"Just keep throwing creatures out!" Jake called back. "Everyone, make sure it can't attack you directly!" Out of the corner of her eye, Dania caught sight of Jake's Shadow-Tainted goblin sneaking around the periphery of the fight. It wasn't incredibly powerful, but it had a magical Death attack. And as a creature, it stood between Jake and this… thing.

  Dania cycled at her own hand and started to reach for her trusty Scimitar Cat when something caught her eye. The normally vibrantly tawny-edged card had faded to a pale gray. The image of the Scimitar Cat was grayed-out, too, and for the first time, the words "Null Card" stood below the opening line of the card's stats.

  Fuck me, it gets to play my deck and nullify my cards? This thing sucks!

  "Hush," she said quickly, stabbing at her Megafauna card and willing the ensuing boost toward her Giant Ground Sloth. In response, the Sloth swelled, the muscles under its shaggy coat becoming more defined, and its next swipe at the Short Faced Bear knocked the Bear backwards.

  "I am herrrre, deckbearrrerrr," Hush said.

  "Screw the experience split," she said. "We need you on this one. Can you damage it with your psychic attack?"

  "Allll beeeingsss feeelll feeearrrr," Hush said. Which wasn't really an answer, but Dania pulled her spine straight anyway.

  "Fair enough," she said, bouncing on her toes until she could play another card. "Fuck it up, Hush."

  Next to Dania, Kendra threw down a card that dissolved into black and gold light before it re-formed into a winding river that bisected the clearing between them and the monster. The edge of the screaming fear that Dania held in her mind softened, and she drew in a deep breath of relief.

  "What was that?" she called to Kendra

  "The River of Death and Rebirth," Kendra called back. "it will deal two points of psychic damage to opponents per round and adds two points to our magical defense. So long as it isn't destroyed."

  Dania opened her mouth to reply, but a shadowy figure rose up above and behind Jake. Fear clutched at Dania's chest before she realized that it wasn't another Amorphous Blight. For one thing, it lacked the swirling images of corrupted joy.

  For another, it raised a gaseous limb and shot purple light at the real thing.

  It's Jake's Summon The Id card, Dania realized. Clever move, kid. Let's turn this thing against itself!

  Dania's cards glistened in front of her chest, drawing her attention back to the fact that she could play again. With a deep breath, she touched the Polar Sanctuary card. Instantly, fat flakes began to drift down from the sky with increasing speed.

  Another Hellcat's roar reverberated through the clearing, and another plume of fire streamed toward the Aspiration Blight, joining the blazes from the mouths of the Hellcats Amari already had out. In front of Dania, the Short Faced Bear let out a roar of frustration and dissolved into tawny light, leaving her Giant Ground Sloth panting in victory. Joe rolled up next to Dania and touched a card. All around them, the towering pines began to shudder, dropping snow and needles as they emanated a sound that Dania couldn't quite hear, but that made the bones at the base of her skull ache.

  Once again, she felt that wrenching feeling in her chest, and once again she watched in agony as one of her own creatures—A Dire Wolf Tracker, this time—was pulled from her deck. It flowed to the ground, snapping and snarling, even as its eyes met hers with something that may have been regret.

  I'm out of power, she realized. And I can't do anything about it!

  Frustration swept through her, coaxing the flames of internal rage higher and higher. She looked over at Jake. Should I grab him and run? Are we outmatched?

  Jake met her eyes and, unaccountably, he smiled.

  He turned away from her for just a moment, and then returned to touch the center card floating in front of his chest. Once more, the scream of Death split the air all around them. But this time, not only did it rock the Aspiration Blight back, it split the cloud down the middle with its darkly glowing black light.

  Amid the snow and dropping visibility of Dania's snowstorm, the hulking, humanoid cloud halves thinned, dissipated into thready tendrils which drifted away on the howling winter wind.

  Stop, Dania thought to the storm. The wind quieted, and the snowfall tapered off, leaving them standing in knee deep drifts.

  Congratulations! You have defeated the Aspiration Blight. You have earned 125 experience. You have leveled up, you are now level 23!

  Dania dismissed the notification, as well as the rest of her deck and stumbled forward as fatigue and reaction slammed into her like a runaway train. The ground tilted under her and she reached out her hands to try and catch herself.

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  At least that purple light is gone from my hands, she thought as darkness reached up to envelop her. I hope that means my cards are back to normal—

  ***

  Consciousness returned on a wave of pain. A soft groan came from somewhere nearby, pulling Dania up to awareness. Slowly, she opened her eyes and turned her head…and then realized the groan came from herself.

  Well, I'm in my bedroom at the Haven, she told herself as her brain registered the blue and black marble patterning of the wall between the floor-to-ceiling, gothic arched windows. I'll take that over waking up in the hospital wing, I guess.

  She gathered her will together and slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position as her mind reeled. The truth was, she felt like she'd been run over by a truck. She'd been hurt worse—much worse—in the past, but that had always been when she sustained some physical injury.

  "That ungodly monster didn't even actually touch me," she muttered. "So why do I hurt so damn badly?"

  "Youuu sussstaaaained psssychic iiiiinjurrrry."

