“What’s the last thing you remember?”
I considered this. My mind was muddled, my thoughts swam. It was outrageously frustrating.
“I was on a jog,” I mused. “Through the woods.”
“And?” she prompted.
I cleared my throat. “Oh. I saw these—these mushrooms. I was going to bring them to Kizzi.”
“You saw mushrooms?”
“Growing in a cluster in the ground, yes. I remember now. I used my sweater to create a pouch.”
“Are you sure?”
My eyes flashed to Velline’s face to find a skeptical expression. My hackles rose.
“I’m sure,” I said cautiously. “Why?”
“It’s just…” She fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable. “Those mushrooms aren’t local to Moonvale. The shiny red ones with the dots?”
I nodded slowly. “I didn’t recognize them, but I know what I saw. Red. Dots.”
She didn’t look convinced. “You were unconscious when you arrived here. Do you remember anything else?”
“There was… something following me. A monster. I ran. And then, I think I fell. My head—” I forced my arm to move, and my fingers met bandages on my forehead. I winced. Yep, definitely pummeled my head alright.
Velline tensed. “Who was following you, Ginny?”
“Who? No, it was a beast. A monster.” I shook my head. “I didn’t get a good look at it.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t a man?” she asked cautiously.
“A man? No. I don’t think so. It couldn’t have been.”
She sighed, stood up, and straightened the linens on the cot. “I’ll let you get some rest. You took quite a spill, and the toxins are still leaving your body.”
“Toxins?” I asked. Suddenly, I felt incredibly stupid. “The mushrooms.”
She nodded sagely. “Toxic.”
“I’m such an idiot,” I muttered.
“Just rest. Don’t worry about it now. It’s being handled.”
“What’s being handled? Wait, Velline, why did you ask about a man? Who found me, if I was unconscious?
“Rest,” she said, ignoring my questions.
She reached out to drag feather light fingers over my forehead.
And suddenly sleep sounded like an excellent idea.
My eyes fell shut.
Words reached me as though through a long tunnel.
“He’s refusing to speak to anyone else.”
