Chapter 28 Maliki
Maliki
Sera sits across from me at the table, her expression thoughtful as she tries the cinnamon roll I just conjured up in Hades’s enchanted kitchen.
Or I guess it’s our enchanted kitchen now.
I’m not quite sure how all this mate-circle Styx is supposed to work, but we’ll figure it out.
“Thank you,” Sera says after taking a sip of the hot chocolate I magicked up for her. It has a hint of cinnamon in it because that’s the way I prefer to make it at home. As I created a sample for myself, I know the enchantment crafted the drink correctly, and I’m pleased Sera likes it.
“You’re welcome, trouble,” I tell her.
She’s wearing a tank top and black pants, the clothes ones she found when we went to explore the closet. The outfit simply appeared for her, just like everything else in this place.
Meanwhile, I stole a pair of Hades’s pants.
Or perhaps those, too, were manifested.
“This place is like living in a dream,” I muse aloud. “Even the decorations are appropriate.” I glance at the skulls and bones etched into the walls. “At least, it suits my tastes.” Not so sure about Sera’s, though.
Her lips curl a little. “I know Hades built this maze to punish Persephone, but I actually find it kind of beautiful.”
My eyebrow lifts. “Did you tell him that?”
“Yes.”
I grin. “And how did he take it?”
“He seemed surprised.” Her nose crinkles. “Maybe a little confused, too.”
“Good. He deserves a little confusion after existing in a constant state of arrogance for eons. Maybe he’ll learn something useful.” In truth, I believe he already has, but I don’t add that out loud. Time will show us what Hades has truly learned.
Regardless, I hope he returns soon, as I want to discuss Sera’s vision because I don’t believe for a second that what happened to her was a dream. Morpheus would never allow his intended Omega to experience a nightmare, especially not one where she felt like she didn’t exist.
My teeth grind together at the notion of Sera being lost in a spiritual state. I know she’s wondering if that’s what has happened to Persephone, but I refuse to believe that. They’re the same person, or being, or whatever. Sera is a reincarnation of Persephone’s spirit.
I don’t know what all that entails. However, I do know it won’t end in us losing Sera. Because I will chase her to the depths of the obsidian void to bring her back.
“Do you—”
A crash from outside cuts Sera off, the interruption followed by a fierce growl from Ossa.
Up until now, the beast was slumbering in the living area. Not anymore. With a blink, the three-headed creature disappears, and a snarl erupts just outside the door.
Followed by a screeching meow.
My eyebrow lifts as I push away from the table. “Hmm.” That meow was from Fleur. I didn’t even realize she was here, but it makes sense that she followed me into the maze.
The scurrying of paws greets my ears when I reach the front door.
I jump back upon opening it, sighing when a ball of fluff comes rolling inside.
Ossa releases a furious noise while Mort thrashes his head.
“Drop it,” I demand, recognizing the feathery limbs and furry legs sticking out from his large jaw.
Mort’s ears perk up, his big gold eyes glittering as he meets my gaze. I stare him down, asserting my dominance, which causes Ossa to grumble her discontent.
“Now,” I tell Mort.
The giant creature sighs, then spits out my familiar in an obsidian ball of slobber, feathers, and fur. Fleur screeches and tries to fly but can’t since she’s covered in wolfish drool.
“Thorns,” Sera breathes, rushing forward to scoop my cat up in her arms. “Oh!” She looks horrified. “How do we help it?”
Fleur releases a mewl that echoes through the room, her agony overexaggerated and meant to attract all the pity in the world.
I snort. “Drama queen.”
Sera’s eyes widen. “What?”
“I’m talking to Fleur, trouble, not you.” I move forward to give Mort a good scratch behind the ear, ensuring he knows I’m not upset with him for turning my familiar into a chew toy, then step in front of Sera.
Who is now cradling my whimpering sphinx.
“Wow,” I say, drawing out the word for Fleur’s benefit. “Keep crying like that and Ossa is going to declare herself as the superior beast.”
The female in question growls, clearly already considering herself to be the superior one of the two.
Meanwhile, Fleur starts to rub against Sera, all while making more of those pathetic sounds.
I fold my arms. “Mort didn’t even bite you. There’s no blood. Just slobber and a few broken feathers. You’re fine.”
“Her wings are bent at odd angles, Maliki,” Sera interjects. “And she’s shaking like she’s traumatized.”
I huff a laugh. “She’s being a drama queen so you’ll baby her. She’s fine.”
Sera narrows her gaze at me. “She doesn’t feel fine, Maliki.”
Fleur peeks up at me and gives me a look that’s all triumph, causing me to roll my eyes. But another crash from outside keeps me from answering.
I shadow out there this time, on instant alert.
Only to shake my head when I see Pip trying to smooth out his torn robe. It looks like it’s been shredded by claws. If he possessed eyebrows, I think they would be furrowed over the narrowed glow of his blue eyes.
I hum again, this time shadowing to the closet inside to magic up a new cloak, then return to Pip and hold it out. I may not be the cause of the damage, but my familiar is technically an extension of me. So, I owe him a new cloak.
He studies my offering, then points to the ground.
I set it there and go back inside, guessing that the little soul wants some privacy to change. Or whatever.