  Dania blinked, and then smiled as Hush rose up beside her bed. Somewhere in the back of her brain, she knew that she should be wary of this monster that inhabited the spaces under beds… but time and again, Hush had proved himself to be a friend and teammate. As far as Dania could tell, he genuinely cared about her and Jake and the rest of the strange little community they'd built since that fateful Drop Night three years ago.

  "Psychic injury, not physical," she pointed out. "But look, I'm bruised all over!" She pointed at the purple and blue mottling the skin of her shoulders, and then lifted the hem of her tank top to show the same bruising across her abdomen.

  "Isss the miiind not connnnnected to the bodyyy?"

  "Yeah, but… you know what? Nevermind." Dania exhaled on a huff and let her smile grow. "Where are Jake and everyone? Dining hall?"

  "Nooo. Nyx's Chosssen iss with Isis's Chosssen and the wheeled warrior in the garrrden. Machairi and Audrey are with them, as are the children. The Hellcat deckbearer is in the Archive."

  "Is Amari looking for a companion card?"

  "I dooo not knowww. Sshhee doesss not confiiide in meee."

  "I'm almost positive she is," Dania said, scooting to the edge of the bed and putting her feet gingerly on the floor. "She's wanted one for a while, and I knew she planned to purchase a companion slot as soon as she made enough levels. I don't think she'll have much luck, though. The Archive's cards seem really… old."

  "Perhapssss shhhee isss loooking forrr ideasss?"

  Dania stood up, waving off Hush's extended hand and offer of help. Bruised she may be, and sore as all hell, but she knew that moving around would help. The monster stayed close, though, and Dania took comfort from his nearness and apparent readiness to catch her if she should stumble.

  Which was exactly what he did with that monster, Dania thought as she made her way to the bathroom and cranked the shower lever to start the spray of hot water. He waited, and stood ready to catch us when we needed him.

  "Deckbearrrerrr," Hush called from the bedroom a few minutes later. Dania paused in the act of rinsing her hair and cocked her head to hear him better. "I haavve a quesssstion forrrr youuu."

  "Can it wait?" Dania asked as she tilted her head back one last time.

  "Forrrr whaat?"

  Dania let out a sigh and turned the water off, then reached for the towel that hung on the peg just outside the walk-in shower. "Nevermind," she said. "I'm done. Give me just a second to get dressed, all right?"

  While the others fully accepted Hush as part of their team, he tended to focus mainly on Dania. Unless he was helping in a hunt or a fight, or had something to add to a group discussion, Hush usually remained silent in front of the others. But when alone with Dania, the monster questioned her about all kinds of things. Over the years, Dania had become so used to his looming presence in her bedroom that it felt slightly lonely when he was away.

  She drew the line, however, at talking to him while naked. To tell the truth, she had no idea if he'd even notice or care, but it felt weird to her, and so she dried off and pulled on her usual ensemble of a tank top and leggings before walking back out into the bedroom.

  "All right, Hush," she said, rubbing a smaller towel over her hair. "Hit me. What's your question?"

  "Whyyy doesss the Helllllcat deckbearrrerrr wissh forrrr a companion carrrd?"

  Dania's eyebrows went up, and she paused for a second. That was not what she'd been expecting.

  "Well," she said slowly. "I think, in part, because companions are pretty powerful. They cost no power to play, but they can be devastating. You've seen Machairi and Audrey in action. That fight we just had would have been a lot harder without them."

  "Yesss, but her Hellllcatsss arrre powerrrrfulll, tooo."

  "True. But they're just cards. They don't…they don't remain out of the deck, and you can't exactly have a conversation with them."

  "Theyyy arrre jussst crrreaturrres. Theyyy dooo not think theirrr own thoughtssss."

  "Right," Dania said. "Not like Machairi and Audrey do. Or you, for that matter."

  "Whyyy doessss she need sssomeone whooo thinksss theirrr own thoughtsss?"

  Dania shrugged and gave him a half smile. He gave off such an air of earnest curiosity.

  "Because, Hush. Humans need friends. I mean, Amari has friends but…Amari sees how Audrey is devoted to her grandfather, how Machairi is Jake's best friend, how you are with me. I don't think she begrudges any of that, but who wouldn't want that kind of close friend to watch your back?"

  Hush looked at her for a long moment, his eyes deeper pools in his shadowy face.

  "I am not yourrr companion."

  Dania swallowed and shook her head. "No. You're not. You're your own being. I just meant—"

  "I woullld beee. Forrr youuu. But, I do not know howww."

  Dani licked her lips, and then forced a small smile through the sadness that suddenly blanketed her mind. "Hush," she said. "You're perfect as you are. I don't need a companion, because of you. After everything you've done for me, for Jake…for our family…" she trailed off and shook her head. "I trust you, Hush. I trust you as much or more than any companion I could possibly find elsewhere. Please don't think…I would never try to take your agency away from you. You're your own being. You don't need to be one of my cards."

  Hush glided toward her, moving between one blink and the next so that he suddenly loomed over her. Dania met his eyes, pushing away the instinctive fear that rose within her animal brain, and willed him to see how much trust she truly had in him.

  Slowly, he lifted one hand and ran the tip of one claw down her cheek. Dania opened her mouth to speak—though she had no idea what to say—when someone began pounding on her door.

  "Dani!" Jake's muffled voice filtered through. "Elarienne said you're awake! Come out here! We're all waiting for you to go through these cards!"

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