Wolfsbane

by Rebecca Davis

  “What do you mean?”

  “You hadn’t come back inside, so I went to check on you. You were laying in the grass, you weren’t moving. I couldn’t feel you breathing…”

  I could hear her heart start to speed up and her breathing become shallow. Quickly, I pulled her close, burying my face in her neck as I set her in my lap and buried her face in my chest and felt her tears dampening my skin.

  “I’m sorry I worried you,” I whispered calmly in her ear. “I was only sleeping. I’m not hurt.”

  “But, you weren’t breathing.” She mumbled, face still tucked against me.

  “That’s a safety quality in shape-shifters, especially wolves. We don’t have to breath as we sleep. And, if for some reason we do have to breathe, it’s so shallow that you can’t hear, feel, or see it.”

  She took a long, ragged breath and curled into me. She had stopped crying, her heartrate and breathing and begun to return to normal. I let her get comfortable before I stood, with her in my arms. By the time I got her in the house, she had fallen asleep.

  I laid her in her bed, gently taking off her shoes and cover. I pulled the blankets over her, watching as she curled into a ball, tugging the sheets to her chin.

  Chuckling a bit, I closed the door as I walked out.

  Chapter 14

  Ina

  I woke up to the sun shining through my thin sheer curtains onto the pillows framing my head. Rolling away from the light, I pulled the bed covers over my head, cuddling the soft down beneath me. I prayed for just a few more solidary moments of peaceful sleep.

  It was then that I realized I was in my bedroom and not in the library.

  Bolting upright, I instinctively covered myself with the sheets before checking if I were fully clothed. Once I was sure that I was modest, I took a deep breath and relaxed my grip on the covers. Sliding out of the bed, I stretched as a silent yawn escaped me.

  When I heard a knock on the door, I opened it, revealing a slightly-smiling Wolfsbane. He was carrying a tray overflowing with eggs, breads, meats, fruit, and juices.

  “I made you breakfast,” he said sheepishly, as if he expected me to get upset or yell at him.

  “Thank you,” I smiled, feeling a little flutter in my stomach when his own smile turned genuine.

  “Would you like to eat on the balcony?”

  I nodded, moving out of the way so his large build could come through the doorway. He set the tray on the table, pulling out a chair for me. Siting, I pushed it in, smiling in thanks when he handed me a glass of red juice.

  “Have you been awake long?” He asked as he started filling the two empty, porcelain plates that he had brought out with him.

  “No,” I paused to take a sip of the raspberry flavored liquid. “I just woke up a few minutes before you knocked. This is my favorite.”

  He smiled, setting a plate and fork in front of me. “I know, I remember.”

  He sat across from me, waiting until I had tasted everything before starting on his own food. I watched silently as we ate.

  For a man of his size, he had more manners and etiquette than even Cane did. When he caught me staring, I looked down quickly. He chuckled as I felt heat creeping to my cheeks. I started to wonder what it really would be like to be Perfects.

  “Wolfsbane,” I started as he paused mid-chew, looking up as he swallowed. “What would we have to do? To finish the bond, that is.”

  It took him a minute to respond. “Well, it’s...”

  He got cut off by the sound of a wagon coming down the path.

  Chapter 15

  Wolfsbane

  I sat still, trying to catch any sound that would give me some hint of who was coming.

  Fabiana had told me that there had been Trackers in the woods lately. They kept getting closer to Ina’s house, making it more and more difficult to keep her identity a secret.

  I don’t understand why Fabiana wanted me to keep Ina away from the public, but she did. Fabiana had raised Ina, and I had just entered her life again. I still didn’t entered her life again. I still didn’t know what all had gone on while I had been absent. But, I didn’t want to risk losing her yet again, so I kept my questions at bay.

  It wasn’t until the sound of ever-turning wheels bumping and cracking against the forest ground continued, growing louder and louder, that I had started to worry.

  “Perhaps we should go inside,” I suggested. “And you can show me what you want done with the great room.”

  She nodded, standing and glancing apprehensively in the direction of the oncoming commotion. “That would be a good idea.”

  I let her go in first, glancing over my shoulder one more time, before locking the door and closing the curtains.

  I found Ina in the great room, standing in the middle of the wide floor. I just stood in the doorway, watching her examine the room. She kept looking at the faded, crumpled picture in her hands, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the way the bridge of her nose just barely crinkled as she concentrated.

  Knowing I had been watching her long enough, I cleared my throat, letting her become aware of my presence. When she turned, she smiled at me, and it felt like the entire Realm stood still for a moment.

  “So, have you figured out what you’d like done?”

  She handed me the crumpled paper. It was obviously almost as old as she was, and had been folded and unfolded multiple times. The picture of the red and silver great room had started to fade away along the edges.

  “This is what you want it to look like?”

  She nodded, never taking her eyes off of the paper. “I’ve had this picture for as long as I can remember. Fabiana said she found it in the pocket of my dress when you took me to her.”

  “I wonder where it came from,” I murmured.

  “I’m not sure, but I feel a strange connection to it, as if I’ve been there before.”

