赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Alice cleared her throat, drawing Myka’s attention. He looked at her, and she smiled.

“Don’t make decisions without him,� she whispered. “Peter is the type to punish you for it and not just in the fun way.�

“The fun way?� he laughed with a raised brow. “What does that mean?�

Alice smiled.

“Seriously,� Myka said, now with concern. “What does that mean? And how do you know?�

Alice laughed.

“Not the time,� she said. “But I have stories to share when we have a moment alone.�

Alice directed her eyes toward Sadie, who looked between them with curiosity. Myka looked back and nodded.

“Okay,� he said, “but we will talk.�

Alice nodded with another laugh.

“Well, I think it’s time that we got some ice cream in here,� Myka said with a bright smile looking at Sadie. “What do you think?�

Sadie nodded excitedly.

“Yea? Okay, what is your favorite flavor?� he asked.

“Strawberry,� Sadie smiled, then looked at Alice. “What about you, Alice? What flavor do you like?�

“Hmm...� Alice replied, holding her hand to her chin as though she had to think very hard about her answer. “I don’t know. There are a lot of really great flavors.....�

Myka snorted a laugh.

“Don’t let her fool you, Sadie,� he sighed. “Her favorite is chocolate, always chocolate.�

“He’s right,� Alice laughed.

Myka got up and started to head toward the door.

“I shall return with a cup of strawberry and three cups of chocolate.�

“Three?� Alice asked.

Myka turned around and tilted his head.

“You eat for three now, remember?�

“That doesn’t mean I literally need to eat three times the amount I normally would!� Alice laughed.

Myka shrugged.

“Okay, fine, I will get you one cup,� he said, turning back to the door.

“Two!� she called after him.

A short while later, they enjoyed their ice cream as they joked about this or that.

“Here,� Myka said, reaching for the empty cup on Sadie’s bed. “I’ll throw it away for you.�

He picked up the cup and crossed the room to the trash. Suddenly he felt something strange. The air around him shifted. The sound pitched and waned, and when it all settled, he could feel that a note was missing from the overall music of the world around him.

Myka reached his arm to the wall to steady himself as he felt an intense sense of vertigo.

“Myka?� Sadie called to him.

“I’m okay,� Myka called back, his mind settling and his balance returning. “Just a little dizzy, I guess.�

Myka turned to face her, only to see a cup of chocolate ice cream fall to the ground. He looked up with concern to Alice. She was taking short, quick breaths. Her eyes were closed, and her jaw clenched as she held tightly to her stomach.

“Get a doctor...� she whispered.

“Alice... are you okay?� Myka asked.

“Please, get a doctor!� she cried out.

***

Alice was taken away for testing. After a long while, Myka finally calmed Sadie enough to get her to sleep again. Then, he asked a nurse to stay with her while he went to try and get some answers about what had happened to Alice.

Instead, he discovered that reports had been coming in about the hybrid creatures shriveling up and dying across the territory. The fae were turning tail and running. Those that were left and the feral wolves could hardly take on the remaining combined forces of the wolves.

That was when he realized what he had felt in the room. The note that was missing from the music of the world. It was that discordant sound of the hybrids, of the Dark Queen.

It was gone, and so was she.

He had felt her inside the ley line. Without a doubt, she was in there when Ashleigh had been sent out of the portal. And though the connection between Winter and Summer was severed, and no more way gates existed, it seemed clear that the Dark Queen still had a link to the hybrids.

Which meant that if they were suddenly dying in the middle of the battlefield without injury or attack, she must have been the cause. The Dark Queen was dead.

Myka felt relieved, elated. And then his eyes widened.

“The infection...� he whispered.

He hurried down the hall toward the room where Alice had been taken. He burst into the room, much to the surprise of Alice and the doctor running the ultrasound.

“Myka!� Alice called out.

“Are you okay?� he asked.

“It’s okay,� she said. “It was a false alarm... I felt a strange cramping pain, but they are fine. Their heartbeats are strong, and there is no sign of a problem.�

Myka turned to the doctor.

“You need to check the infection in her system,� he said.

“What? Why?� the doctor asked.

“Myka, what’s going on?� Alice asked, sitting up on her elbows.

“Just trust me,� Myka said, looking again at the doctor. “Please, just check.�

The doctor looked at Alice, and she nodded.

After taking a few samples, Alice returned to her room where Myka was waiting.

“They said it will take about twenty minutes for the results to come back,� she said.

Myka nodded.

Alice crossed the room to sit beside him on the small couch.

“So, tell me what’s going on,� she said.

“The hybrids are dying off,� he replied. “And earlier, I felt something, and the sound is different now. Their sound is gone. Her sound is gone.�

Seeing the confused look on Alice’s face, Myka explained what he meant. He told her about the shift in the air, about hearing the Dark Queen within the ley line, and the connection he felt between her and the hybrids.

“So, you think... what?� Alice asked.

Myka swallowed.

“We’ll know when the results come back.�

“What do you think they will be?� she asked. “Because it’s clear that you think it will be something different than before.�

“I do,� he replied with a nod.

“Tell me,� she said softly.

Myka took a deep breath.

“We should wait for the results.�

“Why?� she asked. “Why not just tell me?�

“Because Fiona was right,� he said. “Hope... is dangerous.�

Alice looked at Myka carefully, and she swallowed.

“My life has always been filled with danger,� she said. “Tell me.�

Myka lowered his head, took a deep breath, and looked up at her.

“I think... I think when she died, the infection died too,� he said. “I think the results will show no dormant infection in your blood.�

Alice felt her heart in her throat.

“You mean...� she whispered.

“I mean,� Myka smiled, “Your babies will be safe... and Axel too.