23. D（ire） Bears
D(ire) Bears
I woke up in a ruined, tattered bed.
Head spinning, spread-eagle, I stared up at the shredded canopy and blackened plants hanging from the ceiling. A rough, masculine sound echoed below. Rolling with a tired groan, I leaned my head over the side of the bed.
Tarantula lay on his back.
Stretched across the scorched floor, surrounded by broken glass, he was still very alive. He didn’t have a pillow or even a sheet, and I knew from living with him how much he fussed over his bedding.
Tarantula stared straight up at me, gaze hooded, lips slightly parted like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.
Silence stretched between us, and a flush of defeat mixed with something I refused to identify crawled up my neck. I rolled away, unable to stomach his knowing gaze. Unsavory emotions intensified as I realized my change of clothes had been burned to ash in the fire.
We got ready in silence.
On our way out, we stopped at Ella’s room to raid a saddlebag, and I holstered my extra daggers around my thighs.
An hour later, I leaned against Ella, our arms linked together as we headed through the verdant Commune streets.
If not for her support, I wouldn’t have been standing upright.
The harsh morning light burned too brightly because residual drugs still coursed through my system, making it hard to concentrate as I struggled to regulate my breathing.
Axel walked on my other side and reached out periodically to pat Squire, who sat happily on my shoulder.
Squire pecked at him hard enough to draw blood. “No touchy!” he chirped.
Axel laughed.
“This way.” Tarantula pointed down an alleyway and stalked ahead of us. He glanced back at me, eyes hooded. His unbuttoned, scorched shirt fluttered around his torso. In a strange display of solidarity, he hadn’t changed out of his ruined clothes. He’s probably taunting me.
Awkward tension simmered.
Ella squeezed my arm close to her body. “Are you okay?” she asked as she searched my face, clearly alluding to the events she’d walked in on last night. Her gaze was knowing, and there was no judgment, just concern.
“Do you think there’s something wrong with me?” I asked, hating how unsure I sounded. “If I can’t—” I flexed my stinging right hand, wincing, a long red slice healing across my palm where I’d clutched the glass shard “—kill those who deserve to die?”
“No,” Ella said confidently, her eyes still slightly glazed from the fairy wine. “Do you remember when the dragons attacked the North all those years ago and I looked back at you?”
“Of course.”
“I was shaking with terror. I’d never felt so conflicted in all my life.
The Marshal had threatened to have my head if I misused the missile, and I couldn’t make the decision.
Everything was on fire. Dragons were staring us down, their teeth larger than our bodies .
. . and then I looked back at you. A stranger I’d never met.
A teenage girl covered in blood.” Everything quieted as she held my gaze. “Do you know what I saw?”
I shook my head.
“Strength,” she said. “It was like you were a beacon in the middle of the carnage . . . a bright, blinding light. I swear, voices were whispering at me to trust you. It was what standing before the old god was supposed to feel like—”
“Ella, I don’t know if I was—”
“—and you made the call when I was too afraid to, even though I was the Knight Mage.”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t like that. It was your quick thinking.”
She leaned closer. “It was exactly like that. I think—” her voice dropped “—you’re always shrinking yourself because your intensity scares people. You can be a good person and dangerous. Stop hiding, Zora.”
Pressure burned my eyes.
“Let’s go,” Axel said loudly, startling us back to reality. He gestured at the bright pink flower arch that led to a tall door covered in hanging grasses. Bathhouse was written above in cursive script. Tarantula stalked through the blossoms and disappeared inside.
Ella and I reluctantly pulled away from each other, standing straight on our own. The distance stretched too far, too soon. I reached over, and she took my hand; her eyes were also suspiciously glassy.
I hadn’t felt this supported since Aurora.
Girl friendships are proof that soulmates exist.
Axel draped his arms over both of our shoulders.
Squire squawked with outrage, “I said no touchy, vampire man!” He bit his finger, hard. Ella and I laughed.
Axel made a kissy-face at Squire, who screeched and hopped onto the top of my head.
“Ladies,” Axel said. “What are we waiting for?” His voice was casual as he pushed us both forward through the green strands, but his eyes sharpened as he studied our faces with concern.
Inside the building, oversized flowers in glorious shades of purple hung from the high ceiling on thick vines. Below, dozens of small pools bubbled where they were built into the ground.
