CHAPTER 36
“IT’S HESPER.” Charie lifted her head away from the damp covers and toward the door.
“Lenore’s scent is all over here. He’ll—he’ll chase her.”
“This’ll come in handy then.” Beren briskly walked across the room, sweeping his arm across the remaining potions.
Every bottle fell, shattering into a messy concoction of liquid and glass.
Beren kicked some remnants toward the door.
An overwhelming herbal stench filled the room, thick and heavy with earthy and pungent notes.
“What the hell is going on up there?!” Hesper’s yell boomed from below.
The Thalryn continued to waste no time. Beren threw the curtains open—the cold face of the moon staring back from just above. Unlocking the window’s latch, Beren swung the window out. The cold outdoors stung Lenore’s cheeks.
“But what about you two?” She looked back at them, hesitant to leave. Charie kept her head turned away.
“Don’t worry about us. He sees us as broken-down wolves. I imagine that won’t be hard for us to play.”
Lenore spluttered as Beren drenched her in a muddy brown liquid. She looked down at her soaked dress. The herbal stink intensified, clogging her nose with its bitter musk.
“This’ll nullify your scent,” Beren explained quickly. “Now, unless you want to become a corpse, it’s time for you to go.”
“But where do I even go? Back home?”
“May the light of the moon guide your steps.” He pushed her then, hurrying her out the window as loud footsteps creaked on distant stairs. Lenore hoisted herself out of the window ledge, where the dark ground awaited below. An unpleasant tingle of fear ran up her legs.
She leapt.
Her body shifted as she fell, her paws tucking close just before she hit the ground.
As soon as she made impact, she rolled, easing off most of the force.
But her right arm groaned with pain, and it took everything in her to keep her jaws shut.
She forced herself to keep going, and back through the underbrush she had come from.
The rest of the way through was fraught with merciless thorns and the metallic tang rising at the back of Lenore’s throat.
In the guise of night, Lenore slumped against a tree, clutching her arm while she caught her breath. Her body screamed at her—from the cramping muscles of her calves to the multiple cuts across her arms. She looked up, staring bleakly at the moon that never left.
She couldn’t go home—not like this.
A sharp groan was exhaled through clenched teeth as she shifted her body weight. She needed to rest, but the longer she lingered, the more certain someone would find her.
May the light of the moon guide your steps. Beren’s words echoed in her mind. A common werewolf saying she had heard a dozen times now, but one that now made her pause and think. In the darkness she dwelled; faint moonlight spilled down around her.
With nowhere guaranteed to be safe, her eyes fluttered shut. All she had left was an utterance of prayer.
“O Great One Above, the One the moon bows in reverence to. The Moon’s Sovereign.
The moon listens to you, and its light shines because of you.
” She clasped her hands tightly, the motion coming to her before she could think twice.
“I’m... scared. In more pain than I can ever remember.
And I don’t know what to do. Even if I’m not human, you’ve shown me that your grace is still with werewolves too.
So please help me. Let your will be done.
” Her eyes opened slowly. The cloak of darkness enveloped her still, but with the help of the tree’s trunk, she got up.
Becoming a wolf once more, she moved toward the tiny fragments of moonlight scattered across the forest’s path ahead of her. She didn’t know if it would take her anywhere—or to anything positive, if it did.
She just kept going.
The pads of her paws stung the longer she went on, and there was a slight limp to her right foreleg, but she continued at a steady pace.
The light of the moon drew her toward an entirely unfamiliar area of Lunavie.
Paths woven deep into the woods unfolded beneath her steps.
Giant mossy rocks arched over her, some of which she had to climb over.
Faintly glowing flowers of blue and purple speckled the surrounding ground, quivering as she passed.
Just ahead, the forest gave way to a huge clearing where a multitude of the flowers lit the fields in a soft purplish-blue haze.
As Lenore traversed through, the same glow touched her body.
There, in the near distance, stood a large house, with the moon hovering high above.
It had the atmosphere of one that withstood the test of time—an heirloom that carried its grandeur with pride.
Vines climbed across the walls and roof, adding a touch of wilderness to the dark wood and stone of the building. A few windows were lit with light.
An uncertain tremble rippled through Lenore’s fur. She halted a few feet away from the door, in the comfort of the tall grass and wildflowers.
Whoever lived here, she did not know who they were. It frightened her to reach the door, and even more to knock. Her tail tucked between her legs. She was starting to think going back home was the better idea.
But the final beam of moonlight shone by the doorway, glowing brighter as the night deepened. It refused to leave, and neither did she.
This is where I shoot myself in the foot, isn’t it? Lenore turned into a human, taking the last few steps with great caution. She stood in front of the home’s large door, accompanied by two wolf statues on either side of her. Each of them bore a sword in its jaws.
Very welcoming.
Lenore lifted her fist to the door, hovering just an inch away from the wooden surface. And then she knocked—a few times in quick succession before stepping back. She stared at the door in growing dread, unable to peel her eyes away from the immobile barrier that stood between her and the unknown.
For a good minute, nothing happened.
Should I knock again? Her thoughts turned frantic with worry. With a tiny step forward, she lifted her hand to the level of her chest, then paused in uncertainty. After a moment of wrestling with herself, she drew closer, ready to knock again.
The door swung open—Lenore’s heart leapt in panic, her shoulders jerking up. Bright light spilled out of the doorway, partially obstructed by a figure she never felt so relieved to see.
Fia, in all her stern-faced glory. Though donned in simpler clothing, the small, ceramic white raven still adorned her neck.
The old woman’s brows pinched, eyes narrowing at the sight of Lenore.
Her nose twitched, and she lifted a hand to wipe at her nostrils.
Lenore blushed faintly. The bitter smell of herbs was still soaked deep into her clothes.
With one last look at Lenore’s appearance, Fia clicked her tongue. “What kinda hellfire did you get yourself into?”
A nervous laugh escaped Lenore. She smiled sheepishly as she pried free the flask of moon nectar at her waist, offering it toward the Astra. “... Would you like some moon nectar?”