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“I knew it all along,” Marko carried on. “She is the daughter of a witch—a fiend, murderer!”

Mora, mora, mora, they chanted.

I couldn’t believe my ears. Is that what he truly believed? Didn’t Nikola tell him of the Evil Eye? I was relieved to see he wasn’t among the men. But still, it worried me. Where was he? Has he been looking for me?

I tried to slip away, but one of the men in the crowd noticed me. “There she is!” he called out. “The mora!”

I do not wish to ever relive the terror I felt as they chased me. I ran and ran, dodging down different paths as more people appeared, trying to capture me. Some threw rocks. In my panic, I raced down the pier, hoping to catch a ship, but there were none leaving.

At the end of the pier, they cornered me. Marko was at the head. He thought he had caught me, but I was cleverer than that.

I am grateful now that Otac taught me to swim. For I jumped into the sea to escape. They could not see me in the darkness as I swam along the shore. Eventually, I crept back onto land, wandering back to the bunja.

I must speak with Nikola—only he can save me now. But I cannot go to Lavender House, not with Marko on the hunt. Even in this bunja, I fear I am not fully safe.

The workshop. I know I can find Nikola there. I will go soon, perhaps when things have settled down a little.

For now, I must hide.

I no longer know the day. All I know is fear. Survival.

Marko and his men have nearly found me a few times, as I hunted and hid in the woods. The closest they came was a few days ago, when two men approached the bunja while I was inside. I dashed into the woods, sure they would follow, but luckily they didn’t. They fear me—or rather, the mora. At least this works in my favor.

I am also hunted in my dreams. When I can manage to fall asleep, I see the wolf, its glowing yellow eyes. Ana may be gone, but the Devil still lingers, haunting me. I must lie low. Stay away from trouble.

Despite my prayers, I fear God has forsaken me. I can’t help but wonder, like I’ve done several times before, if He is listening at all.

The hunt seems to have died down. Last night, I heard nothing in the forest, only the familiar sounds of nature. Perhaps they have given up.

I will go to Nikola’s workshop tonight. I pray he is there and it is not too late to redeem my name.

My heart is shattered. Trampled. Torn apart.

I found Nikola. I waited outside the workshop for hours, falling asleep at some point. When I woke, the lanterns were lit, and I saw his silhouette in one of the windows. I rushed to the door, too afraid to knock, lest anyone hear me. As soon as I entered, an ache spread through me, thinking of all the fond memories I’d had inside.

And yet, the moment Nikola saw me, he recoiled. The panic in his eyes cut deep, and I don’t know how to make sense of it—how our love could have soured so quickly.

“Stay back,” he said as I stepped closer, his voice bristling with fear.

I told him it was me, Magdalena, and apologized for what happened to his mother. But my words only darkened his expression.

“Don’t speak of her,” he hissed. “It’s your fault she’s dead.”

Though I’d thought the same thing, hearing it from him chilled me. I tried to explain. If Marko hadn’t come home, if Antula hadn’t fetched him—

But he cut me off. “She begged you to stop. You were hurting her.”

I told him it was the Evil Eye. Couldn’t he see how Ana’s eyes had turned yellow, how her voice became a growl?

I cannot believe what he said next: “She only changed when you were near. You must have infected her somehow.”

I was stunned. The Nikola I had known, the one who trusted me, was gone. A stranger stood before me.

“What about Joséphine?” I demanded. “Your father’s mistress, the one who cursed Ana in the first place?”

He said he had asked his father about this. Marko told him she was never his mistress, just a flirt who meant nothing.

I insisted his father was lying—Ana had told me herself.