Alejandra didn’t know where Hraktar got the deer. One minute she was getting ready for the day, then she walked out and saw them surrounding a fire as Hraktar spun the deer on a length of wood to cook it evenly. It was mid-morning, but still hot. She shook her head, smiling. All they were missing was Grizzizzik.

A nagging feeling told her something else was missing, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She stayed inside, watching them interact. Ezekiel and Clarissa were distracted with each other. Hraktar and Milo took care of cooking the deer. Alejandra got herself a snack, staying in the air-conditioned home.

The dull thuds of Hraktar’s foot falls announced his presence inside. Alejandra smiled as she turned. “Everything alright out there?”

Hraktar nodded. “It’s getting hot.”

“Probably doesn’t help to be by a fire,” Alejandra said.

Hraktar chuckled. “No, it most likely does not.”

“Do you need any salt?”

The fighter opened a cupboard. “We have enough. I’m here to get a drink.”

The sliding glass door opened again, and Milo slipped in. “Hey, Hraktar. I’ve been meaning to talk to you alone.”

“Oh.” Hraktar glanced at Alejandra.

She rubbed her arm. “Do you need me to go?”

“Oh, no. I mean… your creator ought to know this, too,” Milo said. Hraktar drained his glass. Milo’s face fell as he reached behind him. “So, I don’t know what’s going to happen on this trip. It might go well, but…”

Hraktar placed the cup on the counter, frowning. “But you also like to prepare for the worst?”

The mana fusor nodded. “I do.” He pulled out his void bag and set it on the ground. “I’ve been creating this since I first heard about Ezekiel’s lycanthropy, and I finally finished. If anything were to happen to me or Clarissa on the mission, it’s best if you have this.”

With a struggle, Milo grabbed a weapon with both hands, trying to pull it out of the bag. Hraktar almost went to help him when he froze. “Is that…” He didn’t finish. Alejandra knew exactly what that was. The duel blade of an axe appeared as Milo struggled with its weight. Hraktar backed away from the weapon. There was a distinct silver sheen to the double blade, and every muscle in Hraktar’s body stiffened. “I… don’t use great axes.”

Alejandra understood the hesitation. Milo must have saved one weapon from when they slaughtered some of the orcs in Hraktar’s tribe. He stared at the great axe, terrified it would come alive and leap at his throat. A great sword had a bit more sophistication in Hraktar’s eyes. Sophistication in that it wasn’t a great axe or a javelin, the primary weapons of his tribe.

“Look, my friend, I’m sorry again that we slaughtered some of your tribe,” Milo said. “But your great sword cannot hurt Ezekiel if he—”

“Stop.” Hraktar looked away, blinking. “I will not kill Ezekiel.”

“You wouldn’t. You’d be killing a wererat.”

Hraktar let out a shuddering breath. Some people were ridiculously optimistic that Ezekiel wouldn’t become a wererat. Grizzizzik lead the pessimists of the group. Milo seemed in the middle. He clearly had hope, but made this in secret. Just in case something went wrong. “You couldn’t do anything during the fight with the demon rats, and we can’t have that again. And if worse comes to worst, if Princess Clarissa and I die out there and Ezekiel changes, I need to know you and Grizzizzik will have a way to—”

“Stop.” The word wrestled its way out of Hraktar’s throat. “Don’t, Milo. You’ll get back safe.”

The mana fusor didn’t move, watching Hraktar’s face. “And if we don’t?”

“Ezekiel has become like a brother to me. I can’t kill him. Using a great axe, of all things. I won’t. I refuse.”

Alejandra winced. This was hurting Hraktar, to where he showed legit fear. Milo sighed, glancing at the great axe partially out of the void bag. It was as far as Milo could drag it out. “I’ll leave it in Alejandra’s room, tucked out of sight. If I return, I will happily collect it and we can pretend this conversation never happened. But if I don’t return, or if Ezekiel doesn’t get all the items he needs for the cleansing ritual…” Milo trailed off as Hraktar stared at him. “I don’t want to put any unintended pressure on you, my friend. But… we need everyone’s help, no matter the outcome. That means we need our fighter to actually fight.”

Hraktar tore his gaze from Milo to the great axe on the ground. He used both hands to massage his head as he stared at the weapon commonly used by his tribe. They forbid him from using one, and as time went on, he never wanted to. Milo rubbed his upper arm. “Did I… was this a mistake? Using a great axe?”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Hraktar shook his head. “It’s memories. That’s all. I can still use one. It’s more the idea of…” Hraktar’s eyes wandered over to the sliding back door, where Ezekiel sat next to Clarissa.

The idea of being responsible for killing Ezekiel’s family, and possibly Ezekiel himself.

A lump appeared in Alejandra’s throat as Hraktar blinked over and over again to keep tears from forming.

“No one wants to hurt him,” Milo said. “But if we have to—”

“You’re just… being prepared,” Hraktar finished, again glancing at the great axe. “Aren’t you?”

Milo nodded. “That’s all it is. I truly wish you never have to use it, but if you do, it’s better to have it.”

“I won’t touch it unless it’s necessary. You move it into her room.” Hraktar turned and walked away.

Milo nodded, stuffing the great axe back in the void bag. Alejandra pushed herself off the counter to help. “You can put it under my bed.”

