The book fell limp from my hands. I turned to look at his unmoving form. I’d wiped his limbs down once we returned and reapplied the medicine I’d been given, but still, he did not move. “Anything with magical healing powers in it?” I said, my voice cracking as I squeezed out the words.
“Harry Potter, Dresden Files, though stick to the sections on the fae,” Tess said tossing me a few books, “and don’t worry about the TV show.”
“Dear God, no. OK, I’m going to focus on healing, both for Gabe and for us, in case anyone gets injured. Flea, you good with transport? Dragons are one way, not the only way. Just something to get us out of here. Portals, winged horses, spaceships, magic carpet, even an invisible plane would do.”
“No, it wouldn’t,” Tess said as she flicked rapidly. “It’s lame.”
“We need to be protected; we need to be able to all go at the same time.”
“No one left behind,” Tess said.
“Though something that would waste these motherfuckers would be top of my list,” I said.
“Got it,” Flea said with a nod. “A T-Rex that shoots lasers out of its eyes, packing machine guns and missile launchers.”
“Yeah, I mean, we’d need someone to be manning those guns and–”
Flea’s brown eyes met mine, “I’ve got this, Ash. Now get on with assigning everyone else.”
“Tess, you’re on—”
“Magic, magicians, magical gear. Consider me magic girl.”
“OK, well then, Natty, you’re on physical combat. Any kind of kick-ass skill, be it hand to hand or weapon, we need it.”
“No problems. I know just what we need to take these pricks down. It’ll be the Culling all over again.”
“I still can’t believe you can read those,” I said as he helped himself to a pile of comics.
“Universal language translator, all library books have it. Now. . . .” and he flicked his paw towards my pile of books.
An hour later we were starting to develop a very concise list of books, films and other media that Tess would consume before going to bed. We wanted to flood her brain with as many possibly useful sources to try and activate the curse in a way that would get us out. She would re-read or view the most relevant sections, to prioritise some of the flood of information, just in case it responded to the last thing she read, not just what she’d read in the day. I’d torn up some slips of spare paper we found on the writing desk and we settled down to bookmarking like fiends. We were so deep in it, we all jumped when someone knocked on the door moments later.
“W-T-F?” I hissed at Tess.
“I know you are in there, ladies, so open the bloody door before I kick it in,” came a muffled Mellors.
Natty got up, warily twisting the knob, only for Mellors and several grim-faced officers to burst into the room. He looked down at the mess of books everywhere, brow wrinkling, muzzle curling in disgust. “I won’t bother asking what you are doing, because right now you will cease. You are required in the dining hall.”
“What for?” I said.
“For the evening meal. His Highness is on the mend, no thanks to you, and wishes you present for some reason, so present you will be. Get to your feet.”
“We need to dress, to get cleaned up . . .,” I said.
“You will go as you are, you will be conciliatory and polite, or I’ll carve your heads from your shoulders myself. Have I made myself clear?”
Tess jerked herself to her feet, wiping her hands on her grass-stained dress, “C’mon, let’s just go.”
“Not your men. After the incident today with your man, none will be allowed in the presence of His Highness again. I advocated for the instant slaughter of all there, but His Highness said no. So, ladies, get your bizarrely smooth arses out this door and down into the main dining room right now.”
Everyone was already seated by the time we arrived. Usually the men would rise as we entered the room, but instead, they fixed us with a steely stare. His Highness sat at the far end of the table, looking pale and drawn, his torso swathed in white bandages. He smiled when we entered, gesturing to the only seats empty, those either side of him, but it was more of a slow, sly thing than one of true welcome. Tess sat down, her eyes not moving from her plate whereas mine flicked around the room, wondering what the fuck was going to go down. “So, how did you ladies enjoy the day’s hunting?”
The question hung heavily in the air, both of us looking at each other, trying to work out what to say and who would say it. Finally, Tess sighed, “I was repelled by it. The blood, the screaming . . .” She visibly shook, as if re-experiencing the horror. “I never . . . I never want to go through something like that again.”
“I feel quite the same, at least on the last part,” the prince said, patting his bandages. “Now, as for tomorrow–”
“What’s the point?” Tess snapped. The air in the room went very still, I could almost hear the whistle of twenty different intakes of breath happening simultaneously. “Why consult or confer with us? If I don’t like what you’ve planned, can I refuse to go? Can I do something else? Can I leave? We have to do what you want, or your thug there will rip out our throats with his teeth, so why bother telling us what you have in mind? We are slaves to your pleasure.” Tess’s words were spat like acid, destroying the already frosty mood in the room. I watched her take one long breath, then another, as if fighting to get enough oxygen.