Screw the guard. I’m ready to throw away the key myself.Talking to rats…
But my new friend doesn’t seem to care how mad I look. Long tail twitching, he scampers over to the table, climbs up the wooden leg, and nudges the key until it clatters to the floor.
I hide my gasp behind my hands. There’s no way this is actually working.
Jumping from the table, he picks the ring up with his mouth and hurries over to my cell.
I snatch the key up the moment it’s within reach. “Thank you, thank you!” I squeal at him. “Here.” I slide the rest of the cheese towards his tiny hands. “Enjoy, and if you ever want more, come and find me in Lord Tauren’s castle.”
I don’t waste a second to slide the key into the lock and hurry into the torch-lit hallway. I vaguely remember the way out. My cell is deep underground, but there should be a staircase somewhere nearby. I remember tripping down it while being dragged through the palace.
As I reach a turn in the walls, I hold my breath, listening for guards. I only hear the patter of dozens of tiny feet as my new rat friend hurries up behind me, followed by not one but several more rats. Cheese crumbs cover their tiny mouths.
“You brought friends.” I grin. I look like some kind of crazed rat witch with the army of rodents around my feet. More seem to be joining us every second. I don’t have time to marvel at it, though. “Is it safe for me?” I ask the pack. “Can you check?”
A few of the larger rats tread hesitantly out past the corner, before breaking into a relaxed run. When the squeaking herd follows, so do I. Relief whooshes out of me when I find the hallway empty.
“Go rats!” I laugh. Perhaps I should bring a few home to Tauren. Though I can’t imagine he’d appreciate rats scurrying about our bedchamber, bringing me my hairbrush or whatever else I need. I chuckle at the thought.
We’re just reaching the end of the dank hallway when a conversation carries down the walls.
“I’m not lying. I saw a rat run off with it. Why would I steal only the cheese from your sandwich? I tried to stop him, but the greedy beast was too fast.”
My chest seizes. Clearly hearing it too, my rat army dives through the bars of the nearest cell. But I can’t fit through, and the door is locked!
“Help me!” I squeak at them, but it’s pointless. They’re rats. All they do is stare until two sets of footsteps echo down the hallway.
“You there! Halt!”
I whip around to see two guards sprinting towards me, one holding a rather sorry-looking empty sandwich, and the other with a huge sword pointed right at my chest.
“No! Please!” I shout. My eyes screw shut. I stumble backwards.
But instead of a sword plunging through my chest or being grabbed by the two burly men, I hear their footsteps stop as one of them lets out an odd squeaking sound.
Breath ragged, I open my eyes.
There are two slices of bread on the floor, along with a growing puddle of blood. The man with the sword coughs as more blood flies out of him. He drops his weapon, crumbling to the floor.
It’s then I notice another figure standing behind him. Long wavy red hair. Violet eyes. A dainty lilac corset that looks absolutely divine beneath her black cloak.
“Ami,” I cry out, reaching for my sister. I’m either dreaming or dead. Very dead.
“Dahlia.” She beams, diving to the floor to hug me.
I don’t notice the other guard until it’s too late. My sister has her arms around me, too busy burying her face in my shoulder to see him charging towards us. “No! Don’t hurt her! Help us, please?—
Rats fly out of the cell, all moving as one like a giant, horse-sized beast. They swarm over the man, squeaking and chattering while he’s forced backwards onto the floor. His screams are muffled by their fur.
Ami yelps, jumping out of our hug. We both watch in horror as the guard is dragged down the corridor by my rat army. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’m not sure I ever want to see it again. But knowing I just did that feels too damn good, I can’t help but laugh.
I’ll take that over Blossom’s ‘magic’ any day.
“What just happened?” Ami stammers.
“I made some new friends down here.” I grin, helping her stand.
“Was that your gift?” she gasps, before pulling a face. “Your gift israts?”