  “Well, your wish is my command. This will be the first room finished.”

  She giggled a bit. “We’ll be hosting dinner parties before we know it!”

  I felt my heart constrict as she implied both of us, and I was reminded of our unfinished conversation. I hoped I could talk more about the Bonding before she changed her mind.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but before the words could come, there was a loud, thunderous bang on the door.

  Chapter 16

  Ina

  I glanced at Wolfsbane as the pounding got more consistent. I watched as he tensed, his face going stone cold.

  “Stay here,” he said sternly as he walked out the door and down the hall.

  “That’s not going to happen.” I murmured.

  I walked down the hall, peeking around the corner. I gasped as I watched a large man clasp iron cuffs around Wolfsbane’s wrists.

  He looked up at me, pain in his eyes. “Ina, go back to the library, wait there for Fabiana.”

  “What’s going on? Why are they taking you?”

  “It’s just a misunderstanding. Please, Ina, Do what I asked.”

  The man who was holding Wolfsbane in a tight grip chuckled darkly. “It is no misunderstanding. We’ve been tracking you for years.”

  “What charges are you taking him on?” I demanded, trying to hide the fear and worry that was quickly building up inside of me.

  “The kidnapping of Princess Sophina of the Western Kingdom.”

  Chapter 17

  Wolfsbane

  I sat on the cold, stone bench in the small cell, the walls seeming to close in minute by minute.

  I couldn’t believe how things had been twisted around. I kept thinking of how everything had gotten so messed up, trying to figure it out.

  I heard the grinding of iron against iron, looking up as the cell door opened. The guard stood in the doorway, sneering at me. Without a word, he yanked me up by the chains on my arms.

  I followed him silently through the halls of the dungeons into the corridors of the main floor. We stopped outside of two large, cherry oak doors. He b
anged on the wood, causing it to splinter under his hand before they swung open.

  The room was large, red tapestries with intricate, silver designs hung from the blood-colored ceiling to the marble floors the color of the moon.

  It was the same room from Ina’s picture.

  The guard led me to the middle of the room, forcing me on my knees. I glanced at the couple sitting in front of me, disgust written clearly on the man’s face, the woman’s tear-stained eyes holding pain.

  “Wolfsbane, is it?” The man said.

  “Yes, your honor.”

  “Do you know why you are here?”

  “I was brought on false charges, your honor.”

  His loud, bellowing laugh caused me to look up. “False charges? You have a lot of pluck, dear boy. Now, how do you see that the charged are wrongly pressed?”

  “I didn’t kidnap the princess. I do know where she is, though.”

  “Tell me at once!” His clamorous voice demanded.

  “Of course, your honor. But, first, I’ll tell my side of the story.”

  “I don’t see how this will help your plea of innocence, as our informant has already provided more than enough to prove you blamable. But, if you wish, you may proceed.”

  “Thank you.”

  I told him everything from when I had first found Ina abandoned on the roadside, to just before I go into the carriage at the time of my arrest and everything in between. I left out no detail, explaining everything from perfect memory. When I was finished, I waited for the king and queen to react.

  “Do you have any witnesses?” The king finally asked after a long period of silence.

  “I do.”

  “Names,” he demanded once again.

  “Fabiana the Healer, the Royal Hatter, and the Huntsman of the Northernmost Kingdom.”

  Chapter 18

  Ina

  I rolled over on the small, rickety bed that had once been mine. Fabiana had showed up right after the guard had taken Wolfsbane away and insisted that I go back to her home. I had been too confused to disagree.

  That was two weeks ago.

  I hadn’t slept more than an hour or so every night. I couldn’t I couldn’t think of resting while Wolfsbane was God-knows-where. I had to know if he was alright.

  I heard my door open, and knew it was Fabiana even before she spoke.

  “I’m not hungry today, Fabiana.” I said wearily.

  She sighed. “I had been hoping you’d be asleep. You’re depriving your body, Ina.”

  “I’ll be alright.”

  “What good will you be to the man if you’re bedridden, all because you didn’t take care of yourself when he was absent?”

  Before I could answer, a knock came from outside my room. A moment later, after some murmuring of voices I didn’t recognize, Cane came in. Worry briefly flashed over his face when he saw me. I gave him a hopefully reassuring smile.

  “They’re here, Fabiana. It’s time to go.”

  “Where are we going?” I sat up, bracing myself when the room started to spin on its own.

  “You aren’t going anywhere. Fabiana and I just have some business in town.” Cane crossed his arms across his chest, as if restating the fact that I wasn’t going.

  I frowned, and Fabiana placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Besides, you’re in no shape to be traveling.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” I sighed. “But, at least let me walk you out.”

  She nodded, and helped me out of bed. Keeping hold of her arm, I made my way alongside them to the living room.

  “Ina, this is Samantha and Angela. They will be staying with you while we’re gone.”

  Cane motioned to the two girls standing in the living room, one of which was wrapped around a tall man in a mismatched suit. I couldn’t help but stare at the man in a purple overcoat and sage green pants standing in the living room.

  “I…I know you,” I murmured to the man.

