Rexi made a rude gesture with the chicken’s foot she was holding.
“I be needin’ ya life magics. A nail from da boy, and some hair from da girl.” Hydra finished writing what she was working on and asked us to sign. It was completely illegible.
“What does it say?” I asked.
She held the document out in front of her. “It be sayin’ I’s not at fault if de spell don’t be workin’. Dat ya dun broke da magic rules and dis is bein’ da bestest I can do. An if he be dyin’, ya’s not be allowed to be comin’ afta me.”
I turned to Kato, giving voice to the alarm bells ringing in my head. “Maybe you shouldn’t. There’s really nothing you need to be human for. Plus, we haven’t had a very good track record with magic lately. Think Black Crow. Do you want to become a stuffed lion or something?”
Hydra put the paper on the counter and turned back around to counsel us, her face grave. “She be havin’ a point. But ya should alsa know, if ya be growin’ inta a full beastie, der be no changin’ back for ya.”
Kato huffed, the air ruffling his auburn mane. “So try to be human and possibly blow up, or be stuck as a Chimera and lose my ice magic for all eternity. That about right?”
“Dat’s abut da sum of it. I be lettin’ ya decide.” Hydra went over and helped Rexi with the ingredients.
“Don’t do this, Kato,” I pleaded. “I’ll still help you figure out a way to keep Blanc imprisoned.”
“It’s not about that.” His whiskers twitched, bristling with agitation.
I raised my hand to his face and stroked the fur on his cheek. “I meant what I said. I will still like you if you stay furry forever.”
Kato’s muzzle quirked to one side. “Like me? A minute ago you said you loved me.”
My face heated. “Not exactly. Listen, about that—”
Kato stopped me. “No, you listen.” He moved his head close, resting his brow ridge on my forehead so I could see nothing but those ice-blue eyes. “At the tower, it was obvious that the wizard wanted you. And he was very handsome, so I was jealous.”
I tried to interject, but he kept right on going.
“And when they locked me up, I knew something was wrong. I had nothing to do with my time but worry about what he was doing to you. Had he put his hands on you? The thought made me want to rip that tower down brick by brick. I realized it wasn’t just because I was concerned for your safety, but because no one should be allowed to touch you but me.”
My hair was still more or less bound in the intricate style, but the few strands that were loose glowed and popped with the pounding of my heart.
“I need to be with you,” he continued, backing up a step. “I would rather blow up than live a lifetime without being able to kiss you. It may be unreasonable, but I won’t settle for anything less than living happily ever after in love with you.” He gently took the pen from my hand with his mouth and signed the paper. “Okay, Hydra, I’m ready,” he called and walked over to where she and Rexi were dicing the ingredients.
I stared down at the paper he had just scribbled on, and I knew I couldn’t sign it, because if anything happened to him, no force in story would keep Hydra safe from me.
“Mix da ingredients togeda, child.” Rexi headed over to dump the handfuls in the cauldron. Hydra panicked and caught the ingredients before they hit the water. “Not der! Dat’s da battub. Put dem in da Crock-Pot by Dotea.” Hydra shook her head and muttered something I couldn’t make out.
“You spell in a Crock-Pot and bathe in a cauldron?” Rexi asked in disbelief.
“Would be pretty hard to be doin’ da reberse now wouldn’ it?” She turned her attention to Kato and I. “Okay, yas two lovebuds. Come on ober here so I be collectin’ da life magics.”
She took a snippet of my hair. The emerald tip popped and hissed in protest at being cut away. Even more than that, I felt its loss, like I was weaker somehow. Next, she took a hammer and chisel to Kato’s paw and chipped off one of his nails. He only had six left. It made me ill that he had used three out of his lifetime quota of ten since meeting me. At this rate, he’d use them all and be dead in a month.
Hydra stirred the potion and frowned over it. “Sumthin’ be not quite right.” She looked around and tapped her finger thoughtfully. Her gaze stopped on me. “Could dat be a lotus rose in ya hair?”
I felt in back. Sure enough, it was still there. Kind of surprising that it had survived everything. I pulled it out of the comb and held it out to Hydra. She looked it over and nodded her approval. The flower might have been missing one or two petals, but it was still largely intact. Instead of taking it, she pushed the flower down into my palm. The thorns under the petals pricked me, drawing blood—exactly as Hydra intended, no doubt. She plucked the flower from my hand and tossed it into the Crock-Pot.
Nothing happened.