Page 42 of Beyond the Winter Kingdom
“Bedtime tea?” Vareck repeated.
“There’s no sun here, just a moon and a half, so I’m guessing three days. They bring us bedtime tea and tuck me in.”
“They bring her tea. I won’t drink it,” Damon corrected.
“You rearranged the seating. Bold move,” came a familiar voice, dry and unmistakably feline.
I turned, and my stomach dipped.
“Corvo?” I breathed. “How are you here?”
Vareck’s shoulders tensed beside me. “Of course it’s you.”
Sadie blinked, glancing between us and the sleek, smoky-black and silver feline who appeared on the ‘throne’ Sadie had vacated. The pastel creatures began fanning him without hesitation, one going so far as to attempt hand-feeding him some sort of sparkly fruit.
Sadie eyed him warily. “Who are you?”
Damon straightened. “Oh great. The talking cat is here. We’re saved.” There was no mistaking the equally dry quality in his voice.
Corvo’s tail flicked in annoyance, presumably at Damon’s tone.
“That’s Corvo,” I murmured. “He’s ... it’s complicated.”
“I’m right here, Meera,” Corvo said, sniffing the offered fruit in disgust and turning away to show his asshole to the dejected pastel teddy bear. “Vareck’s right, you know. ‘Complicated’ doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
I rubbed my temples. “Corvo, seriously. What are you doing here?”
“Checking in.” Corvo sighed like we were all disturbing him. “This was my realm. Back when I was a demon. God. Demongod. You get me? Before the cat thing.”
“Wait, wait ...” I stared at him, holding my hands out in a pause gesture. “So all that weird stuff you said before about being a god was actually true?”
“Yes, Meera,” he said dryly. “I occasionally tell the truth. Usually when it’s inconvenient.”
Sadie looked from me to the cat. “Okay, you’re going to need to explain that.”
“I’d love to,” Corvo said, watching the little bear creatures toddle up to Sadie with a platter and goblet. They chittered and made a motion of tapping their mouths with their paws. “But you’ve got a more pressing issue.”
“Which is?” Sadie asked, taking the wine and a piece of sweet bread before patting the bear on its head in thanks. They gestured the same to Damon and he took a piece of shiny fruit.
“They’re fattening you up so they can eat you.”
The words dropped like a stone in water.
“Come again?” Sadie spluttered. As her drink slipped from her fingers, Damon caught it, then smiled big at the tiny hell bears.
“They’re not worshiping you,” Corvo clarified, curling his tail around his paws. “They’re seasoning you.”
Vareck swore. “You want to maybe lead with that next time?”
“Can you command them to like,noteat us maybe?” I asked, scrubbing my hands down my face.
“They don’t listen to me anymore. I’m a cat, remember?”
“You said this was your realm,” Damon growled. “Can’t you control them?”
“I used to,” Corvo replied. “Then the whole getting-cursed-into-an-adorable-form thing happened, and my loyal minions turned me into their house pet.”
“Lovely,” I muttered. “What now?”
