Chapter 12
Nocturna, Astra, Forrest, and I took off out of the back door of the cottage at a steady pace, heading toward the Nightwood, as Magda had instructed.
It was a clear fall night. The moon above was full, bathing the way to the forest in a bright luminescence.
A lazy wind blew, stirring the fallen leaves on the cold, hard ground.
An eerie calm came over me as we neared the trees.
Before we crossed the boundary, I paused to look back at the cottage, at my old life. Everything was going to change for me the moment I passed into the woods. Forrest’s hand slid into mine, our fingers entwining, as we looked back together, saying our final, silent goodbye.
“Come on. We have to go,” Forrest said, and we walked hand in hand into the Nightwood.
“Do you know how to get to the clearing Magda mentioned?” Forrest asked as we made our way carefully through the hemlocks.
“I’m not very familiar with the deeper parts of the forest. I have only really been there the one time, and that was the night when Nocturna and Astra found you.
I didn’t notice if the clearing was shaped a certain way, but if we’re lucky and it’s the same one, it’s not too far from here.
” I kept my gaze directed at the ground, doing my best to make my way through the tree roots and undergrowth without tripping.
In hindsight, lanterns might have been a good idea. Although it was a full moon, the tree cover was so dense that only sparse rays of moonlight were able to penetrate the canopy and shed light on the forest floor.
“Do you think if we asked them nicely, Nocturna and Astra could show us how to get back there?” Forrest joked.
I whispered in response. “Maybe.”
Shortly afterward, both Nocturna and Astra growled again. They placed themselves behind Forrest and me, facing the cottage. Maxx must be getting closer.
I reached down to pat Astra. “It’s all right, girl. C’mon, let’s go. You too, Nocturna. Let’s keep moving.” I had started to move forward when Forrest grabbed my arm.
“It’s them. They’re here.”
“Who?” I whispered.
“Maxx and Wyatt. I can hear them. They’ll be coming up to the edge of the woods any second now.”
“So why are we standing here? We should be trying to get further away from them,” I hissed.
Just as the words left my mouth, I could hear in the distance several deep, muffled raised voices.
I took a few steps to the side, toward a subtle opening in the trees.
The faint flickering of lanterns congregated along the forest boundary.
It was hard to know for certain how many there were, but definitely more than two. We were easily outnumbered.
“That’s not just Wyatt and Maxx. That’s an entire mob.” A nervous giggle came out of me at the sight. It was a witch hunt. How hilarious.
Forrest pulled me back into the shadows so we couldn’t be seen.
I turned to him. “We can’t stay here. We have to keep moving.”
As we resumed our trek into the forest, a harsh, singsongy voice stopped me dead in my tracks. The air stilled.
“Aurelia, my dear! If you think hiding from your sins in the Nightwood is going to protect you from the goddesses’ judgment, then you are more stupid than you look,” Maxx taunted.
“Violet thought she was smart, like you. She thought running away from her punishment would work. I’d tell you to ask her how that turned out for her, but I’m afraid she wouldn’t be able to answer you, as she is currently hanging in the entryway to the village for all to witness. ”
My fists were clenched so tight that my fingernails were starting to break skin on my palms.
“It should bring you comfort to know that she’s not alone.
Not long after, sweet little Fiona joined her.
They are happily together, rotting within the depths of the Eternal Night, just waiting for you to join them.
Oh, and did I mention your little orange-headed friend?
We caught her trying to escape your home.
Thankfully, we were prepared for this scenario by your old friend Wyatt.
None of this would have been possible without his help.
Truly a gift sent from the Mothers Above. ”
Just then a shadowy figure walked up beside Maxx—presumably, Wyatt. I could physically feel the change in Forrest’s mood. He shifted from a concerned partner to an enraged man.
“Aurelia, I will give you sixty seconds to come out of there of your own accord. If you still have not turned yourself in after that, we will burn down your home with the tiny witch inside it!” Maxx shouted while waving a torch around.
A war was being waged between my head and heart.
Magda would be furious with us if we came back to help her, and the practical side of me was telling me to continue running away.
My heart, though, was breaking. It was one thing to think Magda had gotten away and could take care of herself, but it was another knowing she had been captured and would be hurt because of me.
I knew Forrest would be upset with me for changing my mind, but I couldn’t let this happen to her.
