THE ROSE BOOK // A NOVEL

CHAPTER 19.3

"Honey slumped to the floor."

Behind her, she could hear the sound of Dai's boots colliding with stone as he steadily came closer and closer. Beyond that, if she truly strained herself, she swore she heard the rumbling collisions between the two celestial blades. But most of all, Honey heard the sound of her own heart, pounding, eroding away her chest.

They'd come so far and yet... it was all for not. This wasn't how things were meant to go. This wasn't the ending that Honey wanted. She was supposed to find the Rose Book and go back home, back to her brother. This... this adventure was supposed to leave her feeling whole and happy. It was supposed to be the thing that weighed down her soul so she'd be content growing old by the sea.

She was supposed to make friends - timeless friends - who might visit on occasion when they had time to spare between saving the world. She was supposed to host dinner and listen to them bicker - another timeless thing about them. The Rose Book was supposed to be here. It was supposed to be here and be the reward for all their efforts.

"Come on Honey," Dai said, his voice low but steady. He seemed to be calm. Collected. Not even phased by this sequence of events.

Why would he be? Dai had been the one to bring up the possibility of the Rose Book not even being here in the first place. He was always the most realistic of the trio - though that realism bordered on pessimism. It left a bitter taste on Honey's tongue. She should have thought about it more. She should have braced herself better. After all, why should a book stay still for a thousand years?

Especially when their enemy had the ability to duck in and out of shadows at will.

Their... enemy.

Honey's head shot up. "The Dark Master," she said. "The Dark Master has the Rose Book! He must!"

For a moment, Dai faltered. From the expression he was making alone... Honey knew what he was thinking. "Honey," he said, with the same slow, delicateness one would use to explain to a toddler why they couldn't have another sweet. "If the Dark Master has the Rose Book - and that's a big if - there's no way he'd ever let us get our hands on it."

"Well- well you'll just have to beat him!" Honey said. "You're- you're strong Dai. And the Dark Master goes easy on you since you're his..." She swallowed. "Anyway, between you and Lukas, you might win."

"Or all three of us could die," Dai said, his eyes flashing. "We should run. Now while we have the chance."

"And leave Lukas to die?" Honey asked. "And leave the world to rot?"

Dai shrugged.

It was such a careless action, an action that Honey could only expect from someone who has lived a thousand lifetimes. Someone like a-

"You're acting like a god," Honey snapped.

Despite all of the time they'd spent together, despite all of the fights Honey had seen Dai get into, both verbal and physical, there was one thing she'd never seen the cat Mutare do before. His tail, covered in sleek brown fur, puffed up. It nearly doubled in size at the insult and Dai's body hunched over. In an instant he went from talking like a Lekki to a creature that was half animal.

"Take that back," he hissed.

Honey didn't. Instead she jerked up her nose and scoffed. She couldn't let Dai see how badly she wanted to apologize. She couldn't let him see how much it hurt her to hurt him. "Prove- prove it then," Honey said. "Run away like a god- or fight- or fight like a Mutare."

A low growl rumbled from that back of Dai's throat. "Stupid Lekki," he muttered. It wasn't cold or laced with venom - if anything it sounded more like words of affections. Dai took a deep breath, taking hold of his tail and pushing the fur back down. "Alright, fine! I'll help the stupid god. But understand if he orders me to take you and run, I will be forced to do so."

"Don't give him the chance," Honey said.

Dai smirked then cocked his head. "Let's give you a good seat for the show, then."

"Wait, what-"

Dai scooped Honey up in his arms and before she could fully formulate her scream, they were flying through the air. Honey couldn't scream then, she was too awestruck. Dai... was flying in a way that no other Mutare could. Because where some, like the Raven Sisters, had wings, Dai only had his legs and that was enough to launch him through the roof of the cavern, to the mountain side above.

The blue of the sky burned Honey's eyes. The green of the long summer grasses seemed too sharp, too vibrant. Honey's world had consisted of gray hues for far to long. Now she was standing under the bright, bright gold of the sun.

Dai set her gently down on the mountainside. If this was to be the place where Honey took her final breaths, she wouldn't much mind it. There were pale pink buttercups with sweet yellow interiors to decorate her grave. From here, high above she could see the Dark Master and Lukas battling, matched blow for blow. Lukas who had spent the past thousand years honing his skill, and the Dark Master who had spent them regenerating his form.

"Do they look bigger to you, or is that just me?" Honey squeaked. They were most definitely bigger.

Dai nodded. "It's something called True Form," he said. "It allows them to fight more freely."

"I see," Honey said. "Be careful, alright?"

Dai didn't say anything. His nimble fingers instead hooked the latch of the cloak that Honey had never before seen him remove from his shoulders. She held her breath as Dai looked over his shoulder at her one last time with those bright golden eyes that seemed to rival the sun in magnificence. Then he smiled.

"Hang onto this for me, will you?"

The cloak fell from his shoulders into Honey's lap. And when that cloak touched the ground, the entire mountain dropped twenty degrees.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

My writing style: the east face of Great Trango in the Karakoram mountains in Pakistan

aka cliffhanger :)