Chapter 18 #2
She shrugged. “It was too soon. You wouldn’t have believed me until you saw it for yourself.” She cast a pointed look at the stone I still clasped in my hand. Even this small symbol I’d rejected.
“Good point,” I admitted, untangling the chain and slipping it over my head. Where the pendant rested against my skin, a pleasant tingle spread across my chest. I shuddered at the sensation.
“B–but the herbs and tinctures? Was everything you taught me a lie?”
“Absolutely not.” Yaga stiffened, puffing out her bosom. “Everything I taught you was real. Medicine is vital for healing.” She scrunched her nose, deflating a bit. “And also serves as a decoy when working with imbeciles who loath magic.”
“Yaga,” I groaned, scrubbing a hand over my face.
“Remember, girl. You didn’t come into your magic until a few months ago. If the Puritans had discovered any kernel of magic inside of you, dormant or not, they would have executed you.”
“I suppose that’s fair.” I sighed. “But how did I become one of Hathor’s handmaidens when I’ve no memory of my past?”
Yaga grew somber, deep lines setting into her weathered face. “Your parents were devout followers. They sacrificed their only child in her name.”
My throat tightened, my heart twisting. My nightmares. “My parents sacrificed me?”
“The goddess wiped your memories as a kindness.”
Thoughts battered my brain, tearing at my sanity. So not only had my parents abandoned me, but they’d murdered me? No, it was too much to process. I’d simply have to pack that away for later.
I gave my head a mental shake to clear it. “What does all of this mean? I assume the goddess didn’t dump me in the woods merely to heal scrapes and bruises.”
“The fates have yet to reveal all the details, only the outcome.”
“Which is?”
Yaga’s wrinkled face smoothed into an all-knowing expression I’d come to loath. The one that said she knew things but wouldn’t tell. “Rest assured that when the time comes, you’ll know what to do,” she intoned.
“And the dragons? How are they connected to this?”
She stiffened, nose scrunching with disgust. “That’s their story to tell.”
Regardless of what that story revealed, I’d struck a bargain—for Speck and my freedom. “Thorne’s brother, Alaric, is under a terrible curse that prevents the dragon from shifting back into a man. Do you know a way to break it?”
Yaga’s anger deepened, a vein thrumming in her temple.
She jabbed a bony finger at me. “Listen up, girlie. That curse wasn’t meant to be broken.
The King of Pyrrhus is paying for his crimes.
Best you leave well enough alone. It’s not your place to meddle in the goddess’s business, only to follow your own path. ”
I bit my lip, confusion whirling. “Goddess? What does Hathor have to do with—”
That gnarled finger popped me in the chest. “Best you watch who you trust, little miss. That giant lizard, Alaric, wants something from you, and he’ll say anything to get it.”
My heart squeezed at the idea that I’d been played for a fool. “But—”
“Excuse me,” a soft voice interrupted. I looked up, stunned, to find another familiar face.
“Dahlia.” I grinned at finding a survivor from Rottbarry Manor. Though the housemaid and I were never close, joy swam in my veins.
She wrung her hands, glancing between me and Yaga. “Did I hear you say you were searching for Speck?”
“Yes.” My pulse leapt. “Have you seen him?”
Dahlia shook her head, her expression soft with sympathy. “Not since the attack. Speck returned to the castle, looking for you. I was hiding, too afraid to come out, but I saw him. Saw one of those creatures capture him. Rose and a few others too. They hauled them off in chains.”
My world tilted. Captured? “But he was alive.”
“Yes. At the time.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Thank you, Dahlia. I appreciate your help.”
“I’m sorry it wasn’t better news.”
“Me too,” I murmured as she slipped away, once again leaving me with Yaga.
“I’m sorry to hear about the shepherd,” Yaga said softly. “I know you were close.” She patted my knee, then rose. “Come now. Best you be off before dark.”
“Right.” I followed her in a daze. At the door, she poked her head outside, bellowing, “You. Boy.”
Thorne arrived almost at once, lips pressed tight at being called boy.