She deserved better than being put down like a discarded animal by that fanatical asshole.
I had started to head in the direction of the cottage when Forrest wrapped his arms around me and threw me over his shoulder.
“Put me down right fucking now, Forrest!” I demanded.
His grip on my body was tight. Despite my attempts to get free from his grasp, his resolve never relented.
“Forrest! Put—me—down!”
“Aurelia, you know deep down that Magda didn’t risk everything to come warn you so you could turn around and run right back into danger. For all we know, Maxx is lying and trying to lure you out.”
“But what if he’s not?” I protested.
“Magda gave you the gift of a head start so you could live. The worst thing you could do right now is let that sacrifice be in vain.”
My mind went numb, and my body went limp. He was right. I would end up getting myself killed if I went charging back over there, especially since I had no weapons and no real plan to fight back.
“It feels wrong running away,” I cried. “Everything I’ve ever known is here. Who do they think they are to force me out? Why do they get to win?”
Forrest let out a deep sigh. “It doesn’t make sense, nor does it feel just, but it seems to be the way of things here. But thanks to Magda, you now have a way out,” he said gently. “If I let you down, will you promise me you won’t head back to the cottage?”
I hesitated a moment before responding. “Yes. You can put me down now,” I said, defeated.
He lowered me to the ground and looked back at the cottage with me one last time. He grabbed my hand and whispered, “As long as we have each other, we will always win.”
Just as we turned to walk away, a large crashing sound came from the direction of the cottage, and within seconds the entire structure had erupted into a giant ball of blue flames.
Screaming followed. Then the tingling sensation of magic hit me.
Magda? Silent tears started streaming down my face.
I knew in that moment that there was no turning back for me, ever.
Everything I had grown up with, everything that I had treasured of my grandmother’s—all of it was now gone.
“Your time is up, Aurelia!” Maxx shouted.
“We’re comin’ for you, darlin’!” Wyatt yelled.
Forrest’s body tensed at the sound of Wyatt’s voice. “I want to kill him. I want to rip him apart, limb from limb,” he snarled.
I grabbed Forrest’s arm.
He turned to me, face serious as death. “Aurelia, if I ever see him again, I am going to kill that man for everything he’s done here. This I promise you.”
I appreciated the sentiment, but now was not the time for this hypermasculine shit.
Now it was my turn to be the voice of reason. “We should go. Before he makes good on his threat and leads whatever is remaining of that group of idiots into the forest.”
Just as the words left my lips, numerous dark figures stepped out in front of the blaze, congregating at the boundary of the forest. Without another word, Forrest and I turned and ran full tilt deeper into the Nightwood. We had to reach the clearing, and fast.
A thickening mist rolled in waves over the undergrowth and roots, while the air was eerily still and silent.
Nocturna and Astra took off ahead of us at a clipping pace, while Forrest and I trailed behind, doing our best to keep up.
The deeper we ran into the Nightwood, the heavier the air felt.
A sudden wind picked up, blowing the mist away.
It was hard to tell without more light, but I could swear the wind had created a path with the fallen leaves.
Coincidentally, it happened to be leading in the direction Nocturna and Astra had been running.
“Welcome, Daughter of the Night.”
I stopped for a moment and looked around.
Forrest stopped and turned to me. “Is everything all right?”
I looked at him, confused. “Uh, yeah. I thought I heard someone speak. Did you hear anything?”
Forrest shook his head. “No. I didn’t hear anything aside from the leaves blowing around everywhere.”
Great. If he couldn’t hear anything, then maybe I was losing my mind. It was the perfect time for it to happen.
We continued on our previous pace. A branch cracked to our left.
“Follow the path.”
I spun, my heart pounding. There was nothing but mist and shadows behind us.
“Keep moving,” Forrest whispered, his lips brushing my ear.
I jumped. Forrest’s hand flew to my mouth to stifle my scream. An ominous mist formed around us, sticking to our skin like a cold sweat.
“I think I’m losing it, Forrest. I keep hearing things.”
He gently tugged on my hand, urging me to keep going. “You’re not losing it. This forest is creepy as sin,” he said as a shiver went through his body.
Nocturna and Astra were suddenly at our sides, nudging us to continue. We dutifully obeyed them.