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Unfortunately for Sam, before he could listen to Raindu’s advice and flee the spectral jungle, Wendy—sill invisible—grabbed his arm and tugged him. “This way,” she said, her voice a bit disconcerting since it seemingly came out of midair. “It doesn’t matter which way you go. We’ll make it to our destination as long as we capture one of these dragonflies. Feel free to explore the spectral jungle; even if it’s dangerous, there are some awakeners who come here to make money.”
The sensation on Sam’s arm disappeared as Wendy released him. Sam looked at the ferret standing on his shoulder. “Alright, buddy,” he said. “I’m counting on your combat skills to save us. I trust you.” After all, what else could he do? It wasn’t like he could react to those giant dragonflies zooming in out of nowhere.
The side of Sam’s head stung as Raindu swiped at his ear. The ferret jabbed a claw at him, and Sam furrowed his brow. The ferret told him to never doubt himself so easily, but wasn’t it true? He was just—
Raindu swiped Sam’s ear again, interrupting his thoughts. Wrinkles appeared on Sam’s forehead as his eyebrows scrunched together. His eyes widened. “Are you reading my mind!?” he whispered.
Raindu puffed its chest out, crossed its arms over its chest, and nodded, proud as all heck of its invasion of Sam’s mental privacy. Sam froze, a chill running down his spine as he recalled words Wendy once told him. “Can you read other people’s minds?”
Raindu shook its head.
“Alright,” Sam said and exhaled. Since the ferret was already reading his mind, he might as well try communicating with it through his mind only. Wendy had told him the benefits of keeping his mouth shut after all. Since Raindu could read his mind, couldn’t he read Raindu’s mind?
The ferret looked at him with a stare that said, “Isn’t that what you’ve been doing?”
Brushing sounds caught Sam’s attention, and he turned his head to the side. His eyes widened as he spotted several—thankfully smaller—bugs swarming towards the giant dragonfly’s corpse. There were ants, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, flies, and other insects he couldn’t put a name to. A centipede as thick as his thigh crawled over his foot, and he froze in fear as its legs passed over him one by one before its head turned towards him as if the insect had just realized Sam was covered in delicious—to insects and some population of humanity—and nutritious fluids.
The centipede chomped down on Sam’s shin, and his eyes widened as he flailed his leg and screamed, sprinting away from the dragonfly corpse, not caring about which direction he was going. Pain shot up his leg as the centipede’s venom worked its way into his calf, and he let out a shriek as he stomped down on the centipede’s head. Like a balloon, it burst, but the centipede’s mandibles remained firmly lodged in his leg. Sam didn’t let those pesky sharp things slow him down however, thanks to the power of adrenaline. After escaping what he thought was a reasonable distance away, he came to a halt and placed his hands on his knees, panting for breath as he hunched his body over.
Raindu crawled out of Sam’s shirt, where the ferret had hidden after the swarm of insects showed up, and crawled down to Sam’s leg. A dark expression appeared on Sam’s face as he ripped the mandibles out of his shin, wincing as he did so. “Weren’t you supposed to protect me?”
Raindu chattered as it touched Sam’s calf repeatedly with both its front paws, digging out the centipede venom without damaging the skin or muscles in the way.
“It’s nice you can remove venom from my body,” Sam said, “but why didn’t you protect me? Didn’t you say you were going to?”
Raindu stopped digging and stood on its hindlegs, raising its front paw over its head and spreading them apart. It chattered and flapped its outstretched arms, and Sam’s expression darkened. Sure, the ferret had promised to protect him from giant dragonflies, but it had never mentioned anything about protecting him from anything else. Besides, didn’t he get rid of the centipede just fine on his own?
Sam glanced down at his leg. Queen Annabeth had said Raindu would protect Sam as it had protected her, but why did that not seem to be the case?
