I crawled my way through the slime to check on Kato and ran my hands over nearly all of him. His chest moved up and down, but his side oozed blood from where his left wing used to be. “Grimm save us. Are you okay?” Please be okay. When he didn’t move, I called louder. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes.” He groaned and opened one eye. “My wing is busted, not my ears.”
I gave him a huge hug, and he winced beneath me. “Sorry.” I shifted slightly, still not willing to let him go. It felt like I had lost everything all over again today. I would hold on to the one thing I had left to my last breath—and then some.
My hands continued to search around his body for signs of any more damage. I lifted his paw and counted his nails. He still had seven left. “Why didn’t you call Bob for help?”
He raised his head slightly to better see me. “They knew. As soon as I was out of your sight, they muzzled me, put iron thimbles on my claws, and tied me down with chains. I stayed bound in a well for nearly a week not knowing what happened to you.”
I dropped the paw in surprise. “A week?”
His head fell back down with a slurp. “Yes, but it felt like years. What were you doing, and why do you look like you’re getting married?”
There was no way to explain that well. I didn’t really understand most of what had happened myself. My head was foggy as I tried to figure out what was poppy-induced dream and what was real.
“Long story. Short version, I took a nap and Rexi elected herself Team Villain MVP.” I could feel my temper rising.
“I know,” he said, curling his lip. “She came down and personally tied me to the roasting spit. If that servant ape hadn’t let me go, I would have been barbecue.”
That surprised me. “Nikko? See, aren’t you glad that I didn’t let you eat him?” My arm grazed Kato’s side, and he hissed in pain. We could go over our little travelogues later. Right now, we needed help. “We’ve got to find someone to bandage you up. I’ll ask the serpent to take us to land. Then we’ll call Bob, get you home, and I’ll take care of Blanc.” I paused and let the emerald flame come to my hand again. Yessss. I cared a lot less about the curse than I used to, and the inner voice had taken on a softer, almost fuzzy quality. Almost comforting. In fact, I couldn’t remember why I’d refused his request in the first place.
I crawled back toward the head. The serpent continued swimming while I checked on Kato. It traveled quickly; the island was nowhere in sight. The sea had narrowed and we were cruising down something more akin to a river, with high cliff walls on one side, thick Ironwood trees on the other.
I patted the brow of the C again. “Excuse me. Thank you for saving my friend, but he’s really hurt. Can you take us to land?” The ABCserpent didn’t answer. I had the feeling I was getting the silent treatment. “And I’m really sorry I threatened you. It’s been a rough few days.”
“Apology accepted,” the serpent gurgled. “Remember that nice girls use their heads and their words. Not their hands.”
Great, I was stuck on a pacifist serpent.
“I’ll keep that in mind. About finding a spot to land…”
Glug glug. “Yesss. I know someone who will help. We’re almost there.”
“Thank you!” I turned to get Kato ready, but he was already limping my way. The serpent giggled under the water. I thought Kato’s nails may have been tickling it.
“We’re going to somebody who can help,” I said to Kato and crawled back to him.
We couldn’t get there soon enough—Kato wasn’t looking too hot. He swayed on his feet, more than just being on the water would cause. And he was shaking his head and laughing in a delirious sort of way.
“We’re here,” the serpent singsonged from the water.
I looked away from Kato and saw that we’d pulled up to a beach. A very familiar beach—with a weedy garden and a shack with shutters stuck on with gum.
I knocked on the C. “No, no, no. You’ve made a mistake. There’s no one here to help us. Just a blind head hunter.”
“Hydra has many spare parts. She will help your friend.”
She had lots of heads, but what were the odds she had wings too? Or that she wouldn’t just try stealing Kato’s good one?
“But she’s creepy.” My voice turned down at the end. I knew I was whining, but the image of the heads was still fresh in my mind. Maybe she was just a harmless old lady with a morbid hobby because she got tired of collecting spoons. After all, she had tried to warn me about Black Crow.
Hydra ambled out of her shack. She was being led by a girl in trousers with pokey blond hair. Rexi.
Kato roared. “Why?”
“Okay,” the serpent gurgled. The tail poked out of the water, slid under Kato and I, and deposited us, roughly, on the beach.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
A watery, “You’re welcome,” came as it sped away down the river. We were marooned, but I was ready to fight. Ignoring BeC’s advice about words versus hands, I readied my flames to take Rexi out, but Kato was already bounding up to her.
Kato cornered her against the house and growled. Then he collapsed.
“True love can overcome anything. Even fish breath.”
—The Little Mermaid, from Pea Soup for the Fairy-Tale Lover’s Soul