The moment the door is locked again, I collapse forward as my body finally does what I was screaming at it to do and lunges forward. I ball my hands into fists on the ground as I lift my head and look up at the witch. At least, I’m assuming she’s a witch based on the potion and spell she’s subjected me to thus far. As much as I want to defy this woman and fight the rising hunger in me, I know it’s futile. So when she sets the tray in front of me, I hastily grab the food, shoving it in my mouth.
“Good girl,” the witch praises, and the hairs on the backs of my arms rise.
I’m tempted to spit the half-chewed bread in my mouth at her feet, but a stronger side of me feels half-possessed. I couldn’t make myself stop eating if I wanted to, and that realization makes me nauseous to the point where I fear I might lose every bite of food I’m hastily gorging myself on.
“You know, when given too much, I’ve actually had a few people eat their cellmates when they wake up from that sleep potion. It can be nasty, the hunger side effect.” There’s a joyouslilt in her voice that directly contrasts that atrocity in the statement she made. “Perhaps that’s what I should have done with your precious Ronan, make you eat her.”
My eyes jump to hers, horrified. This is the only thing that seems to be able to stop me from chewing. The woman leans closer to my face, wiping a stray crumb from the corner of my mouth.
“What I’m telling you is that I could have brought in live rats and watched you devour them, but I gave you food.Goodfood at that. Wasn’t that nice of me?” She gives me a warm smile that somehow still feels cold.
The churning in my stomach intensifies, and to my horror, my hand lifts the wedge of cheese to my mouth of its own accord. I scream internally at myself to stop, but instead, I unwillingly take another bite of food. My stomach cramps as I feel the hastily chewed item slide down my throat.
“Now, I’m sure you’re very confused and have a lot of questions. I’m happy to tell you everything. To start, my name is Dianthus—”
“Where are my clothes?”
Dianthus’s eye twitches at my interjection to what I assume was going to be a long and senseless monologue.
“Please don’t interrupt me,” she squawks before smoothing her hands over her sleek, golden hair.
“That hideous dress you were wearing has been discarded.”
I balk at her.
“You expect me to wear only this?” I question, a bite in my tone.
“I expect you to do as you’re told!” Dianthus stands to her full height, hovering over me, but I refuse to be intimidated, even though I’m fairly certain she could kill me with a snap of her fingers. I lift my chin at her defiantly, watching as she smothers her impatience. “I did away with your garments because I hadno way of knowing if you had any weapons on you. This way, you can’t pull any tricks on me or hide something sharp in the countless ruffles of your skirt. I remember you were always a very clever girl.”
I don’t say anything, but fix her with an acrimonious glare.
Unperturbed by my scowl, she continues. “Let’s start over, shall we?” She clears her throat dramatically. “I’m the witch who cursed Braxton.”
I refuse to let my mouth fall open, but I know my shock is painted across my face. A gloating smile tips her lips.
“And yes, before you ask, that does mean that technically, I’m also responsible for your curse. But, your curse is not what you think it is. Now, unfortunately, I’m bound by magic to not be able to share the exact parameters of either of your curses, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways for you to discover the truth.”
My head is winding up with questions, but I do my best to keep my expression neutral.
“Soon you’ll remember everything. Even the things Braxton doesn’t want you to remember.”
My teeth snag and pull at the dry skin on the bottom of my lip. When the hint of copper coats my tongue, I realize I’ve ripped some of the skin clean off. Dianthus claps loudly, and I can’t help the jolt that shoots through my body.
“But before we can get to any of that, we have to wait for our guest of honor, of course. Braxton should be here within the hour. Then, the fun can really begin.”
I practically choke, and my hand instinctively reaches for the rose quartz resting against my sternum. Dianthus tracks the movement with rapt glee. Her smile becomes as twisted as the gnarled branches of a rotted tree.
“Try to rest, Azalea. I have a feeling you’re going to need your strength.”
59
Braxton
ThankfuckIgaveAzalea that necklace. Though I didn’t give it to her for this reason, it’s enchanted with a tracking spell that’s currently leading me right to her. I gave her the necklace because it was rightfully hers. It was her wedding present that I felt I had held on to for too long. I either wanted her to wear it when the curse was finally lifted and she remembered me, or I wanted her to take it with her when she left, so that she always had a piece of me, even if she didn’t realize it.
I inherited the necklace from my mother before she passed. It wasn’t until I was much older that my father told me what it really was. He’d gifted it to my mother when he first started courting her as a protection method against his enemies. I’m not sure my mother knew the truth of the necklace, but she wore it every day without fail.
The magic is bound between the necklace and its pairing ring. While the necklace leaves small glimmers, like shining orbs, of where the wearer of it has been, the ring turns the ability to see those glimmers on and off. Once I got back to where she was abducted from the carriage, I twisted the ring on my finger andwas easily able to follow the trail it led me to. When I reached the outskirts of the Grimoire Forest, I decided to continue on foot, with Luna by my side. She refused to stay in the castle, and I didn’t have time to waste arguing with a dog.