Raindu stood akimbo and glared at Sam. It dug venom and other gross things out of Sam’s body to prevent him from getting sick. Didn’t that count as protection? Raindu chattered. Besides, wouldn’t too much protection inevitably harm Sam? All birds had to leave the nest someday; a little bit of pain, suffering, and candy would help Sam grow big and strong.
Sam exhaled and swiped at his clothes, flinging as much gunk off of it as he could. Raindu was right. Sam might’ve summoned the creature with his talent, but he couldn’t rely on his talent for everything. From what he had experienced so far, there was more to an awakener than just their talent. He had always wanted the strength to stand up for himself, and now that he was given the chance to obtain it, was he going to hide behind a ferret and blame it for his own inadequacies?
Faint crashing sounds drew Sam’s attention, and Raindu climbed onto Sam’s body, making its way to his shoulder. The drone of the insects swarming their way to the dragonfly corpse was quite loud; for them to hear the crashing in the distance, the sounds must’ve been tremendous. Raindu chattered, and Sam’s eyes widened as he dropped to the ground, curling up into a ball. According to a ferret, a giant dragonfly was approaching, and this posture was the only way for him to save himself.
The crashing grew louder until it sounded like peals of thunder. Sam wondered why he hadn’t heard the first giant dragonfly approaching since they were so goddamn noisy. From his position on the ground, he rolled over and angled himself to get a better look at the sky. His eyes widened as he saw dozens of dragonflies approaching from the gap within the canopy. The webs covering the branches were numerous, but if all those approaching dragonflies dove down here, there was no way the webs would hold them all back. Why were there so many!? Maybe they were there to seek revenge for their fallen fellow dragonfly? Honestly, Sam didn’t care why they were there; the important thing was whether or not Raindu could protect him.
Raindu gulped as it stared at the approaching dragonflies, the bugs growing larger with every passing second. The furry creature exhaled upon seeing the dragonflies’ flight paths curve towards the region where the previous giant dragonfly had been slain. With all the insects coming out to feast on its corpse, the other dragonflies had a buffet of various bugs to sate themselves. However, one of the dragonflies spotted Raindu and Sam, the insect veering off from the group, flying directly at the ferret and balled-up human.
Sam’s eyes widened, and he forced himself to stare at the approaching apex predator despite every cell in his body screaming at him to close his eyes and cover himself with a blanket—one he didn’t have. As the giant dragonfly’s face came closer and closer, its red, compound eyes grew larger and larger in Sam’s vision. Sam gulped as Raindu dropped onto all fours and tensed its legs. The ferret growled and leapt off of Sam’s body. It scampered up a tree, weaved its way through the webs hanging from the leaves and branches, and intercepted the giant dragonfly in midair, pressing its front paws against the insect’s left mandible.
Sam’s eyes lit up, but they dimmed the next instant as Raindu was buffeted away by the wind generated by the giant dragonfly, the ferret disappearing from Sam’s view. The insect ignored Raindu and continued flying towards Sam like a bull charging a red cape. Sam screamed and leapt forward, sprinting like a wild animal escaping a forest fire. He didn’t get very far before the dragonfly came crashing into the ground, shaking the earth and creating a crater where he had been seconds ago. The shockwave knocked Sam off his feet, sending him flying through the air. For some reason, it felt like he was flying for an abnormally long amount of time as if someone was holding his waist. His brow furrowed and the ground accelerated towards his face, an electric sensation hitting his brain when his nose struck the moist jungle floor.
Sam yelped and pushed himself off the ground, bits of mold and green stuff clinging to the sticky goop on his clothes as he did. He looked behind himself at the giant dragonfly. It wasn’t moving. Clearly, something had happened to it. What kind of apex predator flew into the ground and broke its own neck while hunting prey?
Pattering sounds entered Sam’s ears as Raindu made its way back from wherever it had been flung. There were a few cobwebs stuck to its body as if it were a poorly decorated mummy. The black ferret stood on its hindlegs and puffed its chest out while retrieving a purple sphere from its fur. The sphere wasn’t perfect: it was dimpled and squishy.
