“Is it only because I’m a frog though? You don’t like humans much. But you do seem to like animals.”
“That’s because animals are innocent creatures driven by instinct. Humans are capable of complex thought and make the clear decision to be cruel.” I gestured to Narcissa. “Cats just eat small creatures when they’re hungry. Their hunting instinct kicks in.”
“I am a very complex thinker,” Narcissa protested. “I made a very purposeful decision to chew up those horrid orchids you brought inside.”
I frowned. “Oh, Narcissa. That is cruel.”
“But it’s only my nature. Just like breaking every single coffee mug you leave on the counter. It’s very entertaining to watch them fall and shatter.”
I put a hand to my face. Narcissa was trying to get a reaction out of me, but it wouldn’t work. While a cat’s actions could seem cruel, it mostly stemmed from boredom, curiosity, or asserting themselves. Narcissa just liked to assert herself more than others. The brat.
“So happy to keep you entertained,” I said tightly.
“Also, those orchids smelled dreadful,” Narcissa continued, sitting primly, tail swishing behind her. “You humanoids have such dull senses of smell that you couldn’t discern it. I was saving the shop from being positively overrun by the stench.”
“Then you have my eternal gratitude.”
“I thought they smelled nice,” Therese said, unsure.
“Now, can we please have breakfast?” Narcissa pleaded with wide eyes. “The odor of unborn chickens has been teasing me for a long while now.” She paused. “That was why I was drawn to that girl, you know. The whole room smelled of food. It’s your fault for remaining unconscious for so long.”
I rolled my eyes, quickly getting dressed before leaving the room. Narcissa didn’t wait for me. She slipped out between my feet and sprinted downstairs. I clucked my tongue and retrieved Therese before heading to the kitchen in the feline’s wake.
Lexi had an apron on, flour smeared across her forehead. She placed a plate of scones onto the counter. She grinned when I strode in and immediately set a plate of sausages on the floor, which Narcissa made a beeline for. “You’re all sleeping in today,” Lexi commented, wiping her hands. She gestured back at Freya, who was wolfing down toast dripping with eggs. “Except for your new friend. She’s eaten enough for all of you.”
Freya paused in her chewing as she noticed us watching her. She swallowed, then set down her toast, thumping her chest. “It’s been a long while since I’ve been able to choose what I eat. Under Ambrosia’s thrall, I was rarely given more than gruel or raw meat.”
I wrinkled my nose. “That must have been awful. But what about when she slept? Weren’t you free of her influence then? Or were you locked up?”
Freya sighed. “As soon as she fell asleep, I was locked in place until she awoke. I learned quickly to get comfortable for the night when she lay down.”
“Did she do that to you?” Lexi asked, gesturing to Freya’s extra arms.
“No. After the War of the Covens, I was missing many parts of myself, but I could not die because of the rune I branded myself with. My vital organs would grow back no matter what. Believe it or not, the humans can work their own type of magic. They observe the natural world, create theories, and perform experiments. I am the result of such an experiment. Their prayer magic is powerful when it activates their spells. Whether the words for those prayers come to them in dreams from God or not, I don’t know. The dead language I use to create my runes comes from somewhere. Perhaps the same place. That doesn’t mean it’s any less powerful because I don’t know its exact origins.”
“I suppose even Neanderthals figured out how to create fire,” I muttered. Then I remembered that Auggie was one such human. “Doesn’t the Council frown upon alchemy?”
Freya set down her fork. “Oh, very much so.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “And … ?”
“And the Council wasn’t moving fast enough to help me, so I turned to another source.”
“That seems like a conflict of interest.”
“Perhaps if I was on the Council, but I am not. And missing most of your face makes you lose sight of … obligation.”
Lexi’s face turned thoughtful. “Well, your body seems alive to me, even if it wasn’t all originally a part of you. That’s despite the green coloring. Ambrosia’s powers must be able to tap into anything that has once been dead.”
“She can control vampires as well,” Freya acknowledged.
I scooped some eggs onto a plate and helped myself to some toast. “So, if Ambrosia was able to control the dead across her whole territory with the runes in place, why did she bother to come out with you at all? She got much closer to battle than she needed to.”
“Because she needed me to venture out of her territory to surprise the carriage. She had to be within a half kilometer, so she provided the initial distraction to stop the coach.”
“Ah, yes. Lucky for you, she did.”
Freya inclined her head in agreement.
