toward a castle. All right. Which way? This was a lot harder without Dagney. Hopefully they were doing okay without me.
I puffed out my cheeks then held up my palm and summoned a ghost. Something small. Something whistled a mourning tune within the dead tree branch. I twitched my fingers and coaxed it out.
The ghost of a black-and-white bird followed its bones to my hand. I pet its head. “Where to, bird?” I tossed the spirit up. It flapped its wings then flew away from the castle.
So not that way.
“The Seer Spring,” someone whispered.
I closed my eyes and grinned.
I turned. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Glad to see you too,” she answered.
I opened my eyes. This version of my Bluebird wasn’t quite right. Her face was plumper, her arms thick with muscles, even under a raven cloak. But by Galaga did she make my heart flutter.
I crossed to her side. “That’s not what I meant. It’s not safe.”
“Okay, bye.” Bluebird waved, static flickered, and she disappeared.
I let out a laugh. “Wait! Come back.”
Leaves crunched. Where’d she go to now?
I dropped my hands and called to the sky. “If you’re insisting on helping, I guess I wouldn’t mind knowing which way to the spring?”
Bluebird reappeared in the bushes. She staggered back, her hand on her head. Her gaze met mine.
“You all right, pal?”
“I’m fine. I just.” She sighed. “That seemed easier in my head than actually doing it.”
“Ain’t that the way.”
“I’ll take you to the spring. Ms. Takagi says that’s where the Crown of Visions is hidden. Apparently it’s supposed to help you see the future. But how is that going to work in a video game, especially with all your brains all tied together? If all your brains are adding input into the neural net, then maybe it makes predictions based on the inputted history and thought patterns. You could see what people are likely to do, make real-time predictions. Like the application possibilities of that technology is absolutely staggering when you think about it.”
Her raven robe billowed behind her as she made her way up a hill. Her bare feet didn’t make prints on the ground.
I jogged to catch her.
“I’m sorry. I’m babbling.”
“I like your babbling. And truth to truth, I’m kind of used to it. How long did you go on about Stormpilot—”
“How dare you, you know I’m still hurting about that.”
I grinned.
Her return smile was small, and full of light.
Jings was she beautiful. “Let’s go,” I said. “Me and you. Let’s go nab us a crown.”
“I want to, but…”
“But what? It’ll just take an hour or so, I figure. We go in through the clerics’ halls, maybe do a couple of side quests, earn some buff resources, and then we go get the Crown of Visions and do a victory dance.”
“I can’t.”
“It doesn’t have to be a good dance.”
“It’s not—”
I didn’t know why it was so important she stay with me. I just didn’t want to say goodbye just yet. I didn’t want it to be our last one. This was the way the game was supposed to be. Me and her.
“I know it’s a risk, but we’ve been training for this for months. We can’t do one mission?”
“Grig.”
I knew the way she said my name, and this time she said it like it was a no.
“Oh.” I scratched my ear and searched the woods for, well, for a reason to look away, to be honest.
“It’s…” She inhaled sharp and deep. “I want to live.”
“All right, that’s fine. You can point the way, and I’ll do it on my own, that’ll be fine.”
She reached for my arm, but her fingers slid through my freckled skin. “Grig, there’s something I need to tell you.”
I drummed my fingers against my chest. “I appreciate what you’re risking to help me. I really do. But it’s not worth risking your life, so it’s probably best—”
“I have muscular dystrophy.”
My eyes found hers. “Wut?”
“I know you know I have a disability, and that I can’t reach above my head, but it’s more than I’ve told you. I can’t…” She trailed off, her eyes closed tightly. “I hate admitting when I can’t do things, because I can do anything, you know? I can drive a car, I can go to college, I can sneak out of my house and qualify for an international contest, and find an amazing guy from across the globe, but I can’t stay here. My life matters, and I have to fight extra hard to say that.”