“What’s it saying?” Wendy asked, her voice appearing out of nowhere, causing Sam to flinch.
Sam looked around before giving up on locating the invisible woman. “Raindu said he defeated the giant dragonfly by stealing its heart,” Sam said, glancing at the giant dragonfly within the crater. Its head was barely attached, the impact having shattered its neck—if bugs even had necks, Sam wasn’t sure.
Raindu tossed the purple sphere to the side and climbed up Sam’s clothes before kicking the grime and mold off his shoulder to make a semi-clean space for its furry butt to sit. Before the purple sphere could hit the ground, it floated in the air before vanishing.
“Raindu can remove the organs of living creatures simply by touching them?” Wendy asked.
Sam turned to look at Raindu. The ferret crossed its front legs over its chest. Sam turned towards the direction Wendy’s voice had come from. “Of course. Everything in the world belongs to him, even organs.”
“I guess your talent isn’t S-minus for no reason,” Wendy said, materializing beside Sam, a little offset from where he was looking. She glanced at the crater. “Raindu’s not very good at the protecting part though. If you were even just a little bit slower, you would’ve turned into a meat paste.”
The ferret turned its head to the side as Sam turned to look at it, the ferret ignoring Wendy’s comment while looking up at the sky. It pointed with its front paw before gesturing.
“You’re right,” Sam said. “Let’s get the heck out of here.” If insects were attracted to the death of a giant dragonfly, then even more insects would be attracted to the deaths of two giant dragonflies. He didn’t know how the hungry insects knew—maybe it was the smell—and he didn’t care either. Sam turned away from the crater, took a step forward, and was immediately stopped by Wendy, who grabbed his arm.
“Rather than escaping, why don’t you test Raindu’s ability to defeat a swarm of insects?” she asked.
The ferret’s head rapidly shook back and forth. It chattered and stamped its hindlegs while gesturing towards the incoming insects in the distance while snarling.
“He doesn’t like touching bugs,” Sam said. “They’re gross.”
“I see.” Wendy nodded. “I was under the assumption ferrets ate bugs, but you must’ve spoiled him with too many pieces of candy.”
Sam’s expression darkened at the words said by the woman who kept candy in her pocket. Then, his stomach growled. The last time he ate was before they set out to the train station. He was used to going hungry, but he wasn’t used to running for his life from giant insects; the action must’ve taken up a lot of his energy reserves.
“There’s plenty of protein right there,” Wendy said, pointing at the dead dragonfly. “Cut out a slab of it and have Raindu store it in his magical fur. We can cook it like steak later.”
Raindu made a face.
“Aren’t you supposed to protect me?” Sam asked. “Imagine how much harder it’ll be to keep me safe if I don’t have the energy to run by myself.”
Raindu stared at Sam, and Sam winced. “Yes,” he said. “I’m going to eat bugs. If Wendy says they can be made into steaks, then that’s what I’ll eat.”
Raindu chattered, communicating its intentions with Sam. If Sam didn’t eat the dragonfly meat it was going to store, the ferret wasn’t going to hold things for Sam ever again. Sam’s face cramped as he reluctantly agreed to the ferret’s demand, and Raindu jumped off his shoulder before touching the dragonfly corpse, causing it to vanish. Sam’s eyes bulged as the ferret ran back towards him and made its way up his shoulder.
“She said to cut out a chunk of it,” Sam said to the ferret. “I only agreed to eat a small portion.”
Raindu closed its mahogany eyes and looked away from Sam while crossing its front legs over its chest. Its body twitched as it harrumphed, and it slightly opened one eye to make sure Sam was still watching it.
Wendy stared at Raindu and Sam. She narrowed her eyes and brought her hand up to her chin, causing Sam to turn towards her. He frowned at her expression. “What are you thinking about doing to me now?” Sam asked.
