24. Tempi

CHAPTER 24

TEMPI

W e fall for what feels like hours this time, but realistically, it has to be barely any time at all. We break free of the blackhole and plummet. I don't even have time to curse before we're dropped into ice cold water. It closes over my head so quickly, I barely have a chance to suck in air before I go under. I kick my feet, hard, hoping I'm pointing in the right direction. After a few seconds, I break the surface and cough up water, kicking to stay afloat. Midas appears a second later. Unlike me, he isn't coughing. Somehow, he didn't lose any of his gold in the fall, not even the crown. How that thing stays on his head through everything is beyond me.

Before, the seas weren't exactly calm, but today, they're stormy. Above us, lightning streaks across the sky and lights the world up. The thunder rumbles so loud I can hear it over the crashing waves. I don't know where we're at in this world, but I know we have to look for something to get up on quickly. I don't have any desire to meet the monster again.

"Tempest—" Midas begins.

"We have to get out of the water," I cry, realizing that it's going to take too much energy to stay afloat in these stormy seas. "As quickly as possible."

Midas eyes me, those golden eyes somehow more electric beneath the lightning. "Why? What waits for us?"

"I don't know what it is," I shout, so I'm heard over the thunder. "But it's some sort of giant sea creature. I've been here before."

In the distance, somewhere deep below us, I hear a gentle voice start to sing. A woman, singing the sweetest lullaby.

Midas frowns. "Where is that coming from?"

I scowl at the sky. "I'm going to assume those are sirens of some sort, because of course, there're fucking sirens here," I snarl. "We have to get out of the water, Midas. Now!"

He nods and spins, looking around us. I do the same and blink when lights appear in the distance. They're not that far actually.

"There!" I cry. "It looks like?—"

"A city," Midas interrupts. "It looks like a city. Come on."

Together, we begin to swim toward what looks like a city on the water. Both of us fight against the waves, trying our best to stay afloat. Every so often, the city disappears as the waves crest our heads, but it continues to reappear, so I consider that a good sign. At some point, I have to kick my boots off so I can swim better. I pause only long enough to tie the laces together and loop them around my neck. Something tells me I'm going to need those later, once we get out of this water world.

"The singing is so beautiful," Midas groans as he swims.

"That's the point," I grunt at him loudly. "It's to lure you into the water so they can drown you."

Midas blinks at me, aghast. "It's suddenly less beautiful."

I nod. " Sí . Now swim faster."

The floating city is closer than we assume. We manage to make it to the edges of it before anything grabs us from below and drags us under. The moment we're out of the water, the singing stops, as if only being in the water meant we could hear it. I breathe a sigh of relief as Midas shoves me up onto the wooden deck before climbing up himself. Both of us just lie on the wooden planks for a few minutes to catch our breath and gather our bearings.

On cue, the sky opens up and it begins to rain.

You know, it almost feels nice after being in the saltwater for so long.

"We should find somewhere we can get out of the rain," Midas says. "I bet there's a tavern somewhere on this floating city where we can get some whiskey and a warm meal."

"A warm meal sounds amazing," I rasp.

When was the last time I'd eaten? Fuck, I don't even remember. My stomach has been grumbling for days it feels like. We just haven't had time to stop and eat nor have we even found something to eat.

Midas climbs to his feet and offers his hand to me. I take it without hesitation, letting him pull me up. I don't bother putting my boots back on yet. I'd rather be barefoot than walk in squishy boots.

We rush through the rain, checking doorways. It takes only a few attempts to find what looks like a tavern of some sort and the two of us both stumble inside, eager for some kind of warm food. We're miserable and wet as we step inside, and we're dripping all over the floor. I wince, hoping that it won't be a problem. But the moment we push through the door and step inside, the cacophony of sounds inside falls into silence completely.

I wince and glance up at the room full of rough looking men. "Uh. . . we were hoping for a warm meal."

Someone stands up in the back and my eyes widen.

"Tempi!" he declares with a grin.

"Puss!" I answer, relieved. "You're okay!"

His grin widens. "Of course, I'm okay. I have nine lives, remember?"

I'm reminded again that Puss isn't as human as I once thought he was. His large cat ears stand proudly on his head. His eyes are slit like a cat's, and they expand as both Midas and I grow closer. He focuses on Midas, lingers, before dancing back to me. His tail swishes back and forth behind him.

