Ellery laughed with him, aggressively prim as ever. Domenic didn’t.
Wilder’s smile faded as he stubbed his cigarette into his ashtray. “Let’s not leave our callers hanging.” He pressed a button on his switchboard. “Hello there. You’re our lucky first caller. What’s ya name?”
“My name is Marion Wheelock, from Fellmere.”
“Ah, from way up in the mountains! Thanks so much for calling in, Marion. Must be real pretty, living in the clouds. What question do you have for our Chosen Two?”
“So, Ellery: I was lucky enough to snag a necklace like yours, but the jacket you wore last week is sold out everywhere.Soannoying. Anyway, are you planning on releasing your own collection now that you’re a fashion icon?”
Ellery touched the necklace in question before leaning toward her microphone. “Wow, I’m flattered! But for now, my focus is on my Chosen One duties.”
“No one ever callsmea fashion icon,” Domenic lamented.
Ellery snorted. Then she cleared her throat and kicked his ankle.
Marion Wheelock giggled as well, and with swift goodbyes, Wilder cruised onto the next caller.
“Hey there, caller number two. Who are we speaking to?”
“M-my name’s Basil,” he stammered.
“And where are ya callin’ from, Basil?”
“From Enmere. My question is for both of them. Now, I know you two aren’t much like the rest of us, being Chosen and all. So maybe this is a silly question…”
“No such thing, Basil,” Domenic told him. “That’s what we’re here for. And, ultimately, we’re all facing this cataclysm together, aren’t we?”
“A-all right. What does it feel like to have been born with destiny watching over you? Did you always know that you were different from everyone else?”
Domenic shifted, but there was no getting comfortable in these seats, hunching low to his microphone. Thankfully, Ellery jumped in. “Well, goodness. I think you can understand why I might’ve been surprised to find out I’m Winter’s Chosen.”
Domenic marveled at how seamlessly she could lie, that he was the only one who could see it.
“And you, Barrow?” Wilder asked.
Domenic managed a chuckle. “Believe it or not, I do put my pants on one leg at a time.”
Wilder grinned crookedly, like he did see Domenic’s seams. “That’s Barrow, folks. Always a charmer. But you don’t have to play humble here. We’re trying to get to know the real you.”
The harsh red of the on-air light seemed to glare down on Domenic.
“The, uh, the funny thing about childhood memories is that it’s hard to trust them,” he answered. “But as far back as I can remember, even before I developed magic, I knew there was something waiting in my future. Something extraordinary.”
“Of course there was,” Wilder said cheerily, and Domenic released a subtle sigh. “Now, up next we’ve got a caller from… Where are ya calling in from?”
Static crackled through the airwaves.
“Hello?” Wilder spoke.
A coarse voice garbled over the poor connection. “This question’s for Ellery. What plans do you have for your retirement?”
Ellery’s brow knitted. “Excuse me?”
“After you and Barrow are done with the prophecy, will your wand even work anymore? Seems to me like the only reason you could make it is because Winter is the strongest it’s ever been. So what happens when Summer conquers all of Alderland again?”
Ellery and Domenic met each other’s gaze with alarm.
Carefully, Ellery answered, “There’s no reason to believe Iskarius would—”
