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And if I don’t get back before sundown…

Doubled fucked.

But my intuition isn’t warning me off this trail, and Ididfind my familiar by listening to it earlier. Technically, thisiswhat a magic quest is—listening to that untamable inner voice that leads all witches.

Nero lunges toward the river, nearly capsizing the boat.Again.I grab the sides of the dinghy for balance while the water near us churns. I hear a crunch, and then the panther is backing up, dragging some writhing thing along with him.

What in the…?

Nero turns toward me, and clamped in his jaws is the biggest motherfucking snake I’ve ever seen, its head and neck hanging lifelessly, even while the rest of its body still spasms.

Ho-ly shit.

“Good boy,” I croak.

He gives me a look like he might eat me next if I treat him like a pet again. He pads back to the middle of the boat and flops down, the huge twitching snake tumbling in along with him.

I grimace.

Clearing my throat, I say, “I feel like we need to go over some boat rules. Rule one—”

Nero sinks his teeth into the creature’s belly.

Going to hurl.

“No eating animals on the boat.”

Ignoring me, the panther continues to chomp on the dead snake.

What am I supposed to do if my familiar doesn’t listen to me? Aren’t familiars supposed to give their undivided loyalty to the witch they’re bonded with?

I take a few deep breaths and decide this is not the hill I want to die on today.

“Fine, ignore boat rules, just don’t get any blood on me—”

I feel something warm and wet hit the back of my hand.

I glare at my familiar—who isstillabsorbed in his meal. “Don’t make me turn you into a housecat,” I warn him.

He pauses eating to flash me his fangs.

Guess he doesn’t like the idea of that all that much. “Then behave.”

He stares at me for a moment longer, then goes back to eating his nasty snack.

The blue magic pushes us along, and slowly but surely, we cross the river. Overhead, the rest of the magic hangs above us like a contrail, the line of it disappearing into the trees on the approaching side of the riverbank. I swear it looks denser than it did at the crash site.

I can still feel the power pressing against my back, but it’s begun to creep over my shoulders and around my chest, and a strand of it brushes against my jaw, feeling for all the world like the light stroke of knuckles against my skin.

I think it would be better if I found the touch repulsive, but I…don’t, and that leaves me confused.

Eventually, we reach the riverbank. I wait until the dinghy has nearly beached itself on the shore before hopping out with Nero and dragging the boat as far ashore as I can.

Dusting my hands off, I turn to the dark jungle beyond.

Come to me…

I pause. That phantom voice is so much stronger now.