CHAPTER 43
“YOU ARE NOT going alone!”
A shadow fell over Lenore as soon as she pulled her boot up her leg. Hovering over her, Edmund was the barrier between her and the outdoors—an immovable wall that refused to let up once she stood up.
Lenore’s brows furrowed, trying her hardest to look as determined as possible. She grabbed at her dress, hiding the tremor in her hands. “I can’t put any of you in jeopardy! It wasn’t a warning to all of you,” she said. “It’s me who needs to go.”
“Lenore, no!” Edmund grasped her hand tightly. “Are you insane?” His gaze hardened when he felt her quivering hand. “There’s no way I’d let you go wandering by yourself, let alone in the dark, for hours. I’m going with you.”
“Ed, you’re the Vesren,” Cade said. He and the others crowded behind Lenore, each sharing a troubled look at what was unfolding before them. Pip floated in the air above them, keeping close to Lenore. “I don’t think you need a deeper explanation than that.”
“I—”
“If you say you don’t care, I am going to beat you,” Fia growled. She was leaning against a wall, her breath heavy. “Be sensible, boy. You’re the pack’s stand-in leader.”
Frustration burned in Edmund’s eyes. The creases under his eyes tightened as he looked back down at Lenore. He still didn’t move. Lenore’s lower lip tugged upwards, struggling against her heart’s wishes.
Of course she wanted to stay with him. She didn’t want to leave his side.
“When you came back, was anything off with Arisa? With Azelf?” Cade asked. His question gave Lenore the opportunity to turn around, forcing her attention elsewhere. “Did anything strange happen on the expedition?”
“No—” Edmund paused. “Hm. There was one time the ground started crumbling underneath us. That was when I split the group and had only Arisa and Azelf with me.”
“Stars, WHAT?” Lenore shrieked. “Edmund?”
“I survived, didn’t I?” Edmund shrugged it off without another thought.
“Thinking back—there were umbral thistles everywhere,” he said.
“But we found the scent trail for a potent herb for Auden soon after.” He frowned.
“Once we got back to Lunavie, I took it to Clara and Nox first. Beren’s a liability now, even if you cured him like you said.
Arisa was there when we got to Auden’s, but other than the room looking a little different, there wasn’t anything off. ”
“Ugh, I bet the whole time you were thinking about rushing back to Lenore!” Gwyneth threw a hand up in the air. “Of course you didn’t notice anything!”
The faint blush that rose to Edmund’s cheeks betrayed him, but he shot a warning growl at his sister. “Don’t question my observations, you—”
“Wait, wait.” Lenore touched Edmund’s arm. “Was Beren there too?”
“Yes. He was surprised I brought his family—but he didn’t object.” Edmund’s gaze grew sharp as Lenore clenched her jaw. “What is it? Is it possible the curse wasn’t fully lifted from him?”
“I don’t know,” Lenore said quietly. “But I think Arisa knew she lost her influence over him. He spoke to me when he was cursed and he was... promising me all these things. I... I think that might’ve been Arisa, or a fragment of her—or—I don’t know.”
Her chest tightened. Everything that had been plaguing her so far might have been from Arisa all along.
How is that even possible? She drew a breath.
“I have to go. I can’t just waste Azelf’s warning for nothing.
” Pip flew down to her shoulder, reaching out to offer a comforting touch as he chirped.
“And what’re you going to do if someone follows you?” Edmund protested. “And where are you going to go after?”
“I’ll go.” Gwyneth raised her hand. “I’ll go with Lenore. I can take her to Kyrie’s if it all somehow works out and we find this raven.”
“You can’t! I don’t want your family to be compromised because of me!” Lenore shook her head quickly. “Just tell me where to go after—”
“You are my family now.” The deep intensity of Edmund’s voice quieted her. “Kyrie—our sister—her pack’s territory is days away.” He leaned a fist against the wall, stubbornly staying where he was. “I’m not letting you risk that!”
“Stars, what in the moon’s light are we supposed to do here?
!” Cade slapped his hands against his face, letting out a groan.
But the noise he made was overshadowed by a strained, sharp growl that rumbled behind them.
They all turned toward Fia, her elongating claws leaving jagged trails of torn paint down the dark walls.
She was breathing heavier now, with a sheen of sweat forming on her forehead.
“Grandma!” Gwyneth rushed to Fia’s side, bending down on her knees next to her slumped figure, and gripping her grandma’s shoulders tight. “You need to rest!”
“Pip! Give her more of your grace!” Lenore ran to Fia, stopping to check the old woman’s face. Her eyes widened.
A line of black liquid dripped from the corner of Fia’s mouth.
“It’s no use,” Fia muttered. “I—I can’t think straight.” She gritted her teeth. “Damn. This hurts bad.”
Pip flew into action as Gwyneth urged Fia to open her mouth.
The light sprite scattered its magic into the depths of her jaws.
As the golden light disappeared, Fia coughed and spluttered, but only a few drops of black liquid came up, splashing against the floor.
Her fingers stayed tense, veins bulging through her olive skin.
“Pip pi…” Pip drew close to Fia, pressing his small arms against Fia’s temple.
Faint waves of light rippled over her, and her breathing lightened ever so slightly.
But the pain still showed in the scrunch of her nose, her eyes distant as another growl tore from her throat.
Her breathing intensified again. Pip shook his head, his chirps growing urgent with warning.
“Stay sharp, Astra.” Edmund stepped close, his fingers flexing at his sides. The worry in his gaze fought against the stiffness of his posture—his body braced for the worst.
This isn’t enough anymore? Lenore couldn’t believe it. Without Azelf here, Pip wasn’t at his strongest. Her heart sank low in her stomach. “Fia, please hang in there,” she said. “Pip, don’t give up either!”
In the last flicker of Fia’s conscience, she locked eyes with Lenore.
“Go. Now.”
A horrible, drawn-out howl pierced through the air—Fia clutched at her head, roaring in sheer agony.
Everything shook around them—every sound muted all around.
A ringing thundered in Lenore’s ears, and the intensity of the sound paralyzed her.
She could feel herself being pulled back and brought close into Edmund’s chest, her feet stumbling to move alongside him.
The harrowing screams didn’t stop as they made it through the doors.
Lenore glanced up at Edmund, watching as he yelled back at his siblings, his voice sounding as if it was lost in the distance.
Cade was pulling his sister along, his mouth pulled back to shout words Lenore couldn’t hear.
Gwyneth’s hand never stopped reaching out to Fia even as she was pulled away.
For a brief second, Edmund’s expression faltered as the house shrank behind them.
But he held on to Lenore tighter, and his movements grew more resolute.
They had only gotten so far when distant howling cut through the woods.
Wolves appeared out of the shadows of the night, surrounding them on all sides.
Hackles raised, their beastly auras nearly forced Lenore into submission, but Edmund held her steady—his fierce glare meeting theirs and holding them at bay.
The Duskryns, Lenore realized as she took in the scattered high-ranking wolves.
All of them had eaten the moon jellies. When she saw Nox in the crowd, he no longer had the energetic charm that he naturally exhibited.
His eyes were blankly hollow, his body stiff.
A tiny bead of black spilled from the corner of his eye.
A burning cold engulfed Lenore’s arm. Her head jerked back to the center of the clearing as the crowd began to split apart, making room for a pale-blonde wolf to stride through. The wispy ends of her fur fluttered in the night’s breeze.
Arisa’s paws slowed to a stop, taking her place in front and center. Her lowered ears didn’t match the laughter that danced in her eyes.