Jinx On The Divide by Elizabeth Kay

world."
    Ironclaw doubted that the library was much of an example of the real world, but just as he was about to point this out, he noticed a dangerous glint in Thornbeak's eye. He thought better of it and said, "So you want me to go flapping off there and bring her back?"
    "Yes. But leave me the gold to pay for her chronicling course first."
    Ironclaw started to empty his pouch. Every time he paused, thinking he had shelled out enough, Thornbeak would peck him. He continued removing the gold pieces, one at a time, until she finally nodded.
    "Off you go, then," she said. Her fierce expression softened for a moment. "And when you get back, Grimspite's got a nice little number puzzle for you. He wants to isolate the stink factor in the Big Bang spell."
    Ironclaw's eyes lit up.
    "But I want Fuzzy back here first."
    ***
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    Felix and Betony stood at the window of the general store, somewhere between Vattan and Yergud, wondering how much damage Rhino had already done, and watching the snow falling. They'd been waiting there for a considerable length of time, and they'd had to buy some fish turnovers for lunch. Felix thought his was horrible, but Betony made him eat it. When she'd watched him swallow the last glutinous mouthful, she said, "We may as well buy you a real cloak while we're here."
    There were several to choose from. One of them was much more expensive than the others, and when Felix tried it on, he suddenly felt handsome and brave and as strong as a cuddyak. "I want this one," he said.
    "Take it off," hissed Betony. "Didn't you look at the label? It's magic. For people with depression. And it costs a fortune."
    "It's really warm," said Felix obstinately.
    "Of course it is. And if you use it when you don't need it, it could have all kinds of unwelcome effects."
    "Such as?" said Felix.
    "It could make you really reckless, and endanger your life. Take it off."
    Reluctantly, Felix removed it and selected an oiled woolen garment like Betony's, which she paid for. He couldn't wear both it and his parka, so he opened his backpack to stow away the jacket -- and managed to spill everything else out onto the floor. Something clunked and rolled into a corner. It
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    looked like a cylindrical pencil case made of gunmetal. Felix picked it up and opened it.
    There was nothing inside, but a voice said, "Well, hi there."
    "Hello," said Felix automatically.
    Betony gave him a funny look. "Whom are you talking to?"
    "The jinx box." He suddenly remembered that he'd thought about getting rid of it. He glanced around. He could just put it on the shelf, with the souvenirs, and leave it there.... He placed it next to a particularly horrible cross-eyed wooden fish.
    "Don't leave me here," pleaded the jinx box. "They'll sell me to some illiterate who'll use me to store fishhooks. I'd much rather travel around with a mythical being. I could be really useful to you; I'm like one of your encyclopedias."
    "Don't listen to it," said Betony.
    But Felix couldn't help listening. The oily little voice managed to combine extreme smarminess with a seductive charm. Felix found himself thinking, How does it do it? A politician would pay a fortune to learn a skill like that.
    "You wouldn't have found out where Rhino was without me, now, would you?" continued the box, oozing charisma. "And now you've got to decide which way to go, and you can't agree. How can I help?" The blue-gray gunmetal had taken on an attractive pinkish sheen, like rose quartz.
    "Well ..." said Felix. He had established earlier that there were public sleighs in both directions -- to Yergud
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    ("Stone Center of the North") and to Vattan ("Fantastic Freshwater Fish Award three years running"), but after an on-and-off argument with Betony that had lasted for hours, they still hadn't reached an agreement.
    "You don't need that horrible box to advise you," said Betony. The pinkish sheen reminded her of fish roe, not rose quartz. "Once we've picked Nimby up from the Pink Harpoon, we can