“Nothing,” Wendy said and blinked. “You make it sound like I only cause terrible things to happen to you.” She shook her head. “I was just wondering who was the actual individual I needed to negotiate with to get things done. I’m starting to think Raindu is the boss, and you’re just his underling.”
Raindu nodded its furry head while Sam pursed his lips. It was true. Compared to him, Raindu was so much more amazing: the ferret could steal safely guarded possessions; it could disable or kill things by touching them, and it could store what seemed like an endless amount of stuff in some unknown space. Sam turned towards Wendy. “You said Raindu was an impressive weapon, right?” he asked. “What could the queen, err, Her Majesty do with it?”
“She could manifest a domain,” Wendy said, her expression softening. “In that region, she was the monarch; she could control everything within, turning grass into swords, turning her opponents into straw, shifting the positions of objects at will.”
Sam swallowed. How was someone supposed to defeat an ability like that? “Can she still do it?”
Wendy brought her finger up to her lips. “That’s need-to-know information.”
“My curiosity needs to know,” Sam said with a half-smile on his face. “It’ll suffer without it.”
“Then suffer,” Wendy said and shrugged. She looked at Raindu and held a metallic object out towards the ferret. “Can you put this inside a giant dragonfly’s brain?”
Raindu grabbed the object before blinking. It held up its paw and spread its five toes outwards.
“Five pieces of candy?” Wendy asked, raising an eyebrow.
Raindu shook its furry head.
Wendy blinked and leaned forward. “Fifty?” she asked. “Are you serious? You’ll get diabetes.”
Raindu harrumphed and chattered before poking Sam’s cheek. Sam cleared his throat. “He said he’s not stupid enough to eat it all at once.”
“It’s a matter of impulse control, not intelligence,” Wendy said, “but fine. When we return to Monarch, I’ll get you fifty pieces of candy.”
Raindu shook its head before crossing its front legs, tucking the metallic object underneath its leg pit.
“He’s still upset you broke your deal,” Sam said. He elaborated upon seeing Wendy’s blank expression. “On the train, when you tricked him out of three lollipops.”
“How petty,” Wendy said, looking Raindu in the eyes. “Fine, I’ll give you fifty-four pieces of candy when we return to Monarch, an extra piece as interest.”
Raindu turned his head to the side and closed his eyes before sticking out its front paw. Wendy turned to look at Sam. “He wants to be paid upfront,” Sam said. “He doesn’t trust you.” The droning of insects seemed to grow louder, and a shiver ran down Sam’s spine. “Can we move someplace else?”
“With those bug guts on you, I think insects will come after you wherever you go,” Wendy said.
Well, gee, Sam wondered whose fault that was but didn’t say anything out loud to the culprit. He nodded at Wendy. “But still,” he said. “You can go invisible, but I can’t, and Raindu already said he was only going to protect me giant dragonflies—not the other bugs. There are holes in my shoulder and shin, and I’d rather be anywhere but here.”
“Fine,” Wendy said. She pointed at the metallic object still in Raindu’s possession. “That’s the controlling device Raindu took from the grayling back on the train. If he puts it inside one of the giant dragonflies, we’ll be able to control it and fly to our destination.” The disguised woman faded from view, but her voice continued to ring through the jungle. “I’ll let you freely explore without interfering, but I’ll be nearby.”
Raindu stored the metallic object away before sitting back on Sam’s shoulder. After a second, the ferret swiped at Sam’s cheek. What was he waiting for? The only thing that’d happen from waiting around was encountering more swarming insects. Sam raised his legs and stomped his way through the jungle floor, the terrain slippery with moss and mold. His vision was blurry, either from the loss of blood or from the cobwebs blocking out the sun. As he walked, he thought at the ferret. If they wanted to get out of the spectral jungle, then Raindu needed to stick the controlling device into a giant dragonfly.
Raindu stared at Sam. But what about the candy?
