I glared hard enough I hoped it hurt him. “Very funny, fur face. Will you get me out already?”
“And you can talk again. That’s too bad.” He walked closer. “I was enjoying the silence. Better tell me what happened.” He crouched down and helped pry me loose.
I explained that I was trying to swipe the sword. I left out that I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it afterward.
“And then he grabbed me and…” I’d gotten loose enough at that point to wipe my lips with the back of my hand.
I expected Kato to laugh, but he paled instead. Did the kiss bother him? My pulse went up a notch. He looked away. “I’m sorry. I know how you feel.”
“Huh?”
“I had to dance with Gwen to keep her from coming after you guys.” Kato scrubbed at his mouth and tongue.
“Ew… How are you not…” I raised my hands up like claws and made the closest rawr face to a chimera’s that I could.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it true love’s kiss.” He crawled back and started helping me free again. “But still, let’s keep this between us. Telling Dorthea would be a bad idea.”
He is mine…
I thought of the green-eyed, blazing reflection “message” Dorthea had sent me and shuddered.
With a final yank, Kato pulled me free. I rolled off the bed and onto him in a heap. I started to push myself up, but Kato held me still. “Shhh,” he whispered in one ear. Mordred grunted on the bed, feeling around for the warm “Beboo” he’d just lost.
Each grain of sand that ticked through the hourglass felt like forever. I would have much rather been cuddled to Mordred, if only because those “get me out” feelings made a lot more sense than the jumble of emotions I felt for Kato.
Finally, he tapped me on the arm and let go. “I think we’re safe. Go to sleep and let evil sleeping kings lie. We can try again tomorrow.”
I didn’t say anything but skulked off. My face was as red as Dorthea’s heels, while Kato was cool and not the least bit self-conscious. And why should he be? I was just Rex the Huntsman. I was just one of the guys.
I looked down at the shoes Dorthea had made with loathing. These weren’t rooted on, so I still had a choice to wear them or not. I took them off, tired of feeling conflicted. Shadowy tendrils crept from my feet up the moonlit wall to form the shape of a man.
“Miss me?”
Sick to my stomach, I crammed my feet back into the boots. Seeing Morte loom over me was upsetting—but even more upsetting was discovering that my feelings for Kato were the same whether the shoes were on or off.
“Perception is reality. If you don’t like someone’s reality, change their perception. Forcibly if necessary.”
—Seven Habits of Highly Evil People
27
Pearl of Wisdom
Bad dreams and the snoring of two royal boys kept me up most of the night. No sooner had I fallen asleep than I heard my name being called.
“Rexi.”
I put my pillow over my head. “Go away.”
“Rexi.”
I threw my pillow across the room and bolted upright. “What?!”
Both boys groaned and snorted groggily. But there was no one else in the room. I looked at my feet. Shoes were still on. Not Morte.
“Rexi!” This time the voice was impatient. And my wrist burned. The glimmering mark of a water lily appeared. Poking my head out the window, I could see the lake and a school of jellyfish shimmering on top of the water.
I was being summoned.
Watching to make sure the boys stayed asleep, I tiptoed toward the door, keeping the gold heels from clicking on the stone floor. If I had been watching my feet, I wouldn’t have tripped over an unexpected roommate.
“Oh. Don’t mind me. Better to be noticed later rather than never,” the little emerald dragon sniffed.
“Shhhh, you’ll wake them.”
“Too late,” Mordred said, holding his head. “Will someone tell little boy blue to stop his bloody horn?”
Kato snorted. “I think you had a bit too much grog.”
“No such thing.”
While they did their guy bonding, I made my way to the exit.
“Where are you going?” Kato asked.
Stupid, nosy… “I reek. I’m, uh, going to the lake for a quick bath.”
Mordred threw off his covers and sat up. “Wait for me. I shall go with you.”
“No!” Kato and I shouted together.
Mordred frowned, folding his arms over his chest. “I know not what to make of you sometimes. If you two want to go bathe alone…”
“No!” we said together again.
I hoped the red in my face made me look angry not embarrassed. “I’m going. By myself. Don’t follow me.”
Mordred frowned. “And that’s not suspicious at all.”
Kato jumped in. “He sings while he bathes. Trust me, I’m doing you a favor.”
“Fine,” Mordred grumbled. “Keep your bloody secrets. I had no desire to spend time with you anyway.” Double-checking his hips for both weapons, Mordred strode from the room, going out of his way to bump into me on the way out.
Kato sighed and rolled up to standing. “I better follow him and keep watch. All I’m gonna say is stay out of trouble.”
I shrugged. “Sure. You know me.”
“Which is exactly why I said it.” He jogged out to catch up to Mordred.
“Ahem,” the dragon coughed.
“Why are you still here?” I asked.
“The headmistress wants to see you.” His jewel claws clacked on the floor. “This way.”
I could have argued, but I doubt I would have won. So I wrapped the dragon in a blanket and shoved him in the closet.
“Shut that door and you declare war,” he threatened.
“Sorry, but I have other plans. It could be worse. At least I didn’t knock a chunk off your scales.”
He sighed petulantly. “But I don’t like the dark.”
Yeah, I wasn’t too worried. I ran to the lake as fast as I could in the heels. Getting around had gotten easier. With Dorthea’s memories and feelings, I must’ve acquired her useless talent for high-heeled hiking. Well, it wasn’t so useless now.
“What took you so long?” the Lady of the Lake asked. The jellyfish dotted the water, but the lady was still out of sight.
“Complications. I need to leave.”
“Then you have the sword?”
“No,” I said slowly. “Mordred has the sword.”
“Mordred. It makes sense he would find his way to it. But even if he has the sword, I can sense that Excalibur is still sleeping. It hasn’t recognized him as the rightful heir to Camelot. Mordred and I have a great deal of history. Bring him to me and I will procure the sword.”
“Kato is sticking to him like fish breath to the Little Mermaid. Where’s my dad? We know where the sword is now; he can finish the job.”
“No,” the Lady of the Lake said with a ripple of waves. “Robin Hood is still a day away, and I—you don’t have the time. I can feel the evil one growing stronger, and she will soon come out of hiding. You must bring Mordred alone.”
Blanc getting stronger was not good news, but neither was being told that I had to trick Kato into leaving his post. So far, I’d figured that as long as I was keeping the sword away from Blanc, I wasn’t betraying anyone. But actively deceiving Kato crossed a line.