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Azalea smacked Matthias with the back of her hand.
His cheek burned from the impact, but he hardly jerked back at the assault. “The full moon is two weeks from now–she should not suffer from being ill for so long. Let her take it a week from now. What good would it do her to out you? Everyone in town knows what you are.”
“I don’t trust her,” Azalea replied.
“And I do not trust you.”
“I will take it,” Ana said passively, trying to calm the storm around her. “If I fall ill while he is away, it will be more believable. The chance of him stumbling onto the potion and discovering what I am up to before I have the chance to leave… It may be enough for him to kill me.”
“She is right,” Juniper added.
Matthias shrunk back, defeated.
“The moment her husband returns, you will give her something to heal her,” Matthias demanded.
“Very well,” Azalea agreed and handed the phial to Ana at last.
Ana stared at the molasses-like substance inside, then uncapped it, looking around for a place to put the cork stopper.
Juniper’s hand appeared to take it from her, then handed her a cup of water.
Ana paused, holding the phial in one hand and the cup in the other. Beads of nervous sweat appeared on her forehead as she studied the brew. She took back the potion in one swift swig, following it with the warm water. Her face immediately went white, and the phial clattered to the floor. She swooned, toppling from the chair and crumpling onto the floor beside the chair, black froth at her mouth.
Matthias’s head spun.
“What have you done?”
17
SILVANIA
THE YEAR OF THE MOON
RED
Though Red could not see, she felt everything. Being conscious without control of her own body proved to be the most terrifying experience of her life. More than facing her grandmother, more than being locked in a closet for days. The moment the curse slammed into her chest; she knew it had begun: the long walk to her death.
As the thing controlling her body made its way to the forest, she felt someone trying to stop her. She heard the distant echo of a familiar voice, one that warmed her inside. But nothing stopped her, not hands being shoved against her collarbone, not the desperate plea of someone she couldn’t quite place.
Red barrelled through any obstacle that appeared before her and though she could not see, she sensed the overbearing presence of the woods as she crossed the town line. Its power latched onto her, wisps curling around her body to embrace her. The sweet smell of moisture in the air was fresh and light, a contrast to the curse that had its grip on her. Silence fell over her the moment she stepped beyond the town line; it felt like peace for a few seconds. Suddenly, her eyes rolled out of their unnatural position and adjusted to the darkness surrounding her. It was as though the possession ended as soon as she entered the Wolf’s territory. A gust of wind went right through her, and she gasped, collapsing to the forest floor. Her hands clutched the cold dirt between her fingers, trying to absorb the power of nature like Sorin or Alina were able to do.
Alina.
She tried to stop me.
Red stood, and dizziness consumed her. She stumbled, gripping a tree to keep herself from toppling over. When her vertigo passed, she took a quick look around the forest to confirm she was not going to be attacked, then looked back over the town line. A border appeared between the forest and the town, subtly blocking her path like the heatwave given off by a fire stared at too long.
Fighting the eerie pull of the forest, Red approached the border. She touched it but found she could not penetrate it. She swallowed nervously, trying to gather her wits. I cannot go back.
She knew what came next: the Wolf.
Furious at the realization that the protection spell did not work, Red wondered what could be done to change her situation. She refused to accept death.
Staring down the crooked path that led to her grandmother’s house, Red decided she would hole up there. The Wolf would come for her there, and she smirked at the thought of shoving her grandmother in the way of its maw, watching the sharp teeth rip apart her wrinkled, papery flesh.
Even if the Wolf came for her next, she would have a brief moment of peace.
Satisfied with her plan, Red began the journey to her grandmother’s without looking back. Fog swept in, creeping up from the tree roots like the hands of a hundred ghosts, extending higher and higher so nothing could be seen, not even Red’s bright hood.