"You know this cat?" Midas whispers as the sounds in the room pick up again.

"Yes," I nod, stepping around boisterous drunk men to make our way to Puss' table.

"You trust him?" Midas asks.

I glance up at him. "I barely trust you, and even that is debatable."

He nods. "Noted."

Whatever decision I helped him come to, he wipes any emotion of it from his face. He wears a stoic mask now, his eyes on Puss and flickering around the room. His large hand splays on my lower back to lead me to the back table, and for some reason I don't mind. His presence keeps all the other men away. It's like having scary guard dog privileges.

"You didn't make it out?" I say as soon as we reach the table.

"I didn't," Puss says, and his eyes tighten. "Some of us don't have magic that attracts merges to us." He glances at Midas again. "You replaced me already?"

"Not on purpose," I say, feeling the tension between us. "You know I didn't leave you here on purpose, right?"

"Of course!" Puss says with a grin, but something about it feels as much a mask as Midas wears. "You can't control the magic. It's no big deal. No harm done. I'm doing great. In fact, I even have a ship now."

"You do?" I glance around the room, noticing that though the conversations continued, everyone's eyes are on Midas and me. I suddenly realize we're at the furthest table from the door. If we need to leave, we'll have to get through everyone else to get out.

"I do," he answers. "It's a bit of a piece of shit, but it came with a crew, so who can complain, right?"

"Sure," I murmur.

Puss pats his side of the table. "Have a seat, Tempi."

I hesitate and instead sit on the opposite side of the table. Midas sits next to me. Puss notices the decision, but he doesn't comment on it. Instead, his eyes dance between the two of us, taking in all the details.

"So tell me about your adventures," Puss says. He leans forward and threads his fingers together on top of the table. "Any new worlds?"

"So many," I say. "I'm pretty tired of whatever this magic is honestly."

He hums. "Of course the one with some of the most powerful magic doesn't want it." He tilts his head. "You know, I waited in your world for fifteen years, waiting for a way to get back home." He gestures to the tavern around us. "I still haven't made it, but at least here, no one thinks I'm a raving conspiracy theorist."

I watch him carefully, noting how the tips of his fingers are deadly sharp now. "You seem mad, Puss. I thought we were cool enough with each other that you could tell me what you're thinking?"

My words are measured, calculated. I'm not afraid of this man, but I have to be careful. I may not be afraid, but that doesn't mean it's wise not to be. I have my grandmother's bloodline, but I don't know what that means. I don't know what I'm capable of, if I'm capable of anything at all. If Puss decides to slit my throat with those wicked claws, I'm not sure there's much I can do about it.

"Mad? No," Puss says with a smile. "Disappointed? Sure. I'd rather not be a cat trapped in a world full of water, you know?" He studies me. "I also know you can't control your power. Have you even figured out what you are yet?"

I shake my head. "You have as much of an idea as I do, unfortunately."

"Pity," he says.

One of the men at the next table to our right turns so that we're in his full view. There's a knife in his hand that he stabs into the wood of the table. He looks like what I'd imagine a pirate would look like, a bit rugged, a bit tattered, and simple tattoos along his skin. He's even wearing an eye patch. Another, to my left, stands and leans against his table. The tension in the room suddenly skyrockets.

Beside me, Midas remains silent. I know he sees the same things I do. He's far more perceptive than I've given him credit for before.

I look at the men moving around the room, closing in, and sigh. "Stop wasting time pretending to care, Puss. Just get on with it."

"Get on with what?" he asks innocently.

"Look. We just wanted a hot meal," I growl. "If you're mad that I left you here, then so be it. But there's nothing I can do about that, and whatever it is you're planning won't help the matter either." I look pointedly at the men closest to our table.

Puss grins and takes a drink from his mug. I'm surprised to see a little bit of milk on his lip when he sets it back down before he wipes it away. I assumed he was drinking liquor.

"Sorry, Tempi," he says, still grinning as he slides the mug away. "I like you. I really do, despite you dropping me here and leaving." His eyes dance over to Midas beside me. "But your friend here, he's wearing a lot of gold. And here, gold is a dangerous thing to possess." His tail flicks back and forth behind him. His ears twitch and turn, as if he's listening more closely to what's going on. He scraps his claws along the top of the table, leaving little trails behind, all while his slitted eyes remain on me.

Pinche gato . Now I know why I've always been a dog person.