Page 53 of Hair, She Bears
The raven inhaled.
“Disgusting,” Malik said, his weary tone filled with revulsion.
“You’re alive!” Crushing him to her chest, Malik pecked her arm, drawing blood. She released him with a gasp, blushed, embarrassed by her exuberance, and set him down in the center of the powder. “You’ll need more.”
“You sound like my father,” Malik grumbled and dunked his beak into the pile. Muffled curse words streamed from his mouth. When he raised his head, a light coating of purple dusted his feathers.
Zenna laughed.
“I love that sound.” He hopped over to her knee and bumped her leg with his head, akin to the manner of an affectionate cat. “Now, we need to get you out of here before my father returns.”
“I don’t have a rope, your father burned my hair.” She gestured at the trail of ash. “Would Moira know any spells to turn me into a bird?”
“Maybe.” Malik flapped his wings, stretching them wide. “Much better.”
“Are you rethinking the benefit of hair and lizard tails?”
“Nope.” He took flight, soared around the room twice, and landed on the banister.
“I left the mirror under the bed,” she said, grabbing her apron from the floor and tying it around her waist. As she started up the staircase, Malik hopped off the railing and waddled into the loft. When she turned the corner, he was gone.
Scratching came from beneath the bed. A moment later, the glossy tail feather of a raven poked out from the shadows. Dragging the mirror into the center of the floor, Malik pecked the clasp, and the mirror popped open, thick fog eddying through the glass.
“I’d like to speak with my mother,” Malik said as Zenna dropped beside him. The mirror glowed.
“Malik? What’s wrong?” Moira’s worried face appeared in the center of the glass.
“We have a problem.” Malik moved aside, allowing Moira to see Zenna.
“What happened?” She gasped, her eyes widened as she drank in Zenna’s bald head and fresh bruises.
“Mother took my hair, so I couldn’t save Malik’s life.”
Darkness spilled across Moira’s face. “Why did you need to save my son’s life?”
“He broke my wings and threw me from the tower,” Malik replied, waddling into view. “Zenna cut her hair, climbed down, and found me.”
“Why are you back in the tower?”
“It’s the only place I know of with the supplies necessary to make Votras Alute,” Zenna said, her voice soft. “Mother caught me climbing back in and assumed I was trying to escape. He burned the hair I used as a rope and shaved off the rest.”
“If you had no hair to create the drug, how is Malik standing in front of me?” Moira asked, an unreadable expression on her face.
“I scraped up the shavings and made a small batch.” Zenna twisted her fingers together.
Moira glanced at Malik. “Still not certain you want to marry her?”
“I’m not proposing as a bird.” He snapped his beak. “We have a different problem. We don’t have a rope. Do you know a spell that could help us?”
“Not one I’m strong enough to cast from this distance. The powers I lent your father won’t return until he is defeated.” She tapped her lip with a long fingernail. “Is Carlyle already gone?”
“That’s actually another problem.” Malik hopped onto Zenna’s leg. “He’s still in the prison.”
“Carlyle has kept me hidden for years, protected me when no one else would. I owe him,” Moira replied, her tone harsh. “Imagine what will happen to him if your father discovers I am still alive.”
“His legs are broken,” Malik said. “I can’t carry him from the cell.”
“Mother is punishing him for abandoning his post.” Zenna leaned forward. “He makes Carlyle test each new batch. After it heals him, Mother breaks his legs again.”
