemed to surprise Zione.
"No, seriously."
"I know you're serious, but... you're *too* serious. Are you saying he's a friend?"
Zione considered this, then smiled. "Yeah. That's a nice way of putting it. He's a friend."
I smiled back.
"I never thought of it that way," Zione admitted.
"Because you're not supposed to," Miyka'el replied.
I glared at him. "Why not?"
"If Fiore dies, or is in danger, any emotional attachment to him could prove fatal."
My jaw dropped in disbelief. "Talk about devotion to duty. You guys are brutal."
"It's keeping us alive, isn't it?" Miyka'el asked.
"Touché." I followed them silently for a moment as we continued our journey. "So..." I began. "How far away is this place?"
"In any other circumstance we'd catch a ride, but I think that it's a little too dangerous for that right about now," Namdhari explained.
"So what are you saying? We're going to walk?"
"Yeah."
I paused. "But how far away is the castle?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. We've never walked there before."
***
-18-
"Magic? But you said..."
Zale cut me off. "Yes, she's not supposed to have magic. Only the King..."
Our eyes met as we both reached the same conclusion. "You don't think..."
Zale began walking again. "Now we're screwed."
Namdhari took off after him. "Not entirely. I mean, we have ALiCE."
"And what good is she going to do us?" Miyka'el demanded.
"More good than you must be doing them," I replied.
Miyka'el ignored me. "This doesn't mean anything. We can't go making assumptions like this. We have no idea..."
"Fiore wouldn't have told her," Zale interrupted. "You know that as well as I do."
Miyka'el was hushed.
I was shocked by this. What was Zale talking about that had the power to silence Miyka'el?
I decided to change the subject. "So, uh... who's Fiore, anyway?"
Zione responded, desperate to take the focus away from whatever it was Zale was referring to. "An associate of ours."
"Associate?"
"Not a Villikin per se, but he knows who we are and what we do, and he helps us out a bit."
"And in return?" I asked.
"If the apocalypse comes, we save his ass first."
I laughed. This seemed to surprise Zione.
"No, seriously."
"I know you're serious, but... you're *too* serious. Are you saying he's a friend?"
Zione considered this, then smiled. "Yeah. That's a nice way of putting it. He's a friend."
I smiled back.
"I never thought of it that way," Zione admitted.
"Because you're not supposed to," Miyka'el replied.
I glared at him. "Why not?"
"If Fiore dies, or is in danger, any emotional attachment to him could prove fatal."
My jaw dropped in disbelief. "Talk about devotion to duty. You guys are brutal."
"It's keeping us alive, isn't it?" Miyka'el asked.
"Touché." I followed them silently for a moment as we continued our journey. "So..." I began. "How far away is this place?"
"In any other circumstance we'd catch a ride, but I think that it's a little too dangerous for that right about now," Namdhari explained.
"So what are you saying? We're going to walk?"
"Yeah."
I paused. "But how far away is the castle?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. We've never walked there before."
***