“He’s also been lying to us. Annette showed me the laboratory before her master key was taken. I was able to look through some of the notebooks you mentioned. The antidote appears to be silver.”
I raised an eyebrow. “But I thought silver could kill you?”
“Apparently the silver in the antidote we’re given has been diluted and filtered through blood … other people’s blood, and then harvested via leeches. It’s so painful because they are literally filling our veins with poison.” She shuddered. “I don’t think I can take the antidote knowing where it comes from. My life isn’t more valuable than anyone else’s. People shouldn’t have to die so I can carry on, as is clearly happening. I would rather … I would rather be in chains.”
I tried to banish images of the man I’d seen covered in wriggling leeches as the recess filled in behind us. “You’re a brave woman, my lady.”
Blanche rolled her eyes. “Yes, well, let’s hope we won’t have to testhowbrave.” She gestured up the passageway. “Come. My brother should be up ahead.”
“You’re sure he’s down here?” I asked, following her. I grazed the wall as I walked, and grimaced as the stone was slimy and wet to the touch. In fact, the whole passage smelled of fungus and rot. And Henri was being kept imprisoned in a place like this?
At the end of the passage, a doorway to the left opened up into a larger room, much like the dungeon I’d discovered beyond the laboratory. Torches illuminated the walls from sconces, sending flickering light over the dreary, grimy room, and gleaming on bars that looked brand new. Beyond the bars, Henri paced back and forth like an animal in a cage.
“Henri?” I whispered.
Count Morano looked up, then beamed. “Thank God you’re alright.” He rushed to the bars. “I was so worried.”
“You’re the one in the dungeon,” I told him, looking him over. His white shirt and tan pants were stained with dirt, and his hair was mussed, but he otherwise seemed in fine condition. A bandage covered the space between his shoulder and neck, yet blood still seeped through the cloth. “That monster,” I hissed, reaching out to touch the bandage.
Henri swallowed hard and put a hand over mine. “It looks worse than it is. It’ll heal on the next full moon. The full moon always restores us.” He lifted the edge of the bandage to allow me a glimpse of several jagged cuts in the process of healing. The deepest wound still appeared raw, but they didn’t look swollen or infected. If I didn’t know any better, I would say these wounds were a month old, not a mere week.
“Uncle lost an arm once,” Blanche added. “To a witch.”
“He grew it back?” I asked, bewildered.
Blanche shook her head slowly. “No. He claims it was the same arm. He’d buried it across town, where no one could find it and discover his secret. Burned it until it was unrecognizable. But he swore it found its way back to him, as if pulled by an invisible string. As soon as it reattached itself, it just healed as if it had never happened.” She shrugged. “But that’s nothing. We can die and be revived on the next full moon. So long as it’s not silver that kills us. We also age slower. Especially in old age, our bodies fight off mortality’s effects, giving us extraordinary lifespans.”
“That is … remarkable. And terrifying.”
“Too terrifying?” Henri asked softly.
I looked up to meet his eyes. They were the same brilliant green that I remembered, but there was something in them that I wasn’t accustomed to finding in their depths. I thought it might be fear. It was strange to think that this man was a wolf the other night, that I’d seen him tearing into his uncle ferociously, to come to my aid. It was hard to reconcile that beast with the handsome, very human man who stood before me, unsure and looking so fragile.
My Henri.
Henri laced our fingers together and swallowed hard. “Emile, I … I’m so sorry. I wish I’d had the courage … I wish I’d been able to tell you what I am. A monster.”
My heart squeezed in my chest, and I reached in the cage with my free hand to cup his cheek, covered in stubble. “No, Henri. You’re no monster.”
Henri’s lips quivered and he looked away, blinking back tears. “I don’t deserve your generosity. I know that you’ve never loved me, and I’ve been terribly unfair to you. I kept you from Bram, I turned you over to your aunt because of my bruised ego, I tried to force you into a relationship when you were in no position to say no …” He put a hand to his head. “I am scum for what I’ve done. I’m so sorry for the pain I’ve inflicted. I never should have tried to force you into a life I would benefit from. I know it would have made you miserable, and it was wrong of me to push you.” He took a shuddering breath. “I’m sorry for the lies and subterfuge. I was lonely and you were the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I didn’t want to lose you. It was selfish. I only wish I’d assisted you in escaping Udolpho sooner.”
I squeezed his hand. “Henri … I can’t say that I wouldn’t have behaved in the same manner. The curse is a lot to bear, and it makes truth hard to come by.” I paused. “And I won’t forget that you came for me. You fought with your uncle for my sake.” My eyes found his bandage. “You’re hurt because of me.”
Henri shook his head sadly. “When I read the note you left for me on your bed, and heard my uncle howl outside the castle gates, I knew he was going after you. I couldn’t sit by, not knowing what he would do once he caught up to you. Intervening was the least I could do. And if I was stronger, perhaps … perhaps you would be far from this place by now.”
“You can’t blame yourself.”
Henri let out a shaky breath and pulled away from the bars, dropping my hand in the process. He appraised me and nodded to himself. “The thing is, Emile, if you don’t go through with this marriage to my sister, I don’t know what my uncle will do. I don’t think he’ll give you another chance. You have to leave.”
I drew back. “I’ve already tried.”
Henri shook his head. “I’ve written to a friend who can help you on your journey away from here. He’s waiting in the village for you, sitting in the pub every evening. You only need to make it there. We have a plan to get you out of the castle.” He nodded to Blanche behind me. “With a carriage, you needn’t worry about stumbling through the woods, being stalked by my uncle.”
“A carriage?” I asked, frowning. “How would you manage that?”
“Details can wait. But you have to flee and get to safety. Leave and never look back.”
I felt my stomach drop. “What are you saying?”
