“What’s wrong with her arm?” Roxanne’s cold fingers reached for my tucked cloak; I had no strength to protest. “Oh Moon, what have you done?”
“What in the Kingdom...” Francis’ voice vibrated through me as his hands brought me closer.
“We need to hurry, or she is going to lose her arm.”
“I—” I started, yet the sickness traveled faster than moonlight.
“Fuck,” Francis grumbled, carrying me towards the castle.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen.” My lips trembled; my eyes fluttered. “I didn’t—”
“Florence!” Roxanne called. “We need your help!” She opened the door to the small study; dozens of differently colored jars sat on each shelf.
Francis carried me in, setting me down on the chair in the corner of the room.
“Find her some moonshine,” Roxanne ordered Francis, frantically searching the cabinets of the study. “Florence!”
Francis nodded, rushing out of the room.
The staircase above the room screeched. The darkness drowned me.
“You have to stay awake.” Roxanne’s fingers squeezed my cheeks, shaking my head left and right. “Stay awake, Cordelia!” She pressed a few Vasyalisk berries against my lips.
The berries slipped into my mouth, the bitterness burned on my tongue. The edges of my eyes watered as the door to the study flew open.
“What is going—” Florence trailed off when her eyes landed on my arm. “Oh Dear Moon.”
“We need fresh snow or ice,” Roxanne ordered at her. “Preferably ice.”
The running boots disappeared into the hallway as Florence rushed to fulfill Roxanne’s command.
“This is going to hurt,” was my only warning before Roxanne applied a thick layer of paste across my arm.
“Stop!” I yelped against my better judgement. “Stop!”
“I got the moonshine.”
My vision darkened when I searched for Francis’ face, his eyes lingered on mine before the darkness pulled me under—
“Put it under her nose, we can’t let her lose consciousness."
No amount of fire could compare with the flame that spread though my hand, reaching my heart. An excruciating scream fought for freedom, scratching my throat, yet silence captured my mind—
“Cordelia?”
My head shook, my wrist caught aflame.
“Cordelia!”
Cordelia.
Cordelia—
The darkness smiled down at me, dozens of stars dimmed into nothingness.
Nothing—
“What are you doing?” echoed through my mind, each word slowly traveling through the fog.
