kind of magic that nobody has ever seen before which can disintegrate a physical substance at a touch and I can’t pin it to any particular kind of magic whether it be green or blue or red or even terrible black …”
“I know!” cried Iridelle.
“Oh, you can work it out when scholar Chardal over there has never heard of it?”
Shioni gasped as Viri’s spiteful sneer made tears start in her sister’s eyes. “I’s never heard such a load of old caterpillar droppings!” Shioni cried, and then blinked in surprise. Who did she know who talked like that? “Iridelle, I want to hear your idea.”
“Um …” sniffed Iridelle.
Viri crossed her arms and looked the other way.
Glaring at the Hunter, Shioni said, “Go on, Iridelle.”
“Well, I thought–it’s silly nectar, really–but you know, white isn’t actually no colour. It’s all colours. And I was just wondering … I mean, I know it’s a right-out-of-the-tunnel idea … but I couldn’t help but wonder if you weren’t some kind of all-colour Fiuri. Maybe. Sort of. Possibly.”
“Wow,” Shioni breathed.
Viridelle’s shoulders shook. If she had laughed just then, Shioni decided crossly, she would have kicked her antennae all the way back to wherever Cave One might be. But a glance at Chardal made her snort with laughter, too. The boy-Fiuri was so amazed that his tongue had completely unfurled and hung down to his chest like a wilted flower. He could not even speak. Had he sat firmly on a Spiny-Spike flower, he could have looked no less thunderstruck.
The silence deepened around them.
“By the first pupa!” screamed Chardal, making them all jump. He zipped off at high speed, flying in crazy somersaults and double backward loops and endless spirals, laughing to himself, spilling books and ink pots and quill pens in every direction.
Iridelle’s eyes had never been wider. “What did I say?”
“He’s been in the wobbly nectar,” said Viridelle, still irritable. “Bounced off the cave wall a few too many times.”
Chardal came zooming back through a tall stand of purple polka flowers, still burbling all sorts of nonsense. Iridelle, caught holding Shioni in one hand and Viri in the other, had no defence as he threw his arms around her neck and dropped a dozen slobbery kisses on her cheeks before whizzing off in yet another direction, yelling, “Brilliant! What a simply scintillating idea!”
Iridelle dropped her captives to wipe her cheeks. “Ew.”
Shioni clutched Viridelle’s arm. “Viri, you owe your sister an apology.”
The Hunter tried to shake her off. “This is between us, Shionelle. Go find another flower.”
“Right.” Gripping Viri by her left antenna, Shioni gritted out, “You will apologise right now or I am going to thrash your Green Hunter behind–”
“ Yeeow! ” howled the Fiuri. “You little pest!”
Dodging Viri’s swipe, Shioni flipped the other Fiuri onto her back and applied a stranglehold to her neck, using the crystal cast on her arm to good effect. In seconds, Viridelle was gasping for air. Again, Shioni was startled to discover what her body knew how to do. Viri tapped her hands three times.
Iridelle’s large hand trapped Shioni’s wrists. “She submits, Shionelle.”
Shioni released her hold. “Er–sorry, Viri.”
To her surprise, Viri made an unfamiliar sign with her fingers. “This Hunter admits her error. Shionelle, you were right to correct me. Iridelle, I’m sorry for what I said. I was wrong to take it out on you.”
Iridelle enveloped her twin in a huge hug and rubbed antennae with her. Over her sister’s back, she beckoned to Shioni, who gingerly joined them. What was this? All was forgiven because she had nearly strangled Viridelle? What a pile of old hyena droppings! Oh, she did not understand the first thing about Fiuriel. The sooner her memory returned, the better.
Viridelle put her arm around Shioni’s shoulders and ruffled her hair, which she bristled at. “A bit of
“I know!” cried Iridelle.
“Oh, you can work it out when scholar Chardal over there has never heard of it?”
Shioni gasped as Viri’s spiteful sneer made tears start in her sister’s eyes. “I’s never heard such a load of old caterpillar droppings!” Shioni cried, and then blinked in surprise. Who did she know who talked like that? “Iridelle, I want to hear your idea.”
“Um …” sniffed Iridelle.
Viri crossed her arms and looked the other way.
Glaring at the Hunter, Shioni said, “Go on, Iridelle.”
“Well, I thought–it’s silly nectar, really–but you know, white isn’t actually no colour. It’s all colours. And I was just wondering … I mean, I know it’s a right-out-of-the-tunnel idea … but I couldn’t help but wonder if you weren’t some kind of all-colour Fiuri. Maybe. Sort of. Possibly.”
“Wow,” Shioni breathed.
Viridelle’s shoulders shook. If she had laughed just then, Shioni decided crossly, she would have kicked her antennae all the way back to wherever Cave One might be. But a glance at Chardal made her snort with laughter, too. The boy-Fiuri was so amazed that his tongue had completely unfurled and hung down to his chest like a wilted flower. He could not even speak. Had he sat firmly on a Spiny-Spike flower, he could have looked no less thunderstruck.
The silence deepened around them.
“By the first pupa!” screamed Chardal, making them all jump. He zipped off at high speed, flying in crazy somersaults and double backward loops and endless spirals, laughing to himself, spilling books and ink pots and quill pens in every direction.
Iridelle’s eyes had never been wider. “What did I say?”
“He’s been in the wobbly nectar,” said Viridelle, still irritable. “Bounced off the cave wall a few too many times.”
Chardal came zooming back through a tall stand of purple polka flowers, still burbling all sorts of nonsense. Iridelle, caught holding Shioni in one hand and Viri in the other, had no defence as he threw his arms around her neck and dropped a dozen slobbery kisses on her cheeks before whizzing off in yet another direction, yelling, “Brilliant! What a simply scintillating idea!”
Iridelle dropped her captives to wipe her cheeks. “Ew.”
Shioni clutched Viridelle’s arm. “Viri, you owe your sister an apology.”
The Hunter tried to shake her off. “This is between us, Shionelle. Go find another flower.”
“Right.” Gripping Viri by her left antenna, Shioni gritted out, “You will apologise right now or I am going to thrash your Green Hunter behind–”
“ Yeeow! ” howled the Fiuri. “You little pest!”
Dodging Viri’s swipe, Shioni flipped the other Fiuri onto her back and applied a stranglehold to her neck, using the crystal cast on her arm to good effect. In seconds, Viridelle was gasping for air. Again, Shioni was startled to discover what her body knew how to do. Viri tapped her hands three times.
Iridelle’s large hand trapped Shioni’s wrists. “She submits, Shionelle.”
Shioni released her hold. “Er–sorry, Viri.”
To her surprise, Viri made an unfamiliar sign with her fingers. “This Hunter admits her error. Shionelle, you were right to correct me. Iridelle, I’m sorry for what I said. I was wrong to take it out on you.”
Iridelle enveloped her twin in a huge hug and rubbed antennae with her. Over her sister’s back, she beckoned to Shioni, who gingerly joined them. What was this? All was forgiven because she had nearly strangled Viridelle? What a pile of old hyena droppings! Oh, she did not understand the first thing about Fiuriel. The sooner her memory returned, the better.
Viridelle put her arm around Shioni’s shoulders and ruffled her hair, which she bristled at. “A bit of
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