I smirk at him and raise my hands. Pieces of broken tree limbs float through the air toward us and place themselves into a neat little stack in front of him. “That won’t be necessary,” I say, snapping my fingers. The wood bursts into flames.
Leo is eager to place his toes and fingers next to the fire. “Thank you,” he says in relief.
I walk over and warm my hands too. “You should have told me you were getting too cold.”
“I’m fine,” he says while doing a little dance next to the flames.
I remove a tin bottle of water and set it close to the fire. In a few minutes, it should be warm enough to drink. I sit on top of my backpack to protect my backside from the cold dirt. It’s still a little wet from all the snow, though the dropping temperature is turning it into ice. I dig two apples out of my bag and hand one to Leo.
“Thanks. I guess I should have thought about food and water too.”
I scoot a little closer to him so I don’t have to look through the flames to see his face. “You’ve been a little preoccupied lately,” I say, unfolding my hands as if I’m reading a book.
He doesn’t laugh; in fact, his frown deepens. “I only want to do this right. I’m really scared of failing you.”
“We aren’t going to fail, Leo.”
His fingers run through the front of his hair, but it goes quickly back into place. “I’m afraid I’m not as strong as you, Wilhelmina.”
“You don’t have to do this. Oath or not. You don’t have to risk your life for me.”
“I’m here because I want to be. It’s just—”
His face is pale in the light of the fire. I move around until I’m next to him. “What?”
He appears in pain. He can’t even look at me. “I think I might be the reason your red dress made its way to the castle.”
“W-what?”
“There’s a blank spot in my memory. I remember taking Mrs. Morrow to the jail and dropping her off into custody. I got back in my car, and then there’s this blank until right before I get to the Grand Hall.”
“That doesn’t mean you went back to my house.”
“I think it might.”
He still can’t look at me, so I pull his chin around. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“The Mechente Reine talked to me on my way to your house that night. I heard her in my head. I think she knew I was on my way to protect you, and she was trying to distract me.”
“What did she say?”
“The same thing she told you. Take what you truly want. She tried to convince me that with Reid and Julien out of the way, I would finally have a chance.”
“What did you say?”
“Well, they aren’t dead, are they?”
“But that doesn’t mean you were the one who took my dress.”
“I was the only one with the opportunity. Why else wouldn’t I have any recollection of that hour I lost? The only reason you remember what you did is because she showed it to you.”
“Okay, let’s say she did take control of you and sent you into my house that night to get that dress and plant it in your car. She also took control of me that night too. You aren’t any weaker than anyone else.”
Leo wrings his fingers in front of him. “What if she does it again? What if I can’t perform my duty, and you die because of me?”
I pry his hands apart and take one of them. “You won’t fail, and neither will I.”
He squeezes my hand and opens his mouth to speak, but nothing but a squeak comes out. He tries again, but it’s only air. Leo grabs his throat, but no matter how he tries to talk, his voice is gone.
“Oh, no.”
Leo’s eyes go wide, and I grab him in an attempt to calm him down. “You’ve lost your voice,” I say, quickly. “Don’t worry. It’s only a potion.”
He mouths out the word, “What?”
“Reid put a potion in your drink, so if you ever tried to flirt with me again, you would lose your voice.”
Leo jumps up to his feet and throws his arms around as if he’s yelling. I try to get hold of him to keep him calm. “Just wait a second, okay? Let me see if there’s something I can do.”
He grabs my hand and puts it to his throat then points at it repeatedly. I pull my hand away. “I don’t think it’s that simple. I have my spell book with me. Let me see if I can find a cure for this.”
I sit down and pull the Book of the Moon out of my bag. Leo stands there, waiting impatiently until I finally wave for him to sit. “This could take a while,” I say, flipping through the book.
It’s hard to see. I have to hold the book close to the flame so I can read it. It takes almost an hour, but I finally find something that might work. “Here’s the potion Sadie made.” I scan the page, until at the bottom I finally find something that will help. Leo isn’t going to like it.