Milo nodded as they maneuvered it back into the bag. They walked down the hall before Alejandra opened her door and stepped aside. “Is he going to be okay with this?” Milo asked, struggling to grab the great axe again.

“Hraktar will do what he must to protect his friends. I doubt anyone wants this to happen, but it’s good to be prepared.”

Milo grunted as he pulled the great axe out of the void bag. “Those were my thoughts, too.” He carefully slid the great axe under her bed, and she was happy it couldn’t cut the carpet. “Will this put him in a funk?”

“I don’t think so.” Alejandra glanced down the hall, but couldn’t see the others. “Unless he kills Ezekiel the wererat. He might not recover from that.”

Milo straightened, a sad look on his face. “I doubt any of us could.”

He moved out of her room and down the hall. Alejandra glanced under her bed at the sliver great axe. When she really thought about it, they could prepare as much as they could, but it was all up to chance.

***

Derek and Evelyn finished a grand rendition of One Day More from the Les Misérables musical. They had stopped at Wilcox, Arizona, to stock up on stacks and were a good three and a half hours into their road trip. They’d barely touched his showtunes playlist. Singing One Day More always felt like a workout on its own. He was happy to pass on “Think of Me” from Phantom of the Opera to instead have a conversation.

“Evelyn! Why aren’t you in choir?” Derek asked.

She smiled, shaking her head. “It’s different singing in a large group of people.”

“Well, I mean, I’m honored, but seriously, girl. You’ve got some sick pipes. Singing in a large group is almost better, since no one can hear you.”

Evelyn chuckled as she opened her water bottle. “Stop it. Your voice is gorgeous. You’re trying out for the school musical, right?”

“Have to. It’s part of my grade.” Derek glanced in his rearview mirror to make sure he was clear to pass a car going way too slow.

“You’d be an incredible beast,” Evelyn said.

He scrunched up his nose. “No, thank you.”

She glanced at him, eyebrows raised. “Don’t all the drama kids want the lead role of a play?”

“Absolutely they do. We’re all quite the narcissistic bunch. Drama just helps us channel it in a semi-healthy way.” Derek eased into the other lane. “But, you know, this is Beauty and the Beast. It’s not for men. It’s for women. The women will claw for the role of Belle. She’s the actual star of the show. And everyone knows it’ll be Emma.”

“Oh. You mean your ex? Or… sort of ex?”

“Yeah. My sort of ex.” He grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds. “No way I’m playing the beast in that show. It’d be too awkward.”

Evelyn snorted. “Actually, you know what? Don’t be beast. You’d absolutely kill it as Gaston.”

The idea entered his mind and did not let go. “Gaston, huh?”

“I could see you playing the over-the-top villain well.”

Derek chuckled, but it got his mind whirling. Tryouts for the musical were always at the beginning of December. Mr. Jensen had such expectations that people would study their lines and the music over the incredibly long Christmas break. Evelyn was right. Of the two options, he’d much rather go with Gaston. Everyone knew Emma would get the part of Belle, and he wanted to stay as far away from her as possible. But maybe it’d be more fun playing the misogynist who was in love with himself.

He needed to finish Clue first. Once he finished being the cool, collected butler, he could move on to the next play.

“Why don’t you try out for Beauty and the Beast?” Derek asked.

She checked herself in the phone camera. “Oh, I can’t. I’ll still be in cheer and doing competitions.”

Derek sighed. “It’s such a pity.”

“Not really. I can’t act that well. Dancing is what I do,” Evelyn said.

“And CCNC.”

She shrugged. “And CCNC.”

“And convincing your other cheerleading friends to join CCNC club.” Derek wiggled his eyebrows.

Evelyn snorted, giving his shoulder a shove. “I’ll admit Hazel, Brandi, and Annie are starting to like it, though they still can’t attend CCNC club.”

“Because of cheer?” Derek asked.

“Because of cheer.”

He groaned. “I will literally move a mountain if I can get cheerleaders to attend CCNC club.”

Evelyn laughed. “I’m almost afraid to invite them. Then you’ll realize cheerleaders are nothing more than mortal women. Not some goddesses you see them as. You’ll be disappointed.”

“I am still willing to move a mountain to bring the goddess to my level and greet her as a mortal,” Derek said.

She shook her head, smiling. “Actually, you know what? It might be better for you to realize cheerleaders are people, too.”

Derek doubted he could ever see that, but another song came on. Only Seasons of Love could break him out of the conversation. He waited, ever so patiently, to see how much of a theater nerd Evelyn was as they listened to the opening tune. Evelyn then turned to Derek right at the lyrics.

“‘Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes!’” They both sang to each other. “‘Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear!’”

Derek was ready to commit to this. It was, after all, Seasons of Love. But in the space between Evelyn and Derek, a blue, reptilian head rose, chittering at them.

They both screamed. With a control he did not possess, he slowed down enough to pull off the side of the road. There was no sound but the song that kept on playing, and Evelyn and Derek panting, staring wide eyed through the windshield. They didn’t crash. That was all Derek focused on. He was almost scared of turning his head. Scared of the undeniable truth that Quetzal had snuck into their car.

The drake climbed into the front, then sniffed the volume button on the radio. Evelyn and Derek were both still breathing deeply, letting him do it.

“Our plan gets a wrench thrown into it already,” Derek muttered.

She sighed, then opened her contact list on her phone. “I’ll call… Alejandra.”

He nodded, then hit the emergency lights on his car.