Gwyneth folds her arms and huffs. “Of course. Once Malice disappeared, he seemed more than amenable.”
The rabbit shudders. “Do not speak her name.”
“Why? Does speaking it summon her?”
The rabbit shakes his head as he looks around the room and freezes his gaze on the mirror. As if summoned, Eron’s face appears. “Oh, fair Deborah, you are well I see, and—” He squints at me and blushes. “Very well.”
What does that mean? “I am,” I agree.
“The dark hole is ready for your penetration,” he declares.
Hart chuckles as he joins us, along with Theo and Malachi. All of them have changed and freshened up.
Malachi swings a thumb over his shoulder. “There’s a fresh set of clothing for you on the bed.”
The rabbit glances at his pocket watch and frowns. “We must hurry.”
Eron rolls his eyes. “Don’t mind him. He’s got an obsession with time. The dark hole will still be waiting for you to thrust your bodies into after you change.”
I shake my head, a smile lifting my lips. “I’ll be five tempos. Don’t leave without me.”
My back leans against the closed door and I close my eyes for a tempo.
Our adventure into a new realm to find the Grimm brothers weighs on me for reasons I don’t understand. I’ve never been a foreseer. If I were, I would surely have avoided at least half of the chaos I create in the realm.
But there’s a tightening in my chest that tells me we are about to embark on a quest that will alter everything we believe. Whether that’s for the better remains to be seen.
I shake off the ominous thought and grasp the new plum-colored dress and matching lacy underwear. Now that I may find myself naked or semi naked with the knights, it’s important to look my best under my clothing.
After a quick shower, one without any of Malice’s theatrics, I dress and return to the gang and the increasingly anxious rabbit.
Malachi sweeps his gaze down my body like he’s imagining how I look wearing only what I have on underneath this dress.
“Are we ready?” Gwyneth checks as she pulls a satchel over her head. What has she deemed important enough to be in that small pack?
Everyone nods and murmurs their agreement and then we are dashing through the palace hallways. Unsuspecting folks plaster themselves against the walls to avoid being trampled on.That’s right. Be scared. Be very, very scared.I trip, and Hart catches my arm, saving my face from the harsh floor.
I grin at him as Sir Sweeps-A-Lot brushes against my legs to check I’m okay. “Thank you.”
“Less outer monologue about everyone fearing you. You aren’t built to multitask, Calamity.”
I huff, but can’t find it in me to disagree.
The rabbit leads us to the dark underbelly of the palace. Genie mutters about spiders, but manages to stay present.
The rabbit pauses at a junction. He lifts his watch and tilts his head. “Yes, this way. We can catch it if we are quick.” He doesn’t give us a moment to question his words. I glance over my shoulder. Are those footsteps following us?
The rabbit bursts into a small room. A small black hole opens in the floor, wide enough for a person to fall down. We crowd around the edges of the room and stare at the opening. The rabbit waves his hand. “Come now.”
I bite my lip and catch the gaze of everyone in our group. Nash folds his arms and glares at it.
“What’s down there?” he demands.
The rabbit huffs. “No time to explain. If you don’t jump now, it will move.” He leaps into the hole and disappears.
If it’s good enough for him, it can’t be that bad, right?
“Surely the heaviest should jump first,” Theo says as he takes a step forward. “They would fall faster, yes?”
