“I can help you with that.”
“We don’t need your help, thank you,” said Ambrose.
“What, just because Imma honey badger?” Charming thumped his chest. “You gotta problem with that, big man?”
“We don’t want any trouble, we just need to get going. Thank you for your kind offer. Goodbye.”
Ambrose started to walk away, but Imelda held her ground.
“Excuse me. Would you give us a moment?”
The badger rolled its eyes. “Sure, why not. Is this what passes for common decency around humans these days? I might as well just forgeddaboutit.”
Imelda tugged on Ambrose’s sleeve, drawing him into the shadow of a nearby elm.
“What are you doing?” she asked, scowling. “He could help us!”
“He’s a badger.”
A honey badger, the horse cloak corrected him.
Ambrose shrugged off his cloak and bundled it under his arm, despite its loud protestations.
“So why does that mean he can’t help us?” Imelda asked.
“It doesn’t. But I know how these talking-animal types get. They say they’ll help you, but they always want something in return—”
“I don’t think reciprocity is that damning.”
“Sure, but what they want can be ridiculous. Like, go get them a castle. Or find a dragon egg or something like that.”
“You’re being ridiculous. What if he wants some food? Or he’s just being nice?”
“Nowyou’rebeing ridiculous. Everything has a cost, Imelda.Everything.Just do as I say and we’ll get out of this.”
Well, that does it, thought Imelda.
“Honey badger!” she called loudly. “What do you want in return for showing us the way to the road?”
Charming scuttled a little closer, tenting his paws.
“Well, I wasn’t about to ask for anything, you see. But now that you, uh, mention it…”
Imelda’s stomach sank a bit. In the same second, Ambrose shot her a look that defiantly statedI told you so.
“I’m really hungry,” Charming said pathetically. “It’s hard to get food around here… I was hoping you could just get an apple for me? I know a tree not too far off. If it’s not too much trouble, you see.”
Now Imelda turned triumphantly to Ambrose.
“It’s no trouble at all.”
***
The badger led them to a courtyard hidden deep in a thicket of trees. A circle of stones veined all over with moss stood in the ruins of an ancient palace. Just beyond the courtyard stood a copse of autumn-gold trees. Perhaps once it had been a royal orchard, but now it grew utterly wild in the absence of humans.
Imelda spread her arms wide and inhaled deeply.
There was the scent of fallen pears in the air—round and sweet. Dusky plums the color of nighttime peered at them through the branches. The apple tree was far off and framed by a high, unbroken wall of stones. Even from here, Imelda could see that the branches were thick with golden fruit. Their peel was pockmarked from birds, and yet when the wind brushed past them, Imelda imagined that she could hear them softly chime.