“Serafina can’t stay here,” Yaga declared. “Not after you let her bleed all over the place. Take her back to Pyrrhus, where she’ll be safe.” Under her breath, she muttered, “Safer than she will be here.”
The undercurrent in her tone sent goosebumps dancing over my recently healed flesh.
Before I could question her meaning, she turned to me, her expression softening. She cupped my cheek. “Go to Pyrrhus, child. That is where your destiny lies. I’ve prepared you the best I can. You have everything you need.”
I grasped her frail hand. “Come with us, Yaga. You’ll be safe there, too.”
Regret shone in her cloudy eyes. “You’re a good girl, Serafina. One of my favorites. Don’t worry about me. I always land on my feet.”
I released her, and she shooed us outside. “Go on now. No time to waste. Clock’s ticking, and you’re already behind.”
As the door closed, Thorne turned to me. “What did she mean by that?”
I shrugged, ignoring the heavy, sinking sensation in my gut. “Like you, Yaga is a woman of mystery.”
“You get your rock?”
I patted the front of my shirt, feeling the stone beneath the fabric. “Yes.”
“And your wound?” He glanced at my forearm and blanched, grabbing my wrist. “What is this? It’s gone.”
I yanked my arm free, tugging down my sleeve to hide the pale line. “I told you Yaga is gifted.”
Thorne narrowed those damned blue eyes, as if he could strip the truth right out of me.
“We should get moving if we’re going to make it back before dark,” I said evenly, keeping my expression blank.
“Come on.” He clasped my hand, walking at my side like he feared I might turn into smoke.
Once we’d retrieved our belongings, we headed to the stable to ready the horses. With their reins tied to the fence, we secured my purchases to the saddle, careful not to smash anything.
“You’re quiet,” Thorne finally said. “What did Yaga say to you?”
Too much. And not nearly enough. I debated how much to share, settling on my biggest concern. “While Yaga tended my arm, I met one of the housemaids from Rottbarry. She claimed she saw Speck and the others led away in chains.”
“Sera.” His voice softened, though the words cut. “Just because they took them alive doesn’t mean they still live.”
My throat tightened. “I have to believe it’s possible. To have hope. Without it…” Tears welled, the stress of the last few days forcing cracks into my mental walls. After all that had happened, Yaga’s revelations threatened to shatter me.
Sacrificed. Of all the things she said. This was by far the most disturbing.
My parents.
Sacrificed me.
Hot tears spilled down my cheeks, striking the dirt at my feet. I turned away, desperate to hide them.
“Sera.” Gentle fingers grasped my arm. “Talk to me. What else did Yaga tell you?”
The kindness in his tone nearly unraveled me. I desperately needed someone to talk to. Except after Yaga’s warnings about the dragons, could I trust him?
“It’s nothing. It’s just…”
Something grazed my calf. I glanced down and gasped. Around my ankle was a delicate vine, its crimson blossoms unfurling. While I was distracted, several patches had grown beneath my feet.
“What the hell?” Thorne stared wide-eyed before his gaze shot back to mine.
“Hathor’s red sacris flowers,” I spat. The same goddess whose brand shackled my neck. A brand that marked me like cattle. And what did I get out of the deal? Abandonment. Followed by a life of slavery with a promise of more servitude.
And flowers.
Useless flarking flowers.
I jerked my leg free and dropped to my knees.
My hands tore at the blooms, strangling stems, crushing petals.
“Why?” I shouted at the earth, ripping a handful out of the soil.
“Why does this keep happening?” Another patch crumbled in my grasp, the spicy scent of vegetation searing my senses.
I threw my head back, yelling at the heavens. “What do you want from me?
“Serafina.” Thorne’s steady hand clamped down on my shoulder. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out.”
A dark presence slithered along my nerves—oily and menacing.
I froze, crushed petals fluttering from my fingertips like drops of blood.
“No.” The word scraped from my throat as the warmth drained from my bones.
I’d cried out to Hathor, and something else had answered.
“Sera?” His grip tightened. “What is it?”
“It’s them,” I whispered. “They’re coming.”