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When she gripped the weapon, a strange male voice rumbled in her head. The disembodied tone was loud and rough and made her pass out. When she came to, she was introduced to the spirit bound in the crossbow.
The voice explained he’d been cursed and jailed in the weapon by a jealous witch countless millennia ago. When Jelena asked him his name, he hesitated before telling her he didn’t want to say, since that was how the witch trapped him in the bow. Besides, he scoffed, she couldn’t pronounce it even if he did.
Fine. She dubbed him Breath of Death, or BoD, and called him that ever since.
She rubbed her eyes. No time to reminisce about how she met her friends. She had something way more important to do. Like helping free the wondrous, stupendous, glorious Sychar. Saving him was the only thing that mattered.
Breezing through the entrance to her private chambers, she exhaled a sigh. The pinching tension between her shoulders had given her a headache. Now was the hard part—talking BoD into doing something he probably wouldn’t like and sure as hell didn’t want to do.
Giving Shther a finger stroke over his snout, she threw her shoulders back.
Her pet gripped her with a light snap of his claws.
“I’m home!” The announcement was unnecessary since BoD sensed everything and everyone around him.
Hey, did you download the new Tschami mix you promised me? BoD replied on the mental path he’d created when they first met.
She couldn’t help the sigh. He’d become obsessed with the Earth type of music called Electro or “EDM”. The heavy drums along with a “funky” sound drove her nuts. “No, I haven’t yet. I promise I’ll get it done as soon as I can.”
Over the years, he’d saved her life and sanity more times than she could count. Regretting that he’d been buried for so long, any time he showed an interest in anything, she indulged him whenever she could. Especially since he was the one who led her to her foster parents living in the cave system. He was always there for her, and she could count on him.
Goddess willing, he’d support what she asked him next.
“Um, BoD. Do you have a minute? I have a problem that I need your help with.” She unlatched him from the hook on the wall that held his cocking stirrup. She sat on the bed with him on her lap and scooted to rest her back against the wall.
The small room she lived in boasted a double bed, a small table where her computer tablet charged, and colorful, thick rugs on the rocky floor. Her other prized possession was the multi-functional food processor she dubbed The Chef. BoD had guided her to this alien artifact that made food.
The thing looked more like a box printer than a food maker. It came complete with multicolored metal canisters that piped and extruded hot and cool ingredients, somehow creating mouthwatering dishes that tasted like they came from scratch.
Cradling the crossbow, she told BoD what the others said about her joining their mission. While she spoke aloud, BoD spoke back mentally.
“What do you think?” She held her breath. “Can we go to Azadi and find someone who wants to help free Sychar as much as we do?”
If a disembodied blue light captured in a deadly crossbow could snort, BoD did. No. But I’m so desperate to get out of this room, I’m willing to try anything. And it’s been ages since you took me to the city. How am I supposed to keep up on things if you don’t take me out of here once in a while?
Jelena smiled and stroked the side limb of the crossbow.
BoD purred in response.
“Oh, you big baby. We were in the city last week.”
Yeah, but you didn’t let me out so I could snoop. You know I’ll have to zoom around to see what I can find. You okay with that?
Her chin lifted. She hated the thought of letting his tiny blue light travel around the diligent citizens of Azadi. Every time he was let loose, it terrified her somebody would notice and snatch him from her. Even her mentors weren’t aware BoD was a disembodied spirit of intellect. But what choice did she have? She needed him to sense a likely candidate for her. “Only if you promise to be careful and not stay in one place too long.”
No need to remind me. I know what I’m doing.
Well, hell. He might know what he was doing, but it didn’t mean he should take unnecessary risks. It’d only take one mistake for him to be snatched from her. And then where would she be?
BoD was good as his word. He dimmed the teal light at the tip of the arrow and zoomed as a disembodied spirit toward the compact city of Azadi.
Jelena bit her lip to keep from nagging about his time limit.
He knew he had to return to his crossbow within a couple of clicks or face the prospect he’d fade away.
Watching the flickering light of her friend whiz into the heart of the city, she attached the empty crossbow to the harness on her back.
Shther remained perched on her shoulder and flicked a soft, forked tongue on her cheek for comfort.