  “Indeed you do, Princess.” He said, taking off his hat and swooping into a bow.

  “But, I’ve never seen you before.”

  He chuckled. “That is where you are wrong, my dear.”

  Before I could ask more, Cane cleared his throat loudly. “We should be off.”

  Fabiana smiled as she let one of the girls, Samantha, to take her place. “You’re in good hands.”

  And, with that, they were off, leaving me wondering where I had seen the absurd man before.

  Chapter 19

  Wolfsbane

  I stood in the great room, trying to be as still as possible. Out of the four of us standing there, waiting for the Royals to give us their verdict, I seemed to be the most impatient. I hated waiting, even when my life depended on it.

  “You should probably try to calm down a bit,” Hatter suggested coolly. “They can smell anxiety.”

  “So, the king and queen are were-people too? I’ve always suspected so.” I said, only half kidding.

  Fabiana slapped me, putting more force behind it than I thought she had in her. “Be respectful. These Royals are holding your life in their hands.”

  I sighed. “I know, you’re right. But, I’ve been here for three weeks’ time. Shouldn’t they have their verdict by now?”

  “You cannot rush them, my friend.” Huntsman cut in.

  The large, oversized man hadn’t spoken during the time he had been there, aside from when he was testifying in my favor. Hatter had said he had been quiet during the trip to the Western Castle. I wondered what was bothering him, but I knew from experience that you couldn’t get an answer from him that way. If he wanted you to know, he would tell you.

  I had been so wrapped in my thoughts, I hadn’t heard the Royals come back into his great room. When the guard announced that they had come to a verdict, my heart started to race and my head started to pound. I couldn’t look at anyone.

  “We have come to a conclusion.” The king finally stated.

  “And that is?” Fabiana asked.

  I looked up in shock as the king voiced his proclamation, his eyes never leaving me as he spoke.

  Chapter 20

  Ina

  I couldn’t move.

  I was so weak, it was surprising that I was even able to roll to my other side on the small bed. My short breaths were shallow and labored. My skin had become almost transparent, every bump in my bones and rabbit trail of veins clearly visible.

  I couldn’t bear looking at my reflection in the small vanity mirror across the room from me. If I hadn’t already cried all of my tears, the sight of my once flowing brown tresses now brittle dead would surely cause me to weep. My hollow, lifeless eyes made me look sickly.

  The bedroom door opened, revealing a very gleeful-looking Angela. She creeped in, closing the door behind her before rushing to sit by the beds edge.

  “Ina,” she whispered, pushing hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear. “You need to get up. Someone very special is here to see you.”

  “I wouldn’t like to see them, thank you.” I managed weakly.

  “You will once you see who it is.”

  She started sitting me up in bed, grabbing the comb next to the bed. I knew better than to fight against Angela when she had her heart, and her head, set firm. I winced as she pulled the comb relentlessly through my week-old knots, endlessly going on about how excited I was going to be.

  When my hair was brushed and braided and I had been changed into my best dress, Angela took a step back to examine her work.

  She let out a loud sigh. “I suppose that this is about as good as you’ll get.”

  “I’m so uncomfortable,” I whined. “Who is coming that is so important that I must go through this.”

  “They’re not coming,” she giggled. “He’s already here. And, it’s time for you to find out.”

  Quickly, she wrapped an arm around me, helping me with my balance, and opened the door.

  Smiling at me, she took a deep breath. I mimicked her, not sure why I was so nervous. An
d, without another word, she ushered me out the door, not even giving me a second to think up an excuse not to go meet this secret stranger waiting for me.

  Chapter 21

  Wolfsbane

  I ran my fingers through my hair again, inwardly cursing myself when Cane looked at me with nothing but pure disgust in his eyes.

  “Now, you must remember what I told you.” Fabiana cautioned. “Ina isn’t the same girl as she was before.”

  “You’ve said that before,” I retorted curtly.

  She shook her head. “This time is different. She doesn’t look like the same Ina that either of us remember.”

  “He’s not going to understand until he sees her,” Sam chipped in.

  Just as she finished her sad sigh, a door in the hall opened. My heart started to race as I heard two sets of slow, even-paced footsteps. I ran my hands through my hair as I saw Angela round the corner.

  “Come on, Hun,” she chided. “You don’t want to keep them waiting.”

  My breath hitched when I saw the only one I’ve ever loved turn the corner. Her skin was a sickly, transparent yellow. She had become too thin, her cheeks and eyes sunken in. The gorgeous brown curls had gotten longer, hanging almost to her waist in the coiled braid.

  My heart broke seeing her unlike her normal self. But, when she saw me and her icy blue eyes sparkled, she looked as beautiful as the last day I saw her.

  “Wolfsbane,” she whispered, tears coming to her eyes as she freed herself from Angela’s grasp and stumbled forward.

  I caught her before she fell, holding her fragile frame close in a tight embrace. I felt my own cheeks wetting when my tears began to fall silently as her small hands tightened in my shirt.

  I picked her up gently and sat in one of the many chairs in the room, setting Ina down carefully in my lap. She curled into my chest instantly, and I wrapped my arms around her.