Thirty-Four
Mom flipped through the book, her green gaze intent on discovering the secrets of the stolen tome. I lay chained to the stone floor, quiet and shivering in the corner. The only sounds in the room were the snap of the beeswax candle flame and the occasional drip of water from the roof.
We’d gone to a new place after someone spotted me when they came to drop something off. I hadn’t meant to show myself, but I was too weak to crawl back to my corner, and the visitor was unexpected.
More than likely, they’d asked too many questions and word had gotten back. We moved a few days later. As far as the person who tried to help?
They were probably dead. Mom didn’t like loose ends.
“Where is it?” she muttered to herself, her long pale fingers flipping through the parchment pages.
I was weaker than normal today. Mom’s spell felt more powerful than usual, and I was drained to the point of exhaustion. Moving took far more effort. Add the bruises and what I expected was a broken arm, and I was in far worse shape than normal after her rituals.
She hadn’t set the break, and every move sent fire down my shoulder all the way to my fingers.
We’d gone to a village this time, one larger than her normal choice. A curious decision, but I hadn’t dared to ask. The odds of me being discovered again were far higher here. Too many eyes and at least one person had seen me in the carriage on the ride here.
She needed something here or coveted it. Either way, Mom wouldn’t lose. Whatever lay here, she would have it, one way or another, or everyone would suffer.
Mom dusted the crumbs from her fingers. The shell of a piece of crusty bread lay by the book, and my traitorous stomach growled. I closed my eyes, a tear slipping down my cheek, as I prayed she was distracted by the text rather than any small, involuntary noise I might make.
“Hungry, daughter?” She turned, the old chair making a loud creak.
I stared at her with wide eyes, too afraid to answer.
“Speak,” Mom barked.
I licked my chapped, sore lips. “Yes.”
Her lips curved in a smile. Men thought she was beautiful. They had no idea the depravity hiding behind that smile. “I suppose I ought to feed you. There will be a visitor coming later, one who will help you heal.”
I went still. No one ever helped me heal. Mom could make whatever draught she wanted with her magic and the large supply of herbs she carried with her no matter how many times we moved.
Her smile widened. “You will be forever changed when he is through with you.”
My bladder loosened in fear.
Anger snapped over her features. She clicked her tongue. “And now I shall have to bathe you, too. Oh daughter, why must you disappoint me so?”
She rose from the chair, a dark shadow bathing me in despair.
I awoke with a start, covered in sweat, the air smelling of fear.
My heart pounded in my chest, and I gasped for breath. But as my thoughts cleared, and I centered myself, my memories sharpened.
We were only in that place for a few days, long enough for my transformation into whatever I’d become. If I were extremely lucky, that place still stood, and maybe I’d find something helpful.
Evie took one look at me and shook her head. “You still look like shit. Why in the world would I let you go anywhere?”
I glared at my best friend. “First of all, you are not my mother.”
“If I was your mother, you’d be off backpacking naked in Europe somewhere with a hot guy named Pierre and not here covered in sweat after a fucked up dream where your mother had you chained in the basement like an animal!”
I blinked at her shrieking tone.
Evie’s chest heaved with anger. She covered her face and let out a sob. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry.”
I touched her shoulder. “It’s okay.”