It’s not like I would see much if he disrobed in front of me, just a blurry soul with skeletal features.
When I reenter, I find Sera on the couch with Fleur, petting her while cooing.
The victorious look Fleur gives me has me rolling my eyes again. She’s milking the attention for all it’s worth. “Enjoy it for now,” I tell my familiar. “Once Sera sees how you treat Pip, she won’t be so attentive.”
Sera’s brow crinkles as she looks up at me. “What?”
“Fleur is obsessed with Pip’s cloak. I assume she was attacking him outside, which resulted in the first crash that caused Ossa, Mort, and Howl to react.
” A glance at Ossa confirms my assessment.
The female’s head is up, and the beast’s chest is puffed out in pride. “They were protecting Pip from Fleur.”
My sphinxlike cat gives me a look of utter betrayal.
“What?” I ask her. “Suddenly concerned you’ll lose your new best friend?”
“You wouldn’t attack Pip, would you?” Sera coos, running her fingernails through my cat’s sleek black fur.
Fleur purrs and sets down her head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Sera’s words.
But the moment Pip floats in through the still-open door, it’s pretty clear where he stands on the topic of Fleur. He takes one look at the sphinx curled up in Sera’s lap, widens his eyes, and goes right back outside.
Sera frowns. “Pip?”
He doesn’t come back.
I lean against the wall, arms folded, and arch a brow. “Still falling for Fleur’s act?” I wonder out loud. “Or are you going to go check on your familiar?”
Sera looks at me, then down at my purring cat. Fleur appears to be exceptionally content, like she’s found her utopia.
“She’s not hurt,” I promise Sera. “And even if she were, she would regenerate. But all Mort did was shake her around a little bit. He was playing. It’s Ossa you need to worry about.”
Ossa grunts in response. I can’t tell if she’s agreeing with me or mocking me. Regardless, I’m not wrong. I’ve been on the receiving end of her teeth more times than I would like to admit.
“Did you hurt Pip?” Sera asks quietly, the words for my cat. “Because if you did, that’s not very nice. Pip is my friend.”
Fleur stretches her front paws in an innocent gesture, but I note the way she flexes her talons. “She shredded his cloak. I just gave him a new one.”
Sera’s eyebrows lift as Fleur cuts me a glance that suggests she’s plotting my murder.
“If I die, you die,” I remind the little ball of obsidian. “And I don’t think Sera would like it if you attacked me.”
Fleur stares me down for a moment, then stands on her paws with a grace only she’s capable of and casually leaps from Sera’s lap to fly off toward the bedroom.
Sera gapes after her.
“I told you she was fine,” I say, amused by Sera’s surprise. “Fleur has nine million lives, give or take a few eons.” I shrug. “She’s as immortal as I am.”
“Little trickster,” Sera whispers.
“She’s just an attention seeker.” I push off the wall and whistle for Pip. “She’s gone to take a nap, little soul!”
He doesn’t immediately return but eventually sticks his head inside to look around. When he sees a cat-less Sera, he cautiously enters.
Mort gives the soul a lopsided smile, as does Howl. But Ossa simply lowers her head and closes her eyes.
The lack of a growl tells me the more dominant of the trio actually likes Pip. Otherwise, she would have released a sound of discontent.
Interesting.
“Are you mad at me?” Sera asks when Pip turns away from her.
He doesn’t acknowledge her commentary at all, just floats off into the kitchen.
She scrambles after him. “I thought the cat was hurt!”
Pip huffs, the only evidence of the sound found in his fluttering robe and the way it billows around him.
I follow the pair with a chuckle, amused again.
“I didn’t know she shredded your cloak, Pip,” Sera says. “I’m sorry.”
Pip glances back at her, his head cocked. Then he spins around and does a little dance, showing off his new robe. Or I assume that’s what he’s doing.
Sera giggles, the sound one that has my chest feeling a bit warmer than it should. But I don’t overthink the reaction, simply embrace it, and walk over to the table to clean up our snack.
She says a few things to Pip while I work, the pair of them seeming to rekindle their bond in a matter of seconds, then she follows him outside, as he apparently wants to show her something.
Frowning, I trail after them, a bit concerned by this behavior, given her dream.
But all he does is lead her to a garden of flower statues and point to the one that looks like a fire lily.
Sera nods, saying she recognizes it as the one he’s tried to bring for her before.
Then Pip holds up his hand, like he’s telling her to wait for a moment, and disappears. When he returns, he has his gloves on and the pot of soil from her Netherworld Village hut. We brought that to Hades’s palace, but I haven’t seen it since then.
However, Sera is thrilled to have it again. She carefully takes it from Pip and brings it inside to set on the dining table. Then she frowns and says, “I don’t have any sunlight.”
“Maybe we can try to manifest some?” I suggest.
She looks at me. “You think we can?”
I shrug. “Only one way to find out.”
We’re safe here for now. Might as well do something productive.
Because there isn’t a chance in Styx that I’ll be letting Sera sleep again anytime soon. Not until I’ve had a chance to talk to Hades about her supposed “nightmare.”
Better hurry up, Hades, I think, aware that he can’t actually hear me, but mentally talking to him anyway. And if you can, bring the God of Dreams back here with you. I suspect that we’re going to need him…