“Okay, so it says here I’m the one who can give your voice back to you.” I glance up to give Leo a quick smile. “However, you must feel remorse or it won’t return.”
“Remorse?” He mouths it out then waves his hands around, which can easily be translated into do you see what that bastard did to me?
“I can’t change what the books says. You can either feel sorry for whatever you were about to say to me, or be mute for the remainder of this insanely dangerous mission we are on. Your choice.”
He holds up a finger, signaling that he needs a minute. Apparently, he’s going to have to build up to remorse, because he sits there fuming for a couple minutes before his breathing finally begins to even out. He keeps his eyes closed when he reaches for my hand. He places it delicately on his throat and gives it a tap. I assume that means he’s ready, so I press my fingertips to his throat at the point where his vocal cords should be and allow my power to flow through them to him.
Leo winces, clenching his eyes shut, then suddenly a sound starts to vibrate in his throat. At first, it’s merely a gurgle, but eventually it transforms into a sustained “ah” as if he’s singing a song.
His eyes burst open, and Leo jumps to his feet. “I’m going to kill him,” he says, his voice very pitchy and high. “I know I swore to protect the Innocent, but Reid Thomas is going be my one exception.”
“Oh, sit down,” I say, pulling him back to the ground.
Leo is still wound up, but agrees. “He could have ruined our chances at saving you.”
“Well, you could have also not tried to hit on a girl who has a boyfriend.”
His lips purse, and I jab him with my finger. “And might I add that I don’t require my boyfriend to fight my battles. If you ever try anything I don’t like, I will take care of the situation myself. And I’m not nearly as nice as him.”
Leo blows out a breath and nods. “Understood.”
“Good. Now, can we get some rest? We’ve got a long hike tomorrow to the top of this wretched mountain, and then a date with an evil queen hellbent on destroying us all. I would like to get a proper night’s sleep on this mound of freezing dirt.”
“Of course,” he says as his hand goes to his chest to make sure his blade is still in place.
I add enough wood to the fire to last the night, but it’s still freezing. I wake up several times to perform a warming spell around us because Leo’s teeth chattering is obnoxiously loud.
The sunlight at dawn is a welcomed sight. Leo and I share the canteen of warm water, and eat the last of our ration of food. Leo finds a shady spot that still has snow and uses it to put out our fire before we leave our makeshift camp.
We hike up the mountain in complete silence, but we stay together. The closer we get to the peak, the stranger I begin to feel. Things move in the distance. Shadows seem to have a life of their own. The whistle of the winter wind is louder and stronger. I find myself holding onto trees to keep myself balanced. My gloves and socks do little to keep the sting away. Almost all of me is numb by the afternoon. Several places require us to climb steep rocks, and I have to use my magic to clear giant debris out of our path.<
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As the sun begins to set, Leo takes out his compass and checks to make sure we are still on the right path. “We should be there by nightfall,” he says, shoving his compass back into his bag. “Are you sure you have enough strength for this?”
I must look as ragged as I feel. My jacket has a giant rip in the elbow from a branch that wasn’t eager to let me go, and I tore the knee of my jeans on the edge of a rock. More so than my clothes, it’s my demeanor. I can barely stand up straight, and I’m not sure I can muster a smile. My entire body is heavy, and there’s this cloud that seems to suck the life right out of me everywhere we go. “I’ll be okay.”
Leo takes my hand. “I feel it too,” he says in a whisper. “I think it’s because we are so near to her.”
“Do you think she knows we are coming?”
“Absolutely. She can’t do anything about it because it’s not a New Moon. You read those journals. She can only do her damage when the light of the sun and the moon are absent. She’s deep in her cave right now, probably scared.”
“No, Leo. She isn’t scared. If anything, she’s angry.”
