“Uh… what’s going on?” I close the door again.
She jumps onto my bed and makes herself comfortable. “I need your help with something.”
“Okay?”
“You noticed my current situation, right?”
I squint. “You’re a cat who can talk.”
“I’mnota cat who can talk. Have you ever seen a familiar who’s verbal in their animal form?”
“I haven’t met that many familiars, to be honest.”
“We can’t usually, but I was cursed many centuries ago. I’m stuck in my animal form, unable to change into human, and the only piece of humanity I retained was my ability to speak.”
“Who cursed you, and why?”
She waves her paw, and it’s such a human thing to do that it’s a little unnerving. “You’re not going to believe me.”
I cross my arms. “Try me.”
“Hecate.”
My brows arch. “Hecate? As in the Greek goddess?”
“That’s the one.”
“Wow. So those gods are real, then.”
“Of course they are. And I was dumb enough to not take them seriously.”
“Why did she curse you?”
Tish licks her paw before answering. “I may have told her a truth she wasn’t ready to accept.”
“Like what?”
“Not important. Can you help unhex me? I’ve tried everything.”
I shake my head. “How can I lift a curse that was put on you by a freaking goddess? I’m not that powerful.”
“Bullshit. I’ve seen what you can do. Nightingales are equals to gods.”
“Not all Nightingales. Only the sovereigns of each land might be as powerful.”
“Aren’t you Queen Maewe’s heir?”
“You don’t understand how our magic works. My mother’s powers come from the land of our kingdom. I don’t have access to that magic. If I did, I’d have been able to open a portal to Ellnesari without resorting to elaborate spells or needing a Nightingale relic.”
“Come on. There’s gotta be something you can do.”
A knock on my door interrupts our convo. “Tish, are you in there?”
“Yes, she’s here.” I open the door for Sophie using my magic. “Come on in.”
“Is she harassing you?” she asks.
“Not at all. She wants my help to undo the curse, but I’m not sure I can.”
