Wicked Hungry

“But how can we get out of here?” asks Connor.

“With this,” I whisper, holding up the small golden key.

“A key?” Connor says. “But what does it open?”

From behind the door there are voices again. Coming back this way.

Karen grabs my hand. “Try to do what we did before, Stanley. Quickly.”

We close our eyes as her cold hand squeezes mine, flooding me with pain and pleasure. But I ride the wave of blood red rose and focus on a door leading out of here. On a door back toward home. Focus on the stairway and then, finally, on a symbol: a circle with an eye in the middle.

When I open my eyes, the door is back. My hand reaches forward and opens it. I jump through, Karen right behind me, but there are shouts behind us. We set down Meredith and Carolina on the stone floor and turn back to look through the doorway.

Inside the chamber there is a tremendous noise, and the door crashes open. Two Seelie warriors in black armor burst into the room, looking around wildly. Nevin is close behind them.

Nye has drawn his blade. The sleeping queen is still draped over one shoulder.

“Come on!” I shout, but Karen moves. Leaving Carolina on the floor, she jumps back into the room, a red blur knocking over Nevin, then pulls my companions back toward the door.

Gilroy, dressed all in blue, leaps into the room. That’s when he sees his son and screams.

But I’m distracted. Because over the stench of Zach’s blood, not far off, I can smell something familiar. Max. He’s close by, but afraid to come closer, I think. I’ve got to get him, but how?

Connor fights with both arms, a blade in each hand, back to back with Nye. Nye, the unconscious queen on one shoulder, holds off the Seelie with his other arm.

“Zacharias is down!” comes a shout. “To the queen!”

Suddenly I feel a familiar touch. In my mind. A voice, which replaces the stench of drying blood with sweet burning sage, and other voices, raised in chant. My mother.

Call Max, Stanley. We’ll help, but call him to you now!

“Max!” I hiss, and feel myself reaching out to him, some unknown part of me, untapped energy, and energy from far away, all trying to make a connection. And we connect, but maybe it’s too late.

Two more knights enter the room bearing crossbows.

“Stop, Neiran,” Gilroy shouts, as behind him something streaks toward the door. “Let go of my mother, or we’ll shoot.”

“Ah,” says Nye. “Wouldn’t that be convenient? First you drug your queen, then you shoot her.”

A crossbow bolt flies through the air and hits home, but Karen has stuck out her uninjured arm and grabbed hold of Nye. She pulls him back toward the door, dragging the queen with him. Then I grab her and we jump back in, just as a small gray streak races through the room, dodging feet and legs and arms.

At the last moment, a stinking ball of fur hurls itself into my waiting arms.

And we smash the door shut.

Chapter 39: SLEEPING BEAUTIES

Meredith lies sleeping on the stone by my feet, but I only have eyes for the warm ball of fur in my arms. Tucked against my chest, Max licks my hand, his tongue rough and welcome.

Nye bends over the body of the Seelie queen. “She sleeps still,” he says. “And she is uninjured.”

“But you yourself are hurt,” says Connor.

“Just a bolt in the shoulder,” says Nye, through gritted teeth.

“And if it’s poisoned?” Connor asks.

“Then I’ll die,” says Nye. “As you well know, all things come to an end.” He turns to look at me. “Will you pull it out?”