“Look at me, Farron.” I place my other hand on the side of his face.
He does, and I see his fear. His shame. It is a look I know too well, if only because it was the same expression looking at me in the mirror many years ago.
His mother threatened to take back the Blessing—an act not done in recent history of the Vale. The magic is only intended to move forward. I know it is an empty threat, for an attempt to retake the magic could kill them both.
“What if I’ve ruined everything, Ez?” Farron asks, voice breaking. “What if Caspian’s done something terrible to me?”
“Then we put it back together,” I tell him. “All of us.”
He closes his eyes and tears squeeze out, running down his face and over my hands. “I don’t want to hurt people anymore.”
My chest tightens, and I roughly brush his tears away with my thumb. “I’m right here, Farron. We’re staying here with you, alright? I swear, I won’t let you hurt anyone.”
He brings his hand up over top of mine. “Promise me something, Ez?”
“What?”
“If it doesn’t work,” his gaze is so intense, piercing into me, “then you’ll kill me. You’ll do it, won’t you, Ez? I need you to promise.”
I recoil, horrified, but Farron holds me tighter and pleads, “Please, Ez.”
“I… promise. Now breathe with me.” I place his hand on my chest so he can feel the rise and fall of my breath. In and out, we breathe. I am steady for him, a mountain to his gale. But the tempest claws within me.I have made a promise I cannot keep.
We take another deep breath in and out, and his pulse slows beneath my fingertips. “I think it’s about to happen, Ez.”
“I know.” I pull him toward me. Then I raise the barest edge of my helmet, just enough so I can kiss the top of his forehead. “I’m with you, little brother.”
“You need to leave,” he says, voice deep and guttural.
I stand, armor trembling with the movement, and back up to the others. Kel and Dayton have stripped down to their flesh to avoid destroying their clothes, but Rosalina’s not looking at them. She’s fixated on Farron.
I quickly shed my armor except for my helmet, which my snout pushes off during the turn. Then I stare out the big window in the living area. The sun dips below the horizon.
Energy crackles through my body as my bones snap, grow, rearrange. At first, the shift made me nauseous from the mere thought of my body mutating, but now each change feels natural. The line between the man and the wolf grows thinner with each turn.
A growl surges up my throat, but I contain it. There must not be any suspicious noises or hints of the curse. I can only imagine what Princess Niamh would do if she knew of our true nature.
Kel’s frozen beast stands in the entranceway to Farron’s room, but Dayton’s shape, dripping briny water, shoves forward to look. Then Rosalina squeezes between both of them.
Farron’s body is still changing. The man’s back arches unnaturally, his legs furry and crooked like that of a wolf. Long canines erupt from his mouth, and his eyes glow with golden hunger. Then the wolf erupts from him, the beast of rotten leaves and burnt brush.
It’s not working,I think.Caspian tricked us. Farron will be lost, and I’ll have to—
The thorn collar erupts from around Farron’s neck. It grows like a thicket, winding around his legs, his body, even his muzzle, then sinking thorns deep within the floor. The wolf remains still, only its golden eyes flitting this way and that.
“He’s trapped,” Kel growls.
I creep past them, stepping into the room. Tentatively, I sniff the thorns. Every inch of Farron is covered, except for his eyes and a bit of his nose. His wails and thrashing usually fill the night. But now, all I hear is the rapid in and out of his breath through his nostrils.
“He’s not getting out,” I say. “It worked.”
Rosalina rushes forward, but Kel snags the back of her shirt with his teeth. “He’s still dangerous, Rose,” he mutters through fabric. “We haven’t seen enough yet.”
“He’s scared,” she cries, ripping free. “Can’t you see it? He’s terrified.” She turns to Farron, hand outstretched for the tip of his snout visible through the thorns. “He’s in there, all alone—”
Kel bursts in front of her, nudging her hard in the belly with his snout. “Out.”
Rosalina looks like she’s going to snap back, but I bump against her. “We’re only going to rouse him by being here. Let’s shut the door and let him rest.”
