I sucked in a breath as something odd happened.
Iremembered.
I remembered how young Hatter and I spoke to one another, happy and sweet. How Elise had sang her heart out from the throne, and eventually came to join us in a dance. How I’d loved every moment of my personal ball.
“I—it was perfect. The best gift.” I opened my eyes to find Hatter watching me as if I was the most beautiful thing in the world.
But something was distracting me—something deep inside my core had unlocked and was bubbling up inside of me.
I winced. The sensation wasn’t pleasant, kind of like gas pains, but at least the pain gave me an indication that our tactics were working.
I dropped his hand and took a step back, just in time for it to burst.
There was a brilliant flash, and then aether, in the form of a bright white light, hovered in front of me. Instinctively, I latched on to it, cupping the power that I’d called in my hands. The essence of the old gods swirled above my palms as I stared, mesmerized.
“Use it,” Dee urged with a squeal. “Change your hair!”
I closed my eyes again and visualized hard, picturing what I wanted done. Although I felt nothing, I didn’t let up, and when I heard Dum gasp, I knewsomethinghad happened.
My eyes popped open. “Did it work?”
I scanned my friends, all of whom looked gobsmacked and had apparently been rendered mute.
Needing an answer, I reached for the braid trailing down my back, pulled it over my shoulder. A smile bloomed on my face.
Gone was the moon-white hair I’d rocked all my life, and in its place were vibrant teal locks.
Our laughter filled the air as Henri, Dee, Dum, and I sprinted away from the village, our arms laden with as much bread, cheese, dried meats, and apples we’d been able to grab before the pajama-clad store owner descended the stairs and sounded the alarm.
That we’d chosen to strike in early evening had worked in our favor. The shops were closed and the streets empty, reducing the chance that I was recognized even more. People were settling down in their homes, and by the time most of the fae poked their heads out their front doors to see what all the commotion was about, we were already disappearing into the trees.
“Think they’ll follow?” I asked once we were deep into the forest.
“Why?” Dee remarked, still giggling. “You changed your hair, so there’s no suspicion on that end. They don’t know what’s going on. And as soon as the market owner notices that we left money on the table, people won’t have a reason to chase us.”
That was true. We’d left more than enough coin to cover the food we’d snatched. I only hoped that we had grabbed an ample amount for the rest of our journey. Even if the little break in was kind of fun, I didn’t want to get caught over something stupid.
“I hear a river,” Henri remarked. “Let’s head toward it and break for dinner there.”
Following our ears, we found the river only a short distance away. Once there, we sat down on the banks, and divided the food for a meal, storing the rest in our bags. My stomach growled as I put together my sandwich, and we’d just dug in when a strange sound cut through the calm of the forest.
“Did you hear—” Dum flung a hand over her mouth.
Everyone stiffened as the trees rustled about thirty feet away.
Had somebody followed us from the town? Perhaps a shifter fae with a keen sense of smell? And what would they do if they caught us?
I tensed, and we all rose slowly, waiting, preparing to run.
The grunting hit my ear first, followed by a softer, younger whine. Then an animal with the face of a dog, but the body of a large, powerful feline, bounded out of the trees. It was a baby, and right behind it, the mother emerged, her head swinging watchfully side to side.
She stopped when she saw us, and bared her long, sharp teeth. As a low growl rang from her throat, we all lifted our hands and slowly sat back down, not wanting to alarm the animal that looked so powerful and fast.
After she concluded we weren’t a threat, the mama followed her youngling, who hadn’t noticed us in the slightest. They approached the river and drank.
Henri let out an exhale. “A bandersnatch. Thank the gods we’re far enough away to not be a threat. The mothers can be very aggressive in protecting their young ones.”
“So that’s a bandersnatch . . .” I trailed off, watching the mom and her cub.I’d heard them before, and seen a painting of the creatures, but seeing them in real life was different.
