The Kingdoms of Evil Read Online Free
Words."
"Uh…" said Freetrick.
Istain was more expressive. "No, Kendrick," he said, "because we're a hundred miles from the Skrean border, and because this is real life and not a movie ."
Kendrick glared at the taller boy. "Look." He reached into the collar of his jerkin and pulled out a silver chain. He held the chain out from his neck, baring the dark gray donut of a wheel-stone. The talisman of Naobel should not have been active so far from the mountains. It should not have been glowing with holy light, and it should not have been spinning and steaming, straining at the end of its chain toward Freetrick.
The glow and vibration increased as Kendrick stretched his arm outward. There was a sharp pop, and the whirring stone swung to point, magnet-like, directly at the envelope in Freetrick's hand. It made a high-pitched zzzzzzz! noise as it spun against the fine metal chain.
" This is a thing of the Kingdoms of Evil." Kendrick's eyes were hard and sharp as obsidian, his voice suddenly stronger, full of an excitement that Freetrick had never heard before from the quiet, serious boy. " A tool of the Storm Beyond the Mountains. The Death God of Skrea."
"That's not possible," Freetrick said, flinching away from the humming wheel-stone. " Even if it was from The Kingdoms of… " he turned to Zathara, "Zathara, did your love-magic stuff ever do this when you brought it into the R.U.?"
"It might have," Zathara said. "I had to leave most of my possessions in the Nation of Love for just this reason. Although," she smiled, "I did have some underwear I had to leave in the bottom drawer for a while."
Freetrick didn't comment. He had decided soon after they had first met that Zathara's suggestive asides were automatic, a sort of flirty Tourette's tic. As far as he could tell, everyone talked like that down in the Nation of Love. "Do you think this thing really came from another nation?"
" We have to destroy it." Kendrick reached for the envelope. "
" Oh of course." Istain rolled his eyes. "Thank you for the lovely letter you sent us, but it offended our religious sensibilities, so we had our local zealot burn it. Hugs and Kisses, Freetrick's dance club. It's not actually from the Kingdoms of Evil, Kendrick. Now let me see it . " Kendrick took a step forward.
" Wait a second." Freetrick took a step away from them, and a light set into the wall over him flickered out.
" Kendrick, " said Madene, silver eyes flashing weirdly in the half-light. "that's enough."
"No Madene," Kendrick took another step toward Freetrick, hand still outstretched, wheel-stone still whirring. "I must destroy it."
Madene blinked, clearly as surprised as Freetrick. Kendrick never said no to Madene. It was just one more thing that made their relationship weird.
"If you're concerned about it, Kendrick, we can call a Proctor and give the letter to him to test for incursion ." Madene placed a hand on Kendrick's shoulder.
" We don't need to test it," Kendrick insisted, holding up his still-vibrating wheel-stone." " I know it's a thing of Evil ."
" Maybe calling the Proctors would be a good idea, boys and girls ." For all of Zathara's calm tone, she had backed away from them.
"There's no need," Kendrick stretched out his hand, and his wheel-stone talisman glowed and spun faster, whining like an eager dentist's drill. Freetrick's back hit the wall and another light overhead popped and went dark. " I can destroy the work of the Death God. It's what I'm meant to do "
"Woah woah woah," Istain stepped in front of the Naobelite, " this isn't an uphill survivalist fantasy, Kendrick. How do you know your god isn't the one on the fritz? " He flicked a finger against the straining wheel-stone and Kendrick growled at him.
"Step aside, Istain."
"And anyway," Istain continued, " if this letter really is an artifact from the Kingdoms of Evil, then I think we should take a closer look at it. "
"You don't take a closer look at Evil," Kendrick's hands flew out, shoving
"Uh…" said Freetrick.
Istain was more expressive. "No, Kendrick," he said, "because we're a hundred miles from the Skrean border, and because this is real life and not a movie ."
Kendrick glared at the taller boy. "Look." He reached into the collar of his jerkin and pulled out a silver chain. He held the chain out from his neck, baring the dark gray donut of a wheel-stone. The talisman of Naobel should not have been active so far from the mountains. It should not have been glowing with holy light, and it should not have been spinning and steaming, straining at the end of its chain toward Freetrick.
The glow and vibration increased as Kendrick stretched his arm outward. There was a sharp pop, and the whirring stone swung to point, magnet-like, directly at the envelope in Freetrick's hand. It made a high-pitched zzzzzzz! noise as it spun against the fine metal chain.
" This is a thing of the Kingdoms of Evil." Kendrick's eyes were hard and sharp as obsidian, his voice suddenly stronger, full of an excitement that Freetrick had never heard before from the quiet, serious boy. " A tool of the Storm Beyond the Mountains. The Death God of Skrea."
"That's not possible," Freetrick said, flinching away from the humming wheel-stone. " Even if it was from The Kingdoms of… " he turned to Zathara, "Zathara, did your love-magic stuff ever do this when you brought it into the R.U.?"
"It might have," Zathara said. "I had to leave most of my possessions in the Nation of Love for just this reason. Although," she smiled, "I did have some underwear I had to leave in the bottom drawer for a while."
Freetrick didn't comment. He had decided soon after they had first met that Zathara's suggestive asides were automatic, a sort of flirty Tourette's tic. As far as he could tell, everyone talked like that down in the Nation of Love. "Do you think this thing really came from another nation?"
" We have to destroy it." Kendrick reached for the envelope. "
" Oh of course." Istain rolled his eyes. "Thank you for the lovely letter you sent us, but it offended our religious sensibilities, so we had our local zealot burn it. Hugs and Kisses, Freetrick's dance club. It's not actually from the Kingdoms of Evil, Kendrick. Now let me see it . " Kendrick took a step forward.
" Wait a second." Freetrick took a step away from them, and a light set into the wall over him flickered out.
" Kendrick, " said Madene, silver eyes flashing weirdly in the half-light. "that's enough."
"No Madene," Kendrick took another step toward Freetrick, hand still outstretched, wheel-stone still whirring. "I must destroy it."
Madene blinked, clearly as surprised as Freetrick. Kendrick never said no to Madene. It was just one more thing that made their relationship weird.
"If you're concerned about it, Kendrick, we can call a Proctor and give the letter to him to test for incursion ." Madene placed a hand on Kendrick's shoulder.
" We don't need to test it," Kendrick insisted, holding up his still-vibrating wheel-stone." " I know it's a thing of Evil ."
" Maybe calling the Proctors would be a good idea, boys and girls ." For all of Zathara's calm tone, she had backed away from them.
"There's no need," Kendrick stretched out his hand, and his wheel-stone talisman glowed and spun faster, whining like an eager dentist's drill. Freetrick's back hit the wall and another light overhead popped and went dark. " I can destroy the work of the Death God. It's what I'm meant to do "
"Woah woah woah," Istain stepped in front of the Naobelite, " this isn't an uphill survivalist fantasy, Kendrick. How do you know your god isn't the one on the fritz? " He flicked a finger against the straining wheel-stone and Kendrick growled at him.
"Step aside, Istain."
"And anyway," Istain continued, " if this letter really is an artifact from the Kingdoms of Evil, then I think we should take a closer look at it. "
"You don't take a closer look at Evil," Kendrick's hands flew out, shoving
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