Cloudy humidity filled the air, and leafy plants surrounded the pools, providing privacy. An almost naked man stood up, water coursing off his—Oh wow. Who let him wear that in a public pool? Male chastity belts are a crime against humanity.
I squinted. Dozens of men and women in bathing outfits lounged in the waters, a pleasant buzz of conversation filling the fragrant air.
“Jester,” Tarantula said coldly.
Axel rolled his eyes and stepped back with both hands raised above his head mockingly. Tarantula bared his perfect straight white teeth, and Axel flashed fang.
“How may we h-help you?” A pretty young woman in a silky white dress approached, looking harried. She held up a serving tray with four tiny trumpet flutes. “Please enjoy a sampling of the complimentary fairy wine.”
She eyed us with blatant suspicion as she offered the drinks. Rumors were probably spreading about the wine tavern, and it didn’t take a genius to put everything together. The first time we visited, it burned to the ground.
Tarantula’s ripped shirt is stained with blood.
I glanced down at my chest.
Great, so is mine.
Ella and Axel each grabbed a glass, bowing their thanks to her as they politely drank the contents. Tarantula followed suit.
She waited for me to take one, but I shook my head no because a pounding had intensified behind my eyes as soon as we’d stepped inside. So much water everywhere. Magic tingled across my fingers. Her face blurred as I focused on not losing control. She pushed the tray toward me. “Please have a—”
“I’m good,” I said.
“We are here for Arcturus. Where is he?” Tarantula asked, drawing her attention away from me. Flowers rustled as wind whistled ominously through the room. Hair whipping, Ella and Axel stepped nervously away from him. Why is he suddenly so worked up?
The young woman jumped with a start. “He’s in the back, in a private pool.” She pointed to a green door on the other side of the room. Her eyes darted around, and she dropped her voice to a whisper, glasses clattering on her tray. “I would advise not going back there. You should all leave, please.”
Tarantula placed his empty flute back on the tray and stalked through the cloudy haze toward the green door. People in the pools gaped up at him as he passed.
The twins hurried after him, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the woman, who could barely hold her tray. She seemed sincere and genuinely terrified.
Icy foreboding washed over me.
I started to follow the twins but stopped. Instincts sharpened. I halted next to the woman. “What . . . is it?” I asked quietly, the pressure in my temples intensifying.
Her eyes darted to where Tarantula had thrown open the green door, disappearing inside with the twins, then back to me and the remaining full flute on her tray. The other three sat beside it—the empty glasses were coated in a light green residue.
Everything warped, blood rushing in my ears.
Her mouth moved in slow motion. “Poi—son.”
At that exact moment, a low growl vibrated through the air, and every hair on my body stood on end. I’d heard that sound before. In the Barren Forest.
Something crashed against a wall. GROWL. The loud, terrifying noise exploded from the back room.
“I’m sorry,” the woman whispered as she backed away. I grabbed her, pulling her face close to mine.
“Do you know where the antidote is?” I asked in a rush.
She squeezed her eyes shut, flinching away. I shook her, and she nodded yes.
“Get it,” I ordered coldly. “Now. This is an order from a Knight. The Commonwealth is depending on you.” I shoved her away. “Do not disappoint me.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but I was already pushing through the crowd of screaming people as they jumped out of the pools, some grabbing towels, others running toward the exit.
I fought to get to the green door. The scars on my face and back tingled with phantom pain.
More growls and crashing noises sounded from the back room. Palming two of my bone knives, I took a deep breath, sinking deeper into myself, and stepped through the green door.
Blood-splattered purple flowers covered the small room. A round pool bubbled untouched in the middle of the tiled floor. And against the far wall, Axel was slumped in front of Ella protectively.
They were both unconscious.
Next to the pool, Tarantula staggered back with his glowing hands held high. Diamonds glinted on his collar as silver wind exploded from his palms, pushing against a fully grown dire bear.
The beast towered as tall as the ceiling, with grotesque fangs, shaggy brown fur, and deadly green eyes; layers of thick hide formed an armor around its neck, back, belly, and head.
A dire bear’s only weakness was its chest. When the bear was on all fours, that region was naturally protected from attack, but this beast stood upright on its hind legs, silver wafting from its nose. Razor-sharp claws flashed as it swiped a paw.
Gently I pulled a shaking Squire off my shoulder and placed him on a hanging vine.
“Look away, dear.”
Squire swiveled his head to stare at the wall. “Me no want to look.”