I rub my hands over my arms and cinch my cloak tighter around my neck to fend off the cold. Above us, gossamer clouds lazily drift by, mellowing the rays of the sun. I tip my head up to Odgar.
“Where is the Seer?” I ask him.
Odgar points toward a thick copse of trees beyond the clearing. “He lives in a hut deeper in the woods. Right through there. Are you ready to see him?”
My heart responds before I can, hammering erratically in my chest. “No,” I breathe. “But the longer I procrastinate, the more daunting it’ll be.”
Odgar nods and extends his elbow to me. I link my arm through his, feeling his muscles undulate as he gently pulls me against his side.
“Is it alright if I come along?” Briony asks quietly.
“Of course, Briony,” says Odgar. “If it’s alright with Carys, that is.”
I nod. “It’s fine with me.”
We make our way through the crowds and into the dense forest. The trees stretch even farther into the sky, and our surroundings grow darker. The more distance we put between us and the Hallowed Wood, the more the stillness grows. Myskin prickles, and my palms begin to sweat. There’s an odd density to the air by the time a small wooden hut with a thatched roof comes into view. A worn pathway between taller unkempt bushes leads the way to the door.
Odgar’s arm tightens around mine, and Briony stands so straight that it looks unnatural and nearly painful.
“Gods,” I mumble.
“So, you feel it too,” Odgar whispers.
“I was going to say the same,” Briony adds. Her arm brushes mine as she nervously shifts closer. “That’s the Seer’s home? I expected a queue of people here.”
Odgar looks past me to Briony. “They’ll spend much of today appeasing the gods first.”
“Ah.” Briony nods in understanding.
I keep my eyes on the door covered with moss and ivy as I take a step forward. But Odgar doesn’t budge, his arm a vise grip around mine. “You can let go now,” I tell him.
He releases his hold after a moment of hesitation. But as I step onto the pathway, he’s right beside me again. He wraps his hand around mine, and all thoughts abandon me. I peer up at him as his brows draw together.
“Let me come with you,” he says.
My lips part, then close again. If this Seer is truly as powerful as I’ve been told, he may divulge things I’m not ready to have Odgar know yet.
I shake my head. “I need to do this on my own.”
Odgar sighs. “If at any time you feel unsafe, shout. And get out of there.”
My blood chills. “Are youtryingto scare me?”
He smirks, and I want to slap him, but those twinkling sapphire eyes of his diffuse my temper.
“Fine, I’ll shout and run, if needed.”
His hand squeezes mine gently before I pull it away. Briony gives me a small nod when I look over my shoulder at her. I exhale and walk down the pathway toward the hut. My fist is only just raised to the moss-grown door when a gravelly voice calls from within, “Enter, child.”
My palms grow slicker as my pulse quickens. I’m not sure what to expect, but as the door creaks open and I step into the dark interior, the sensation of spiders walking down my spine renders me immobile. An unpleasantly earthy stench reaches my nose, the uncanny chill rivaling the frosty outdoors. A few candles have almost melted onto a low table in the middle of the dark room. Behind the table sits a figure, the hood of a tattered black cloak pulled low over his eyes and flowy sleeves concealing his hands.
“Come closer,” he drawls in the Common Tongue. He lifts a white, ghostly hand and waves me closer.
With my heart pulsating rapidly in my throat, I step forward until I can make out a bundle of furs on the floor. “Thank you for having me.” The words feel foolish on my lips as I sit atop the furs.
“You come in search of answers.”
I hold back a shudder. “Yes.”
