24. Vesper #2
“Thing?” the creature says suddenly, outrage in the word.
My eyes widen at the sound a second before she leaps forward onto my knee and points one of the dagger arms at Locke.
“Thing? How dare you, you unsufferable aphid! I am not a thing. I am Svetlana, Destroyer of Worlds, Slicer of Heads, Praying Mantis Prime! You should fear me! Thing. Bah!” Her wings flare wide and she darts so fast to my arm, it takes everything in me not to freak out.
Still, I flinch and jerk when her little legs stick to my skin.
She scuttles up to my shoulder and leans out toward Locke who almost falls back on his ass in disgust. “I’ll take your head for that insult, you—”
“Stop!” I say, scrambling to my feet and trying not to startle her too much.
She’s large, easily the length of my forearm, but she isn’t so large that Locke can’t step on her if he’s not careful.
All insects are large in The Leafcutter Empire.
But this is my familiar. I need her alive long enough to figure out what that means, which means no epic battle between Locke and this insect.
“He’s sorry,” I tell her quickly. Besides, Cipher said that a familiar requires mutual respect.
“He didn’t mean to insult you. He’s just never seen something as unique as you before. ”
Svetlana looks from me back to Locke to confirm. Locke nods, understanding where this is going even if his face is a particularly ashen color. His hammer disappears back into his inventory and he holds his hands out in supplication.
“A man afraid of a bug,” Cipher purrs. “How quaint.”
“What do you say to Svetlana, Locke?” I say, gesturing at her with my head and giving him the look.
He narrows his eyes on me, clearly annoyed at my request. He’s not a fan of bugs. I know that. He knows that. But here I am, asking him to apologize to the one that just ripped its way through my arm.
“Please accept my apologies,” Locke finally grits out when I widen my eyes at him and gesture again.
Svetlana tilts her head the opposite direction and clicks her sharp arms together. “Grovel, you bumbling June bug, and perhaps I’ll accept.”
Locke snorts, but I give him another look when he starts to argue.
He sighs. He was already on his knees beside me when I was fighting the pain and he hadn’t yet stopped, so he just sort of settles back onto his ankles and puts his hands together in front of him.
I’ve seen the position only a few times, mostly from the Suffer Saints back in Dross.
I don’t hate the way Locke looks in this position and I straighten a little at the realization.
“Please,” he grunts, and I can tell that’s the best we’re going to get.
Locke will not beg anyone or anything for forgiveness, but he’s trying. For me.
Svetlana flutters her wings and moves along my shoulder. “Acceptable,” she sniffs before turning to meet my eyes. “And you? You are my familiar?”
I blink and glance from her to Locke and back again. “Uh . . . I think . . . you’re my familiar,” I say.
She laughs. “Sure, Umnitsa. We are of the same flesh, like holy twins.” She clicks her front arms together and rubs her antennae.
“Clearly, I am the better-looking twin between us. You don’t even have any tibial spines.
I must have gotten all the nutrients in the womb,” she continues, laughing at my raised brow.
“Whatever makes you feel better though, Umnitsa.” She touches her arm to my shoulder.
“Now, you’re much too weak to be my familiar anyways.
We must work on that immediately. I find the act of chopping heads off works wonders for leveling up one’s XP.
” She flutters her wings again and touches her sharp arms to my cheek.
I flinch, expecting a cut, but she just seems to be touching me.
“What is your name, twin? You have not yet told me.”
Her large black eyes stare at me as she waits for my answer. I can see myself reflected there in the inky pools, and I realize that this could be a good thing. A familiar can help me through this place, help me survive it. She’s small, but clearly mighty.
“Vesper,” I tell her
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Vesper. You will address me by Svetlana, or any of my monikers will do. I very much enjoy Slicer of Heads.”
“You must respect your familiar to earn loyalty,” Cipher says. “The higher the loyalty, the stronger your bond. Disrespect her, and she will cause you nothing but trouble.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Svetlana, Slicer of Heads,” I reply.
“Of course, it is,” she harrumphs. “I am magnificent.” She looks at Locke. “You? Not so much.”
Locke scowls and grumbles something under his breath that sounds like, “Fucking bugs.”
“What was that?” Svetlana asks sweetly, but her razor arms raise high in preparation. As if she’s ready to attack at a moment’s notice.
“Nothing,” Locke says. “I was just saying how beautiful you are.”
Svetlana settles down, her body dancing from side to side for a moment before she rests. “You can stay,” she declares after a moment, “but only if you continue to compliment me, Bone Breaker. Consider it payment for keeping your head.”
I can’t help it. The laugh tumbles out of me, and once it starts, it won’t stop.
“What?” Svetlana asks. “What is so funny?”
Of course my familiar would be an angry, arrogant bug. Only I could have that sort of luck. Dox would have laughed and told me I got what I deserve if she were here. She would also love Svetlana.
“Nothing,” I say, rolling my shoulders. I tuck my arm against my body to protect the wound.
It’s bleeding through the makeshift bandage already.
I’ll need to address it soon. I hadn’t realized where the material had come from before.
Locke hasn’t picked up any cotton fabric.
He barely picks up anything at all. I only realize where it came from when he moves and I see his midriff.
He’s torn a strip off the bottom of my shirt to wrap my arm.
“I’m just so happy to have you here, Svetlana. ”
The praying mantis sniffs. “Of course you are,” she says. “I’m a delight.”
The Leafcutter Queen claps her hands together, drawing our attention back to her. “Get out,” she orders primely. That’s it. That’s all we get.
We’d defeated her without having to fight this entire anthill and I’m not going to question her benevolence now. I bow my head to her quickly and grab Locke with my good arm before dragging him out of the throne room.
The sound of another male ant’s genitalia exploding fills the room behind us as we escape. Svetlana cheers on my shoulder.
“Fuck yeah!” she shouts. “Now rip his head off!”