The Cheshire cat disappeared and reappeared again, only to swipe at one of the tentacles, once again drawing blood. He pulled that move again and again, until the kraken was bleeding from an uncountable number of cuts.
While the cat was clever and had made great progress, I still couldn’t see how he would win. The kraken was simply too big, too powerful.
Just when I was beginning to wonder what he’d do next, the cat reappeared right in front of me. “Your dagger, please.”
I pulled it out. “Isn’t this . . . cheating? Don’t you have to kill her?”
“Trust me. It’s not your fault the Red Queen chose a beast of a creature, and not something with intellect. I need something that will cut deeper, and with a little extra power.” He gestured to the dagger. “Imbue it with aether. As long asyoudon’t wield the dagger, we’re within the rules of the Trial by Aether.”
Alrighty then. I would take his word for it.
A ball of aether formed in my palms, and like I’d done with the cat, I forced it into the dagger.
As soon as the blade glowed bright with aether, the cat snapped it up, disappeared, and appeared once again in front of the roaring creature.
Blood pounded in my ears as the monster swiped one of her many arms, narrowly missing the cat.
I shot a glance at my aunt. All of her previous surety was gone as she watched the events of this challenge unfolding.
The cat was a machine, appearing and reappearing seemingly every time I blinked. He stabbed the aether-filled dagger into the kraken over and over and over. He was doing his best, and yet the kraken was inching forward, smearing her blood along the sand, and filling the air with a metallic scent.
I have to help.
I visualized the illustration of the beast in my mind’s eye. The area between her front two arms was underdeveloped, soft, so that the creature might swim with little hindrance. So that it could be fast, limber, and effective in strikes. And just on the underbelly of that spot was the creature’s heart.
“Cat!” I screamed.
The Cheshire cat stopped its stabbings and glanced my way.
I bent down on the sand and began sketching the diagram. “Over here!”
The cat was at my side a second later, studying the drawing.
I pointed. “This is where her heart is located. Stab her there with the aether blade, and she’ll die.”
The cat glanced back at the kraken. “I’ve damaged many so of her tentacles that she’s barely lifting off the ground. Only enough to inch forward. Accessing that area will be an issue.”
I followed his gaze and saw what he meant. The beast was leaning forward, using her body weight to move, just as much as her many arms.
“We need her to try to turn—sharply. That will lift her front off the sand, and you can gain access. I’ll help. I’ll distract her, draw her attention away.”
The cat hummed, considering my plan. “Itcouldwork.”
“Right now, I’d say it’s our best shot.”
“I believe you’re probably right.”
“Then let’s not waste another moment.”
Without so much as a reply, the cat disappeared, and, pushing back my rising panic, I followed his lead and sprinted for the kraken.
Chapter 31
My arms pumped as the toes of my boots dug into the sand. The kraken’s arms swung at me, and I darted out of the way just in time for the suckers to miss me and slam into the ground. Water sprinkled my body, and clumps of sand pelted my legs as the ground shook.
Well, shit. This is going to be a real doozy.
Somewhere behind me, the crowd jeered, and a few rebels screamed my name.
