"So, how do you want to do this?" I asked, deferring to Cove's supposed expertise. My feet tingled beneath my legs, and I shifted my weight, letting blood return.
Cove shrugged. "This is a rocky situation. If your suspicions are correct, then we need to get into that cave." Absently, he started chewing his lips as he thought, ripping the dried skin off. "I can't teleport somewhere I've never been, and you're not powerful enough to teleport both of us. Or strong enough to teleport and deal with the fragment yourself. "
It was a statement of fact, but it still stung a little. I'd spent forever realizing that being smart was better than physically strong, only to now face challenges that were best solved with brute force.
"I could use Ani?"
Cove took a few minutes to consider it before tossing the option out. "Would you know how much magic to take?"
"No," I freely admitted. It reflected his bad planning more than my abilities, so I felt no shame.
"Exactly."
"Any bright ideas?"
"If I remember correctly, there is an entrance underneath the Mayor's mansion, and the cavern complex connects somewhere in the city. "
"Do you remember where?" I shot back.
Cove tugged on his ear. "No."
"Wonderful. You sure we can't head back home for a bit, fact-check with the novel, and come back later?" I asked the question like it was a joke, but I was quite serious.
"We can't leave without the fragment." He repeated again.
It was like talking to a brick wall at this point. "Do you have any idea where the entrance is?"
Cove blinked. "I think it was somewhere near the mall?"
Wonderful. "And what do you want to do about the Mayor and Mattie?"
Cove looked confused at my question. "What do you mean 'do about?'"
His confusion was confusing. "We've already changed events from the original novel. The Mayor is probably going to make some of his moves early. Couldn't that wreck our plans?"
Cove was dismissive of my concerns. "They had mentioned travelers from the outside a few times in the novel. I don't see why we're any different."
Something about his dismissal clicked in my brain, and all my previous perceptions started crumbling before my eyes. "Wait. What's the longest you've spent in a world?"
"Max?" he tilted his head as he considered. "Maybe a day?"
My previous assumptions about Cove and his experience were now but a pile of ashes. "I spent a few weeks in Heirs. From what I've seen, things change very quickly."
"Regardless, we shouldn't interfere with this world's story. They'll figure it out. We're only here for the fragment." He raised an eyebrow. "Besides, I don't know what you'd want to do? We can't follow the original novel on our own."
"I suppose," I agreed, unable to think of a logical argument or even what we should do. Discomfort rose in my chest, and I squashed it down. This had nothing to do with my promise to Sky and everything to do with stopping Ava.
Cove stood up, brushing what dirt he could off his jeans. Some mud stuck to the back of his pants, smearing over Cove's hands. He looked at them with disgust and rubbed the mud off elsewhere on his pants.
I stood as well, pulling the blanket out from underneath Ani and stuffing it back into the packed backpack. Ani tumbled into the grass with an irritated meow, disappearing only to reappear on my shoulders, his claws digging into my skin. I jerked back, only making the pain worse as pinpricks skidded across my skin.
"Ani!" I dropped the backpack, reaching at my shoulder for him. He stepped over my reaching hand, sliding further off my shoulder. As my efforts to knock him off were only making things worse, I gave up. Proud of himself, he nuzzled at my cheek, and I turned away, annoyed. His tail curled contently around my neck as he draped himself like a sack of potatoes over my shoulders.
Ranch, meanwhile, was a good cat, waiting patiently at Cove's feet, her eyes staring judgementally in our direction.
"Do you want help with him?" Cove asked hesitantly.
"Yes, please," I said, flinching as the movement caused Ani to slip a little.
Cove walked around my side, reaching up to gently grab under Ani's armpits. He lifted Ani carefully, pushing him forward so Ani's claws would unhook themselves.
Ani's tail flicked with annoyance, and he vanished to appear by Ranch's side. He bumped against her, cozying up. She ran to Cove, clearly done with his antics for the day.
Cove laughed and picked Ranch up. "His Anitics too much for you?" He joked. She pressed her face into his neck, hugging him with her paws.
Cove gave her a few pats on the back, looking like a dad burping his baby, before looking back at me. "Think you can manage to teleport back to where we hid in the city?"
"Yeah," I said, replacing my backpack in its rightful spot. I snapped my fingers at Ani, and he trotted over obediently, going limp as I picked him up. His face stayed focused on Ranch, and he looked from me to her to me again before climbing up in my arms to mimic her posture. It allowed me to hold him easier, so I let him, dropping my spare hand.
"I'll see you there!" he said cheerfully, giving me a salute before vanishing.
I took a deep breath in and closed my eyes, picturing the crumbling walls and concrete floor. Finding the thread connecting to it I tugged, pulling myself down the web with a torrent of fire through my veins. When the heat died down, I opened my eyes to a dark room lit by the sunlight streaming through a partially collapsed roof.
A shadow moved past one of the lights. "This way, I think," Cove said, exiting our hiding area. I followed his shadow, reaching my spare hand to cover my adjusting eyes as they were struck with blinding sunlight. The colors snapped back into focus quickly, and I whipped around, looking for the robots. Seeing none, I hastened my step until I was walking half a step behind Cove.
We scoured the city for signs of the tunnel entrance, returning to the long-empty sewers we'd escaped through with Mattie. Cove explained the opening was there, somewhere. We decided to split up, map the tunnels out on our phones, and meet back at the stream outside in a few hours.
Inside the tunnels, the dripping of fresh water and the sounds of scurrying animals made me jumpy, and Ani wasn't much help. He decided it was funny to watch me jump and took to ambushing me at various dark intersections. At least I had a flashlight, though. Cove had to use physical magic to adjust his eyes.
A draft of heavy, most air struck me, and I shivered. I glanced at the water by my feet, contemplating the effort it would take to dig my jacket out of the bag and if it was worth the risk of spilling everything. In the end, I decided it was, in fact, worth it and wasted a few minutes tossing another jacket on. Much warmer now, I continued forth, peering anxiously around every corner for Ani and mapping the layout onto my phone as best I could.
By the time I had to turn back, I was hoping that Cove had better luck than I was because I saw no signs of that tunnel.
Something rustled the water behind me, and I turned, expecting to find Ani out to get me again. Instead, my flashlight landed on the horrifying red eyes.