Eleven
Emmy
Panteras were like nothing I’d ever experienced before. I could almost feel the wealth of knowledge contained amongst them. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if they knew everything. Literally every single thing there was to know about both worlds.
I need it …I needed the information.
Cyrus’s hand tightened minutely on my forearm, and I tilted my head back to see him. He wore a lazy grin, looking far more relaxed than I’d seen in a long time.
“Which one are you going to start with?” he asked me.
I didn’t bother to play dumb, I never liked that game. “That one,” I said, inclining my head just enough so that he knew which pantera I referred to. I didn’t know if it was a male or female, but it was beautiful. Like Willa’s pantera, only its coat was black. Black as the darkest night sky. It was shiny as well, like velvet draped across a powerful body.
One kick could kill me, that much was clear. Or … the old me anyway. Gods were a little harder to knock off.
“Sparrow,” Cyrus murmured, almost sounding pleased. “He’s an elder. One of the oldest pantera that I know of.”
Knowledge.That was basically what he was saying. Old equalled experience.
“That’s the one,” I decided.
And I guess that I don’t get a say in this decision?
The voice filtered through my head, and for a beat I was too frozen to register what had happened. It was only because I’d heard a pantera just before, when we first arrived, that I knew who was speaking.
Apologies,I started, unsure if I’d been unnecessarily rude or not.I didn’t realise you could hear our conversation. I would very much like to speak with you.
There was a brush of something across my body, sending trills down it. It felt like power, like the sort of power Cyrus wielded, only a hundred times stronger.
You crave knowledge,Sparrow stated.Beware of learning more than your mind can handle.
Willa had said they were cryptic, something that frustrated her to no end. Me, on the other hand? I absolutely loved riddles. I found myself stepping closer. Cyrus remained at my side and it felt nice to have him there. Most of my life I’d had Willa, but she always needed a lot of help with … everything. She was strong in her own way. Strength of character being the top of that list, but she was often in trouble that I had to save her from. I had to be the mature, capable part of our duo. It felt, in this circumstance, that I could rely on Cyrus to help me. I could relinquish some of my control.
As I moved closer, the panteras shifted away from Sparrow, leaving a space around him for me to step into. Cyrus remained a little behind. Close enough to help if needed, but not crowding me.
Hello, Fertility,Sparrow greeted me politely.
“You can tell?” I blurted out loud. The mind-talking thing was a little too weird for me.
If a pantera’s snout could grin, I felt like this pantera might be doing just that.
I can tell. But you are not here to talk to me about your gift. You seek other knowledge.
The tone of his voice was so deep and rich, it sent trills down my spine every time he spoke in my head.
“The servers,” I started, “there’s something wrong with them. They’re violent. Uncontrollable. I’m worried about what this might mean.”
Sparrow lifted his head and I turned to find him locking eyes with Cyrus. I wondered if they were talking to each other.
Cyrus gave a single nod of his head. “I feel no loss of control,” he finally said out loud. “My power is as it always was.”
What were they talking about? I took a step closer to Cyrus, and his entire attention fixed on me.
“Your power?” I asked.
The colour of his eyes deepened. “I am born of the energy of Topia. If others born of the same energy are starting to be affected, then it stands to reason that …”
“You might start wielding axes and making groaning noises too,” I finished for him, dread sinking into me as I swung to Sparrow. “Is that possible? Can Cyrus be corrupted like the others?”
