“I’m obviously bluffing,” I whisper. “Just go along with it.”
Languidly, the big cat stretches, then prowls forward, his tail brushing against my side as he starts after the magic.
I follow him, reveling in the subtle thrum of our connection. Though I cannot see the thin magical cord that connects us, I can still sense my familiar on the other end of it.
This is so wild.
Nero slips between the trees on silent feet, moving like a shadow through the jungle’s underbrush.
We haven’t gone far when the trees give way to a large, winding river.
Could this be the Amazon River? Because that would actually be really fucking awesome. Random, but awesome.
I stand there, hands on my hips, my combat boots splattered with mud and my skin sweaty, and I savor the ridiculous irony of the situation. I’m now getting the wild magic quest I was too broke to afford. I mean, technically I’m also too broke for the quest I purchased, but what are details?
The line of blue magic cuts directly across the river, disappearing into the trees on the other side.
I let out a sigh, then turn to Nero. “You wouldn’t happen to know of any nearby bridges, would you?”
CHAPTER 6
It’s not a bridge, but Nero does lead me to a boat. Well, a dinghy. One that’s rusted over and partially submerged into the muddy riverbank. Inside, it’s filled with decaying shrubbery, a murky puddle of water, and what looks to be a thriving, self-contained ecosystem. The floor of it is also partially rusted through. And it’s missing its oars.
But you know what? It’s something.
So I spend a ridiculous amount of time and magic repairing the Tetanus Express and prying it out of the riverbank. By the end of it, my head, which had stopped hurting thanks to the aspirin, begins to throb again.
I ignore the pain and my rising anxieties about the amount of power I’ve used today. I’m on a magic quest; I can be a little indulgent with my spellcasting.
With that thought in mind, I release another burst of my power, one that cleans the interior of the dinghy. All the while, the dark blue magic circles me.
Empress…
I ignore the voice and the restlessness it stirs in me. Instead, I drag the boat into the water, grimacing a little when my boots squish into the riverbed. I nearly whoop with joy when the dinghy stays afloat, rocking gently in the shallows of the river. It’s still badly rusted and missing oars, but it floats.
I turn to Nero, who’s been watching from the riverbank, and I hesitate. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to acquire a familiar but not what to do with one once we bonded.
“Do you…want to come with me?” I ask.
Nero stares at me for a moment. Then, in response, he prowls to the lapping edge of the river and leaps into the dinghy. The force of his landing nearly capsizes the boat in the process.
“Dude,” I say, grabbing the edge of the vessel and holding it as steady as I can.
If Nero was at all worried about being thrown overboard, he doesn’t show it. The panther plops on the floor of the boat and begins cleaning himself.
I glance one last time at what I can see of my magical repairs to the dinghy, then at the far side of the river.
Taking a deep breath, I gather my courage and hoist myself into the boat.
Before I can even attempt a spell to get this thing moving toward the far side of the river, the magic circling me now pushes at my back, propelling us across.
I let out a shaky exhale.
Well, that solves that.
It’s only when we’ve reached the center of the river that I have my misgivings.
What in the goddess’s name am I doing? Magic quest or no, I shouldn’t be wandering around in this unfamiliar jungle, letting some mysterious being lure me closer. I don’t even have my notebook, so if I forget my memories from earlier today, I’m F-U-C-K-E-D.
I glance overhead at the afternoon sun.
And if I don’t get back before sundown…
Doubled fucked.
But my intuition isn’t warning me off this trail, and I did find my familiar by listening to it earlier. Technically, this is what a magic quest is—listening to that untamable inner voice that leads all witches.
Nero lunges toward the river, nearly capsizing the boat. Again. I grab the sides of the dinghy for balance while the water near us churns. I hear a crunch, and then the panther is backing up, dragging some writhing thing along with him.
What in the…?
Nero turns toward me, and clamped in his jaws is the biggest motherfucking snake I’ve ever seen, its head and neck hanging lifelessly, even while the rest of its body still spasms.
Ho-ly shit.
“Good boy,” I croak.
He gives me a look like he might eat me next if I treat him like a pet again. He pads back to the middle of the boat and flops down, the huge twitching snake tumbling in along with him.
I grimace.
Clearing my throat, I say, “I feel like we need to go over some boat rules. Rule one—”
Nero sinks his teeth into the creature’s belly.
Going to hurl.
“No eating animals on the boat.”
Ignoring me, the panther continues to chomp on the dead snake.
What am I supposed to do if my familiar doesn’t listen to me? Aren’t familiars supposed to give their undivided loyalty to the witch they’re bonded with?
I take a few deep breaths and decide this is not the hill I want to die on today.
“Fine, ignore boat rules, just don’t get any blood on me—”
I feel something warm and wet hit the back of my hand.
I glare at my familiar—who is still absorbed in his meal. “Don’t make me turn you into a housecat,” I warn him.
He pauses eating to flash me his fangs.
Guess he doesn’t like the idea of that all that much. “Then behave.”
He stares at me for a moment longer, then goes back to eating his nasty snack.
The blue magic pushes us along, and slowly but surely, we cross the river. Overhead, the rest of the magic hangs above us like a contrail, the line of it disappearing into the trees on the approaching side of the riverbank. I swear it looks denser than it did at the crash site.
I can still feel the power pressing against my back, but it’s begun to creep over my shoulders and around my chest, and a strand of it brushes against my jaw, feeling for all the world like the light stroke of knuckles against my skin.
I think it would be better if I found the touch repulsive, but I…don’t, and that leaves me confused.
Eventually, we reach the riverbank. I wait until the dinghy has nearly beached itself on the shore before hopping out with Nero and dragging the boat as far ashore as I can.
Dusting my hands off, I turn to the dark jungle beyond.
Come to me…
I pause. That phantom voice is so much stronger now.
The air around me seems to vibrate. I can feel the magic as though it were alive.
Calling to me. Calling…
I pick my way through the vegetation and the looming lush trees, that insistent pull getting stronger. I stop only when I get to a dense, almost-impassable cluster of foliage.