Seduction (Curse of the Gods #3)(27)

When I was at her side—braced for a kick to the gut, because that’s what I would have done if someone was trying to put a stinky dead body over me—I finally noticed the collar around her neck, standing out starkly against her white. It was a thin piece of wire, silver and slightly barbed, twirling and twisting around. I could see old scars where she had clearly rubbed against it, along with a few fresh marks.

“What the hell?” I murmured under my breath. The pantera turned and faced me, intelligent eyes locking onto me.

I waited for a voice in my head, but none came.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, leaning forward and draping the heavy weight across her. She was still staring at me with eyes far too wise. “Why are you helping these guardians?” I murmured, as I adjusted the ropes. I had to take a few sneaky peeks at how the guardians around me were securing their corpses, but I eventually figured out what I was doing.

The pantera started making a low humming sound, from deep in its throat.

“You can’t talk to me with that collar on, can you?” I let my hand brush just over the top of her throat, not quite touching it, as a terrible thought struck me. “You’re a prisoner?”

The Abcurses had spoken with such reverence about the panteras, as though they were old and magical, and should be respected above all others—and yet here they were, collared and stripped of their voices. I was really starting to hate the fucking gods.

As my anger rose up in a blinding force, I felt the dizziness creep across my mind.

No, not now. I don’t have time for you now.

I tried everything I possessed to shut it down, even reaching up and clutching my stone necklace which had not been removed, thankfully. But nothing was stopping Chaos when it was ready, and apparently it had something to say.

I came back to myself at the sound of a shout; my eyes snapped open as I was awkwardly crouched behind a pantera, my legs aching only a little, which meant that I must not have been there for long. As my head cleared further, I realised that the pantera before me was the black and white one I had been placing the body on.

She adjusted her position as I moved, like she was protecting me from sight. I straightened from my crouched position, shook off the dust, and tried to get my bearings. When I felt more stable, I peered around my new friend.

Chaos had struck again.

The main building was on fire: it was clearly a specialty of mine. I was trying to figure out what else I had done when I noticed a glint on the ground. I quickly dropped back down to examine the object, and then shot back to my feet to examine the pantera’s neck, because the collar looked exactly like the collar that I had seen just before blacking out again.

The pantera’s neck was now bare—the collar having been flung carelessly into the dirt, and I could see how the two ends joined. There was a small clip that could be flicked across to release the contraption.

You saved me.

I jumped at the voice, before my head darted widely around.

My name is Lucille.

Common sense returned, and I realised that it was the pantera, finally able to speak with me. If you want me to take you to freedom, you need to get on my back. I can take you to Topia.

My heart sprang in a hopeful way. Thank you, I tried to project back. But shouldn’t we free your friends too?

Lucille just shook her head, pawing a hoof through the dirt, stirring up dust. You have done all you can, now it is time to find freedom.

I was figuring out how my Chaos worked. Sometimes it was for me, sometimes against me. But it seemed that in a roundabout way, it was almost always working in my best interests. The building being on fire was a distraction for the guardians, during which I had managed to unlock the collar. Without it killing me.

I’d been afraid to touch it earlier, but Chaos apparently didn’t have the same worry.

“I know you have no idea who I am, but I have some powerful friends. I’m not allowed to make promises on their behalf anymore, but just know … I will do everything in my power to save the rest of your kind.” My whisper was made against her side, as I got into position to pull myself up.

The body was gone from her back. The harness was still there, but no body. I didn’t even want to think about what Chaos Willa had done with her—no doubt it involved a tight space and squishy body parts. Luckily, this one had already been dead, because it didn’t seem to matter to Chaos. Dead or alive, if it could squish, it could fit.

Being as gentle as I could, I lifted my leg and hooked my foot into one of the side ropes, using it as leverage to clumsily sprawl across Lucille’s back. Thankfully, I didn’t kick her wings. They stood out in strong, wide fans on either side of her back, and were patterned in black and white to match her pinto colouring. No doubt she wouldn’t appreciate me crushing those feathers.

The fire was just starting to die down when I finally got seated on the back of my second ever pantera transport. Hold on, was my only warning before her wings beat against the ground, and her powerful legs launched us upward.

Wind gushed around us, forming giant clouds of red dirt. I heard shouts, but couldn’t see anything. I imagined that the guardians were scurrying around like shweeds, prepared to bring the panteras back into line.

“Good luck with that, assholes!” I called out, not even bothering to contain my gloating, even though it would have been the smarter move … just in case Lucille had a flight malfunction and sent me crashing back to the ground.