Glory Alley and the Star Riders (The Glory Alley Series) (93 page)

“Glory,”
Clash
said, voice cracking.
“You
worked so hard for a wish, risking your very life, but you
gave
it all up to save me. I don’t know what to say.
”

“I couldn’t let them hurt my best friend.”

“Look at them,”
Clash
said
, lip curling in revulsion.
“Digging in the dirt like filthy animals.

White Feather
found a rock the size of a baseball
. He scooped it up with a silky green
han
d
kerchief
from his vest.
Needle ran the Nightburner over the stone
.
The dirt seemed to melt away, restoring the stone so its green painted coating was bright again
.
Yellow flowers and pink hearts were dotted on its surface
.
White Feather paused, glanced up at
Glory
with a scrutinizing stare
and
then tossed the rock over his shoulder
.

Bone found a
larger rock
buried in the dirt,
picked it up
in
his own
handkerchief
,
and
then
handed it to Needle for a cleaning
.
A scene with pine trees emerged.

“That’s a present from last year,”
Glory
explained. “It’s supposed to look like the woods behind our house.
”

Bone rolled his eyes and
smashed it out of the cemetery with the Thunderbone.

“Humph.” Glory pulled her jacket collar up around her ears. The air was getting colder by the minute. “That was rude.”

White Feather found a third rock as big as
Glory
’s
head, although the
rock
was covered with X’s and O’s of many colors, he gasped in recognition
.
The
sight of it
overjoyed the
star riders
, but Glory’s chest felt
heavy.

The battle was over and
s
he had lost
.
H
er
family
w
as blown apart. Her future was a road to nowhere.
And, considering all the problems
s
he’d caused, the
Wybbil
s
mercy would certainly be scanty.
Running was an option, but
t
he
will to
fight
had drained away.

“Go ahead and kill me. I don’t care anymore.”

Amongst the flurries,
s
he watched as the
Wybbil
s patted each other on the back, congratulating one another for uncovering the fruit of their labors
.

“I can’t believe
the Rock Collector
defaced the
Elboni
,” White Feather grumbled
as he picked it up with
a
handkerchief
, being careful not to touch it with bare hands
.
“Blasph
e
m
er
.
”

“What foul thing did the
Tullah
n
write?
”
Bone wanted to know.

White feather turned the stone around and read it aloud.

“Dear Mother: I give you this beautiful stone, because it’s forever
,
like my love for you.
” The Wybbil’s voice cracked with sudden emotion.
“
Happy Birthday.
From Glory.
”

The
star riders
grew quiet
.

White Feather’s hands shook. One
-
by
-
one
,
they started to sniff. Bone blew his big nose like a trumpet
.
A gleaming
Wybbil
tear dropped from Needle’s button eye
.
White Feather knocked on the invisible barrier with his knuckles
.

“This be not
Tullah
n gadgetry
.
‘
Tis magic which holds us firm.”

“What fools we’ve been!” Needle said. “Clearly,
the
R
ock
C
ollector
met the final condition of a binding
or we wouldn’t be held fast within this circle
.
Anybody else
getting
the
feeling?
”

“Aye,” said Bone. “
Now that ye mention it
,
I’m feeling strangely compelled.”

“
Sh
e didn’t steal
the Elboni
for selfish purpose
,” Needle said. “
In fact,
s
he gave
it
away with the noblest of intentions
.”

“And then she willingly sacrificed the things she wanted
most
for the sake of her friend,” Needle said
.
“
There’s no greater treasure in the universe than that.”

“All the conditions have been met,” White Feather announced. “
Th
e
R
ock
C
ollector’s
hands and heart
be
clean
sed
.
”

“Aye,” said Bone. “
How blind we
’ve been
!
The three of
us
be
bound or we wouldn’t be in such an embarrassing p
redicament
.”

Needle,
Bone
, and White Feather
took off their hats and
bowed
respectfully h
er
way
.
Glory
felt like
a great lady
at
that
mom
ent, at least until the
Wybbil
s started laughing
.
They held their bellies, building into a hearty round of chortling and guffawing
.

"Wait until they hear we were bested by
a
Tullahn
girl
.
We sha
ll never live it down!" But the jovial
mom
ent lasted only a minute. White Feather
’s
tone became most solemn. “
Rock Collector
, ye cannot understand the depth of these things ye have asked for
.
Your life will never be the same.”

“That’s what I’ve been hoping for all along,”
Glory
replied
.
“And, it’s the reason why I went to so much trouble.”

The
Wybbil
s
grunted.

Bone looked h
er
in the eye and a
sked, "What be your name, Rock Collector
?"

"
Uh,
” the question surprised h
er
, but come to think of it, none of them had bothered to exchange formal names. “
Glory
—
Glory
Alley
."

"Ye will not be soon forgotten,
Glory
Alley
.
As ye wish, so shall it be done."

"I call
the
Nightburner wish!
”
Needle suddenly exclaimed, as Bone rushed in to claim his
.
He knelt in front of the stone and was joined by Bone, who said, “
I call the drunk father wish!"

"Hey!” White Feather complained. “Why do I get stuck with
the
mother-lode of wishes?"

The three of them shoved each other, bouncing off the inside of the circle that held them, then
gathered around the Elboni with the tools of their trade touching its surface.

"Ye ask for much
,” Needle said most seriously
.
“
So know ye this
,
Glory
Alley
,
the
mightier the wish
es
,
the
mightier
the
consequenc
es
.
We reflect
the
image of
the
Elboni
, yet we cannot grasp the scope of its knowledge and power
.
Therefore, we cannot predict
the
ramifications of your choices
, but know
that everything will change.
Ye can take them back at present, but once granted, wishes stick
forever
.”