“She’d kill us before the Shades even had a chance,” Simeon adds. “Jax would be the first to go.”
Jax elbows him, and I choke back a laugh despite the hulking shadow rising up in front of me. If Evander were here, he’d be the one holding the chain, standing between me and the snarling bear.
“Lysander,” I call sweetly, slowly extending my free hand. I hope the cause of my sudden shaking has everything to do with the bear’s immense size and nothing to do with my need for another potion fix. There wasn’t time to go back for them once I remembered, halfway up the slope to Noble Park.
“He’s worried about Meredy,” Elibeth says tensely, reminding me that while she’s bonded to her hounds, her Sight shows her all animals’ emotions, including the bear’s. “And he’s confused. Give him a moment to get used to you.”
Jax and I exchange a look before I edge deeper into the cellar.
Scuffling footsteps behind me elicit a growl from Lysander that’s so deep, it shakes my bones. Jax puts a hand on my back, then lights a torch, revealing the bear’s open mouth and stained teeth glistening with drool inches from my face.
If this bear is semi-tame, I’d hate to meet one that’s truly wild.
My vision blurs at the corners. Peeking out from behind the bear, a Shade’s bony arm stretches toward me. Its fingers, all white bone and no flesh, caress the bear’s fur, taunting me. Daring me to make a fool of myself by drawing my sword and slicing at a creature no one else can see.
I squeeze my eyes shut, painfully aware of each of my five fingers still stretched in offering toward the bear. If there was ever a bad time to hallucinate, it’s now. I fix an image of the wounded peacock in my mind. The mangled feathers and the blood, hoping that somehow my guilt will be a talisman to ward off imaginary monsters.
“Sparrow. Look.” Jax’s voice is low and urgent.
I don’t need to open my eyes to know the bear is sniffing my fingers. Swallowing hard, I force my tongue to work. “Remember me, Lysander?” I croak. “We sort of met the other day. Your master Meredy is, uh, a friend of mine.”
I press my lips together to hold in a whimper as the bear’s hot breath warms my hand. I can’t believe I’m doing this, but it was my idea, so there’s no turning back.
“He’s calming down.” Elibeth sounds hopeful. “Keep talking!”
“Meredy’s in trouble,” I continue at last, trying to steady my voice. “We want to save her, but we could really use your help. You don’t want to lose her, surely.”
Lysander roars, splattering my face with bear spit.
There’s a whine as Jax draws his sword. And a muttered curse as he nearly loses his grip on the torch.
“Don’t!” Elibeth cries, chilling my blood.
“Jax, don’t,” I add through gritted teeth. “Put it away.” I wipe the bear spit off my face with my sleeve, my hands shaking. I think the bear is upset by what’s happening to his master, not about Jax and me intruding in his home. I stare straight into the bear’s amber-brown eyes as he tilts his head, sizing me up. “The Deadlands are vast. You can track Meredy for us, can’t you?”
Lysander lunges toward me. Jax grabs my arm, but I shrug him off and stand my ground even as my heart bangs a warning against my ribs. The bear opens his mouth again, and this time, a pink tongue lolls out and swipes my outstretched hand.
It’s wet and sticky and disgusting—but there’s no mistaking the gesture for anything but friendly.
“You’ve found your second calling as a beast master,” Jax declares, a smile in his voice.
I shake my head, wiping my hand on my trousers. “I’m just lucky he understands me.”
“You can use the chain now. He trusts you enough,” Elibeth says, no doubt peering into the cellar. Unlike the other Crowther women, she can’t disguise the worry in her voice.
A long shadow darkens the floor as Simeon pokes his head in. “I can’t believe this is actually happening,” he mutters as I hold up the chain for Lysander to inspect. He grumbles deep in his chest, making Simeon flinch.
“This is just so we don’t lose each other in the Deadlands,” I whisper, leaning forward so Lysander will know my words are only for him. “But we really need to hurry.”
With a sigh that blows the hair back from my face and reeks of dead fish, the grizzly lowers his great shaggy head before me. I slip the chain around his neck, and thinking of the wounded bird again, I slip my fingers between metal and fur to make sure it isn’t too tight.
As I rub his neck, his scent tickles my nose. It’s a strangely familiar combination of cedar chips and vanilla, and something I can only describe as bear musk.
“Let’s go,” I murmur in the bear’s ear. He’s quivering all over, powerful muscles bunching like he’s dying to burst out of the cellar. “Soon as we’re in the Deadlands, we’ll let you lead the way.”
I’m definitely no beast master. My last words are completely lost on Lysander, who tears out of the cellar like he’s on fire, yanking me with him as I cling to the end of the chain.
Jax dashes after us, swearing. Simeon and Elibeth leap back, pressing themselves against the walls as we pass. I whisper a hasty prayer to Vaia that Meredy will stay alive long enough for us to reach her.
Two smashed urns and a ruined rug later, we’re charging into the night.
XVII
I’m not sure if anyone saw three necromancers and one huge bear leap into a gateway in the middle of a baron’s lawn by moonlight. Everything was a blur from the time we burst out of the Crowthers’ manor to the moment we arrived in the tunnel and Lysander slowed his pace enough to allow Jax and Simeon to jog briskly alongside us.
“So, about this Tabathy person,” I whisper, flashing Jax a teasing grin in the dimness of the tunnel. We won’t be able to say much once we’re in the Deadlands, unless we want the Shade-baiters to hear us coming. “The best six weeks of your life sounds pretty serious, even if it was secret. What happened?”
Jax shrugs. “She didn’t make me laugh. And she was leaving Grenwyr anyway, once she finished her training. She went home to Elsinor so she and her owl could take a position in the personal guard of some countess.” He scratches the back of his neck and looks away.
“You ever write to her?” I’m not quite sure why I’m suddenly curious, but I can’t suppress the urge to pry a little.
“Once or twice. I write to a lot of girls.” He winks. “I’m a man of many words. Maybe I’ll write to you one day, if you’re lucky.”
Simeon snickers under his breath, but I keep my attention on Jax.
I wish he’d hold my gaze a little longer so I could search his eyes. Maybe this bantering means things haven’t changed between us the way I thought they had. Vaia knows I’ve endured enough change lately to give King Wylding a fit.