Donna whistled. “You know, I get by fine on my own, but listening to this banter is nice for a change. Come back again soon, yeah?”
Inkiri nodded. “Of course. We’ll be sure to check on you, Donna, and you have Vergis’s number for emergencies.”
The big white dog came over to me, wagging his tail, his tongue lolling out. I scratched that big head and wondered whether bagua kept pets, and if so, what kind. We should probably get a nice pet when we settled down and started our quiet, magic-free life in Esaka.
“Ah, you big fluffy man!” Donna gave Inkiri’s shoulder a friendly pat. “I don’t mean I only need you around in case of emergencies. I mean, drop by again soon with the others so we can all catch up. I’d like to get to know you better too, Rory.”
“I’d like that.” The dog slobbered all over my hand, too enthusiastic about getting my attention. “Yikes. Is it… I mean, you’re safe here on your own?”
She shrugged. “Hasn’t been much of a problem. I keep a hunting rifle just in case, but giving the monsters a wide berth works well enough. It would be harder without the Americans keeping the internet running, I figure.”
I nearly stumbled over my feet with surprise. “Someone’s keeping it running? I thought…” I swallowed. What had I been thinking? Well, mostly that I needed to be careful not to get eaten, that’s what, and being able to send a text was a momentary reprieve. If I was being really honest, I hadn’t been thinking much at all.
Inkiri clicked, pulling me back to the here and now. “I had no idea about the Americans either.”
I huffed. “Well, you’re not from there. Or here. You know what I mean.”
Donna tsked. “Don’t be so gloomy now, you lot. Doesn’t matter who keeps the internet going, just matters that someone does, and it makes things easier. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Yeah.” My throat was tight suddenly, but I pushed the feeling aside. I needed to stay focused on becoming a trophy mate, that was what was important.
“Honeybees, we’re here!”
Kinnek clapped Vergis on the shoulder and tiptoed out of the way to reveal a ko circle that had been drawn with spray paint on a footpath worn bare of most vegetation.
“I walk here, you know.” Donna eyed the ko circle, then reached for the giant dog’s collar to keep him from sniffing the paint.
I jumped when a burlap sack that was leaning against a tree just moved, and yeah, maybe I screamed a little bit too.
Vergis, of course, cackled. “Scared, Princess?”
He picked up the sack, and it moved even more. It gave me a sinking feeling. By now, I knew what it took to make a ko circle work.
“Uh…”
“It’s all right, Sadir. I know you can’t just stop being scared, but you’re no longer alone.”
Kinnek rocked on his feet. “Quite right. You know, Vergis even snared an extra bunny, just to make sure everything went smoothly. He’s so good at the catching and snaring and all that.”
“I prefer using chickens,” Vergis grumbled.
“I heard that,” Donna said.
Vergis rolled his eyes. “Better a chicken in a bag than a chicken wearing a diaper.”
“Heard that too.”
Kinnek put an arm around Vergis’s shoulders. “Muffin, be nice, or I’ll have to tell your father about this. You know he adores the chickens too, so no making fun of Wilson, yes?” Vergis groaned, and Kinnek tightened the arm around his neck. “Yes?”
“Yeah, whatever. Can you let go of me now so I can get the princess home? Who knows when he’ll keel over again?”
Inkiri put a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll catch you if you do.”
With those words, I was in heaven. This was what I wanted, what I needed. Learning to faint on cue would be worth it if Inkiri’s arms were the ones to catch me. Yes, I’d do that instead of fainting after using magic where I had no way of knowing if I’d be caught.
I sighed happily. “Okay.”
“Ugh.” Vergis rolled his eyes.