He raises a brow, so I point at the spot on his chest where his blade is hidden. “The originals took her ruby from her. She loved that ruby so much it turned her into this evil being. It’s why every member of the Haunted wanted it—why they fought to possess it and keep it safe. They all had a piece of her inside of them. She knows we have it, and she will want it back.”
Leo stands straight, his shoulders pushing back as the lines of his face harden to stone. “Oh, I plan on returning it to her. Straight into her dead heart.”
I hug him. He’s risking everything to be here with me. I always wanted a family—one single person in the world to care about me. I don’t think I deserve all these people and their love. It’s more than one person should be allowed, but I’m very thankful for it. “I don’t think I properly thanked you before for taking your oath.”
He returns my embrace. “You’re welcome.”
I hold his hand as we continue up the mountain until it finally gets so steep that we have to climb. Dirt turns into stone, and I know we are almost to the cave’s entrance. There’s one final assent, straight up onto a ledge. Leo gives me a leg up, and I land on top of the rock with a thud. The entrance to the cave is massive and black. The vision of it alone is enough to snatch away all of one’s bravery. Luckily, I have Leo. He climbs up and gets to his feet, holding his hand out to me. I take it, watching as he catches sight of our destination. He doesn’t even flinch. “I’m with you. We can do this.”
And I believe him.
I still hold onto his arm as we go through the veil of shadows, but I believe him.
I use my power to give us enough light to see where we are going. Leo says the Wicked Queen will be deep in the cavern, away from all sources of light. We take our time, following narrow paths through the rock. We’re going deeper into the mountain. There’s a constant slope. The darkness gets heavier, like someone is adding rocks to my bag.
Bravery is nothing more than a foolish man’s reason to die.
I glance over my shoulder at Leo, but I know it’s not his voice. His eyes are round, so I know he heard it too. We both go still. His hand is latched around my forearm like a vise. I even hold my breath, waiting for the Mechente Reine to continue.
You are foolish to seek me. Stronger men than you have wilted beneath my touch.
I start to shout that I am no man, but then I realize it’s Leo who she is addressing. His hand leaves my arm and goes to his blade, clutching it through his coat. His eyes clamp shut, and his knees start to tremble. She’s talking to him, I can tell. He’s trying to resist, but there’s no getting her voice out of your head.
“She wants the blade,” he says, almost breathless. “She can poison it with her venom and steal your magic.”
I grab his face. “Tell her no. Resist her, Leo.”
His eyes are closed so tightly he’s shaking. “Look at me.”
He opens them, and relief flushes his face. “I’m here. I’m with you.”
“Don’t let her win. You’re my Guardian.”
“When thy own will be tested, the light will guide you to righteousness. You’ve always been my light, Wilhelmina. I won’t fail.”
“I know.”
We cling to each other as we go deeper, fighting through the darkness as if it’s a briar patch. We’re getting closer to her. Her voice becomes clearer to me. It becomes more urgent and angry.
Where’s your Sun? Is his loyalty shaken after I showed him your true nature?
“Was that your plan? Tear us apart so we couldn’t come fight you together? Well, you failed miserably.” I scream into the darkness, but I don’t stop our pursuit. I have to get to her. I have to end this before she turns her attention back on Leo. “Your little games may have worked for you in the past, but that little hint of fear in your voice is telling. You’re afraid of me, and you should be.”
Anger. It flashes in red waves before my eyes, and I stumble. Leo catches me before I hit the ground. She’s screaming back at me before I can right myself.
You are no different. Nothing special. I’ve taken down the beautiful, the powerful, and the rich.
A vision of a young girl fills my head. She has dark hair and deep brown eyes. She hides in the corner of a small building behind some bags and barrels. She’s hungry and afraid, but her mind is purpose-driven. She sneaks quietly through this storage house and slides silently out the door. There are lots of people around, all much older and well dressed. Her focus goes to one man. He has a funny hat with a giant feather, and a long golden necklace.
