Dorothy Must Die 00.7 - Order of the Wicked by Danielle Paige

Author:Danielle Paige
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2016-05-31T04:00:00+00:00

SIX

“What is their deal?” she asked Melindra one night after dinner.

“Whose deal?” Melindra asked, distracted. Nox had been noticeably absent from the dining hall. Melindra had ignored the empty seat at the table, but the melancholy note was back in her voice, and she’d been a million miles away all through their meal.

“Holly and Larkin. Why do they hate me?” Even though Lanadel had been improving in her training in the last few weeks, they continued to treat her as if she was completely incompetent.

“Oh, them,” Melindra said with a snort. “You can’t take them personally. I think they hate everyone, to be honest.”

“They don’t hate you,” Lanadel pointed out.

“Sure they do. They’re just scared of me,” Melindra said.

“Oh.”

Melindra realized she’d hurt Lanadel’s feelings, and softened. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like the way it came out. I’ve kicked both their asses more than once in training, and they know if they mess with me, I’ll beat the crap out of them somewhere Nox and Mombi can’t find us. That was your only mistake—doing it in front of Mombi. She doesn’t go for us fighting among ourselves, even if it’s impossible to resist half the time. Holly was trying to get you to hit her in front of the grown-ups,” Melindra added with a laugh. “She thinks getting people in trouble is fun. And Larkin’s her little lapdog. But don’t mind them, really. They’re just—well, they’re orphans, too, you know. But if you’re a brat before your parents die, losing your family doesn’t necessarily turn you into a ray of sunshine. Larkin was studying to be some kind of fancy-pants warlock, and thinks he’s Lurline’s gift to the universe. Holly’s family was some kind of Munchkin royalty.” Lanadel remembered what Holly had said in the training cave. Right before Lanadel had almost succeeded in beating the crap out of her. That was a happy memory.

“I didn’t know the Munchkins had royalty.”

“They have dynasties, or something,” Melindra said, waving a hand. “Important bloodlines. Whatever, she thinks she’s important. It was a shock for both of them to turn up here and realize they had to learn just like everyone else—and fight next to dirty commoners like us.” She snorted. “They tried all that stuff with me, too. Nox doesn’t even notice. His head’s so far up his—” She stopped short.

“Is something going on with you and Nox?”

Melindra rolled her eyes. “There is no me and Nox. He’s a selfish little toad, that’s all. I’m totally done with him.” But for the first time since Lanadel had met the wiry, irrepressible warrior, something in Melindra’s voice rang false, and her eyes were sad. She cared about Nox, Lanadel realized. Cared a lot. But she didn’t want anyone to see it. She’d built her whole image around being tough and impossible to defeat.

It was like everyone in the Order had created another personality that could protect them from the world they had to live in. Gert’s overbearing sweetness, Glamora’s illusions, Mombi’s gruff bossiness. Nox’s remoteness, Holly and Larkin’s meanness, and Melindra’s tough-chick bravado.

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