Abeni's Song by P. Djèlí Clark

Author:P. Djèlí Clark
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

BUSH BABY

The next few days made Abeni wonder if her hopes had been misplaced.

Zaneeya and Nyomi fussed constantly, about just everything. When the porcupine girl tried to tell one of her stories, Zaneeya cut in to point out where she was wrong. They argued about the names of plants and animals. They fought over where to sleep at night. The two even bickered over the shapes of clouds in the sky.

For Abeni it was all exhausting! She tried her best to steer clear of the two when they argued, not taking sides. Both of these girls were spirits, with magical powers she didn’t understand. She wasn’t about to get between them. Her mother used to warn that when elephants argued, mice could get trampled!

The source of the trouble wasn’t hard to figure out. Zaneeya. There was no way to say it nicely, but the panther girl was not easy to get along with. She was haughty, surly, quick to anger, and just overall impolite. Not even that silly Sowoke had been this bad! About the only person she was nice to was Asha. The rest of them she seemed to just tolerate. Abeni had never met anyone so sure of themselves. It was admirable, in a way. But also very irritating.

“We panther spirits are strong,” she said to Abeni as they walked. “Do you know how fast a panther spirit can run? We’re feared because we’re fierce!”

The only thing Zaneeya liked more than bragging about panther spirits was complaining about mortals.

“Mortals get sick,” she would say. “Mortals are greedy. Mortals lie. Mortals steal from each other and even kill other mortals.” Abeni had no idea how many mortals—people—the panther girl had ever met. But it seemed impossible to change her mind. Abeni didn’t think Zaneeya even realized she was being insulting!

“I’m a mortal, you know,” she’d pointed out after one of the panther girl’s tirades.

Zaneeya only nodded. “Then you know what I’m saying is true.”

Despite the girl’s difficult nature, Abeni did her best to get along. She hadn’t been around other children since … well, since her village. Fomi had been her best friend. The two could talk about anything. Now she felt awkward. Like she had to learn how to talk to other children her age all over again. Then again, these two weren’t her age—not really.

When Abeni mentioned in passing that she’d counted thirteen harvest seasons, Zaneeya shrugged it off.

“I have counted eighty of your harvest seasons,” she replied casually.

Abeni stopped in her tracks, staring. “Eighty?”

The panther girl yawned to show sharp teeth. “Give or take a season.”

When she turned to Nyomi the porcupine girl shrugged as well, munching on some flower petals. “I think I’ve counted sixty. Or maybe seventy? I forget.”

Abeni gaped at them both. “Is this a trick? The two of you can’t be that old!”

Zaneeya rolled her eyes. “We are spirits. We do not age like mortals, whose lives are as brief as … flies.” The panther girl snickered, eyeing Abeni as if looking for a response.

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