This girl doesn’t like the man. In fact, her heart bursts with hatred for him. She sneaks past a group of men and into a tent that has been set up as bedroom. She runs to a chest in the corner, throws the lid open, and grabs a red ruby from inside. She stuffs it into her pocket and slips out the back.
The girl hides in the distance, waiting for the man in the feather hat to go into his tent. She wants to witness his reaction when he finds out his precious ruby is gone. She wants to feel the anger in him and relish the thought of bringing him even an ounce of the pain he brought her.
“What did the man do to you?” I ask, and then I catch the first glimmer of the Wicked Queen.
And that’s all it is. A glimmer in the darkness. Her form moves in and out of existence as if she’s part of every inch of darkness inside the cave.
Franz E’tour killed my family.
“Why?” Leo and I inch closer to her. Her body is nothing more than a veil of black cloth flapping in a nonexistent breeze.
Because we served a different crown. Because he thought we were weak and innocent. There is evil inside of us all. Franz E’tour unleashed mine, and I made him pay for it for the rest of his miserable life.
Visions of the brown-eyed girl stealing from the man in the feather hat spin through my mind. She stole all the fruit from his favorite pear tree, and the chalice he used to drink his wine. The girl studied him, and anything that brought him even an ounce of joy in life, she took. Including his wife. It was her first kill. She stole the blade straight from Franz E’tour’s bedside table and slit the woman’s throat in the dead of night.
The vision is unnerving. How could a child be so cruel? So vengeful and free of guilt? “Why didn’t you just kill him? Why kill an innocent woman?”
No one is innocent. Darkness consumes us all.
The Mechente Reine killed Franz E’tour, but not before killing every single person he loved first. She was a young woman by the time she finally made her way to him. By then, he knew she was coming, and had himself surrounded by guards. She waited until they were all either drunk or asleep. Her intentions were cloaked by darkness as she snuck into his tent and took his life under the blackness of the New Moon.
“You’re wrong,” I say, allowing the power to build inside of me. It tingles my fingertips. “We all might have a piece of darkness in
side of us, but it doesn’t have to consume us. It doesn’t have to rule our thoughts and our actions. We have light inside of us too, and we can choose which one to use.”
I fill the room with light. It bursts out, an explosion of everything good inside of me. Every hope, dream, and joyous moment flows out, creating this shining beacon around me, stripping away the darkness. It reveals the Mechente Reine.
Barely a woman. Frail and burned. Her lips are sewn together, and the cloth that drapes her body is charred at the edges.
This was my reward for avenging my family. Silenced and burned at the stake by men no more innocent than myself. Even in death, they couldn’t stop me. And you can’t stop me now.
It’s a push and pull of willpower and strength. And the Mechente Reine is very strong. She has as much anger and resentment spilling out of her as I do love and compassion. It’s all I can do not to collapse and allow it passage.
Leo removes the blade from his jacket pocket. Light reflects off the ruby in the handle, momentarily distracting my adversary.
Her prize.
She wants it back. Her greed is so easily seen in the coal black depths of her eyes. I manage to gain an inch of ground on her, but then Leo goes down to his knees. He clamps his hands over his ears, the blade falling between his knees.
“Stay with me, Leo.” I try to sidestep toward him, but every movement is only her gain.
He is weak. Your Guardian will fall to temptation with all the others before him. No man will choose death when I offer them life. A life full of their every selfish desire.
I try to ignore her and focus my energy on keeping the power of the shadowy figure at bay and away from Leo. I start screaming at him again. “Get up. We have to finish this. Don’t let her in your head.”
Leo gets to his feet slowly, the blade clasped tightly in his hand. His eyes have gone black, and the witch’s cackle is triumphant.
Like snowflakes, they fall. All unique, but destined for the same fate.
“No!” There isn’t much resistance left inside me, and it wanes at the sight of Leo. Poor Leo. He never had an option in all this—at least, not a real one. Nothing more than the unfortunate luck of being born with the last name of Galloway lead him to this fate.
Shadow Bend (Witches of Sanctuary Book 3) Page 18