Sam’s expression darkened. The ferret would already benefit if it put the device into the dragonfly; after all, by doing that, they’d get the heck out of the jungle. Why did the little creature want even more?
Raindu let out a whining sound. If Sam was a better owner, would Raindu have to work so hard to scrape together a meal for itself? It was only trying to secure the candy because it couldn’t count on Sam to feed it!
Sam pursed his lips. He had always found it difficult to feed himself, but now he had a second mouth to feed? Well, he was an awakener now, so food shouldn’t be an issue once he started getting paid. …He would be getting paid, right? If he read the contract, maybe he would’ve known. “Wendy, are you there?” Sam asked.
“Yes,” Wendy said, her voice seemingly coming from all directions.
“Do I get a salary or something from Monarch?” Sam asked.
“No, you’re more like an independent contractor,” Wendy said. “You accomplish missions for us, and we pay you in contribution points. You can exchange those points for money if that’s what you desire.”
Sam frowned. “How many points am I going to get for completing this mission?” he asked as he plodded along. “And how many treats for Raindu can I buy with those points?”
“Five hundred million,” Wendy said. “With—”
“Five hundred million!?” Sam couldn’t stop himself from interrupting Wendy. “Wait. What’s the points-to-credits exchange ratio?”
“I was just getting to that,” Wendy said. Despite her body being invisible and her tone staying the same, Sam could tell she was annoyed. Her vibe had gotten a little chillier. “It’s a one-to-one ratio. With your reward, you’ll be able to buy enough bags of ferret food to last several centuries and the warehouses to store them in with plenty of credits to spare.”
Sam swallowed and turned to look at Raindu. “You heard that, right, buddy?” he asked. “All we have to do is accomplish this one mission, then we’re practically set for life. Isn’t that worth trying for?”
Raindu tilted its head before stomping its foot, causing Sam to wince. Raindu was hungry now. What did it care about some vague future? If it didn’t have candy to eat soon, it wouldn’t live long enough—in the ferret’s opinion—to enjoy a warehouse full of treats later!
Sam sighed and looked around before remembering he couldn’t see Wendy, so he spoke directly in front of himself as he walked. “How about I purchase fifty pieces of candy from you on credit?” Sam asked. “Once we accomplish the mission, you can deduct double the candy’s worth from my reward and keep it for yourself.”
“Do you think I’m a vending machine?” Wendy asked. This time, the annoyance was audible in her voice too. “Why would I carry that much candy around?”
Sam fell silent. After walking for a bit, he asked, “Can you telepathically call the driver to pick up a few bags of candy for us? We can wait outside the jungle.”
“Are you going to compensate me for my blood loss?” Wendy asked.
Sam blinked. “Yeah, sure,” he said. Once he completed the mission, he was going to be a very rich man. He could afford to be generous. “Once the mission is complete, I’ll take you to the best hospital out there. Maybe they’ll figure out how to cure your, err, recurring injury.”
Wendy snorted. “You do realize the best hospital is within Monarch, right?” she asked. “They’re already doing what they can for me.”
“Well,” Sam said as he took a large step on top of a fallen log. “I’m sure they’ll do more if I offer them a huge donation.” Sam looked around and frowned. The path ahead was steep, and he really didn’t want to go that way. “Do we have a deal? I don’t want to go any deeper into the jungle than I have to if we’re going to turn back.”
Since Wendy was invisible, Sam couldn’t tell if she was ignoring him or thinking about her response. When he was about to take another step forward, Wendy spoke. “I contacted the driver. Let’s go back.”
Sam exhaled and sat down, his body crumpling as he relaxed. “Can I ask for one more favor?”
“What?”
“Can you carry me back?” Sam’s already-blurry vision became blurrier, and a hint of an orange had appeared too. “I think I’m going to faint.” He didn’t have time to hear Wendy’s response before his head pitched forward, his vision turning black.