Read Online Flora's Fury: How a Girl of Spirit and a Red Dog Confound Their Friends, Astound Their Enemies, and Learn the Impo by Ysabeau S. Wilce - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ysabeau S. Wilce
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her costume! How dare she!”
Udo looked a bit abashed, as well he should. “Ayah. I didn’t think you’d like that much. But you know the Zu-Zu is a huge fan of Azota. She hates the Birdies, too—”
“She grew up among the Birdies,” I said. The Zu-Zu had gone to school in Anahuatl City, as a “guest” of the Birdies, and had only been allowed to return to the City last year.
“That’s why she hates them. The Birdie Ambassador is not pleased with her outfit. She’s making a political statement.”
I had no desire to hear about the Zu-Zu’s political leanings, or anything else about her. She might be the Warlord’s fourth heir, but I was the Head of the House Haðraaða, so I trumped her, even if I couldn’t admit it yet. I made a move to squeeze by Udo, but he was immovable.
He said, “I like your outfit, Flora. You make a good Nini Mo.”
“Thank you.” I didn’t return the compliment because Udo didn’t look good; he looked like a fool. A bootlicking slavering toady of a fool.
Alas, no, he didn’t. Even made up like the corpse of an outlaw, Udo looked gorgeous. But I was never going to let him know I thought that. I said, “Who was that man, that Sieur Wraathmyr? I’ve never seen him around before.”
“Oh, just a traveling salesman. He works for Madama Twanky I think. He was at Saeta House, showing Zu some ribbands or something, and she invited him to the party He’s a bit common, don’t you think?”
“He acts like he’s Choronzon, King of All Creation,” I said savagely.
“You seemed to enjoy his kiss, though.” Udo sounded accusing.
“If I did, what’s it to you?”
“What’s it to me?” Udo asked incredulously. “How can you say that?”
“You’d better get back to the Zu-Zu. She’s going to miss you.”
Udo made no move to get back to the Zu-Zu. “You never answered my letter.”
“I didn’t?” I knew full well I had not. Every time I had sat down to try, I hadn’t known what to say. So, in the end, it was easiest to say nothing.
“You know you did not. Flora, can’t we—” He made a movement as though to touch me, but I flinched away.
“Excuse me, madama.” Sieur Wraathmyr had popped up from behind the punch bowl. He bowed stiffly at Udo, then said to me, “I believe this is yours.”
For one heart-leaping moment, I thought he was offering me my map. Then I realized he was holding out a wadded napkin. I took it from him, and with another stiff bow, he walked away Something moved inside the napkin and I almost dropped it.
“What is that?” Udo asked.
I peeked inside the napkin and saw a ladybug nestled in its folds. But it wasn’t a ladybug. It was my Gramatica Word, which I now embarrassingly recognized as the verb
ardor
.
I quickly closed my hand, crushing the Word in my fist.
“Nothing,” I said.
SEVEN
Orders. Bad News. Confession.
T HE SINGING OF THE Zu-Zu’s birthday hymn saved me from further conversation with Udo, but in the hoopla surrounding the cutting of the cake, Sieur Wraathmyr escaped me. I never did see him again at the party, but now that I knew my quarry’s name and profession, he would not be that hard to find. I went back to the UOQ filled with vigorous hope and, after a late-night snack of apple pie, slept like a dead alligator.
Among the many pieces of paper Buck’s office receives each day are copies of the manifests of all ships and coaches entering and exiting the City. The first thing I did when I got to the CGO the next morning was to pull these lists, and thus I discovered that Sieur Wraathmyr had arrived in the City the morning of Pirates’ Parade, on the steamer
Pantico
. His profession was listed as drummer, or traveling salesman, his point of origin Cuilihuacan, and his nationality Varanger, which explained the accent. The Varangers live in the far north, where the summer days are very long and the winter days are very short. Not much grows up there, so they are mostly traders and raiders and are
Udo looked a bit abashed, as well he should. “Ayah. I didn’t think you’d like that much. But you know the Zu-Zu is a huge fan of Azota. She hates the Birdies, too—”
“She grew up among the Birdies,” I said. The Zu-Zu had gone to school in Anahuatl City, as a “guest” of the Birdies, and had only been allowed to return to the City last year.
“That’s why she hates them. The Birdie Ambassador is not pleased with her outfit. She’s making a political statement.”
I had no desire to hear about the Zu-Zu’s political leanings, or anything else about her. She might be the Warlord’s fourth heir, but I was the Head of the House Haðraaða, so I trumped her, even if I couldn’t admit it yet. I made a move to squeeze by Udo, but he was immovable.
He said, “I like your outfit, Flora. You make a good Nini Mo.”
“Thank you.” I didn’t return the compliment because Udo didn’t look good; he looked like a fool. A bootlicking slavering toady of a fool.
Alas, no, he didn’t. Even made up like the corpse of an outlaw, Udo looked gorgeous. But I was never going to let him know I thought that. I said, “Who was that man, that Sieur Wraathmyr? I’ve never seen him around before.”
“Oh, just a traveling salesman. He works for Madama Twanky I think. He was at Saeta House, showing Zu some ribbands or something, and she invited him to the party He’s a bit common, don’t you think?”
“He acts like he’s Choronzon, King of All Creation,” I said savagely.
“You seemed to enjoy his kiss, though.” Udo sounded accusing.
“If I did, what’s it to you?”
“What’s it to me?” Udo asked incredulously. “How can you say that?”
“You’d better get back to the Zu-Zu. She’s going to miss you.”
Udo made no move to get back to the Zu-Zu. “You never answered my letter.”
“I didn’t?” I knew full well I had not. Every time I had sat down to try, I hadn’t known what to say. So, in the end, it was easiest to say nothing.
“You know you did not. Flora, can’t we—” He made a movement as though to touch me, but I flinched away.
“Excuse me, madama.” Sieur Wraathmyr had popped up from behind the punch bowl. He bowed stiffly at Udo, then said to me, “I believe this is yours.”
For one heart-leaping moment, I thought he was offering me my map. Then I realized he was holding out a wadded napkin. I took it from him, and with another stiff bow, he walked away Something moved inside the napkin and I almost dropped it.
“What is that?” Udo asked.
I peeked inside the napkin and saw a ladybug nestled in its folds. But it wasn’t a ladybug. It was my Gramatica Word, which I now embarrassingly recognized as the verb
ardor
.
I quickly closed my hand, crushing the Word in my fist.
“Nothing,” I said.
SEVEN
Orders. Bad News. Confession.
T HE SINGING OF THE Zu-Zu’s birthday hymn saved me from further conversation with Udo, but in the hoopla surrounding the cutting of the cake, Sieur Wraathmyr escaped me. I never did see him again at the party, but now that I knew my quarry’s name and profession, he would not be that hard to find. I went back to the UOQ filled with vigorous hope and, after a late-night snack of apple pie, slept like a dead alligator.
Among the many pieces of paper Buck’s office receives each day are copies of the manifests of all ships and coaches entering and exiting the City. The first thing I did when I got to the CGO the next morning was to pull these lists, and thus I discovered that Sieur Wraathmyr had arrived in the City the morning of Pirates’ Parade, on the steamer
Pantico
. His profession was listed as drummer, or traveling salesman, his point of origin Cuilihuacan, and his nationality Varanger, which explained the accent. The Varangers live in the far north, where the summer days are very long and the winter days are very short. Not much grows up there, so they are mostly traders and raiders and are
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