Chapter 8

8

W e made our way to the meadow at first light, fully equipped with climbing gear and borrowed weapons for Tenebris and Calum. Noah had been right about one thing—we didn’t know what we’d find up there. Best to be prepared. While I'd been sure to pack my knives, Calum hadn't had a chance to bring anything. And Tenebris, well. He wasn't exactly a fighter. Still, I made sure he was at least equipped with a knife should two armed werewolves not be enough to keep him safe.

Lawrence met us at the beanstalk along with Mary, Lotte, and Gareth, none of whom wished to miss our ascent into the clouds. Sean was there, as well, armed with a sword, and a redheaded girl who looked to be in her late teens bounced on the balls of her feet beside him, a bow slung over her shoulder.

“Morning,” Sean greeted us, hiding a yawn behind the back of his hand. “This is Rose Red. The two of us will be standing guard along with Lotte and my dad while you’re up there.”

“Actually,” the girl interjected, “It's just Rose.”

“Hi, Rose.” I nodded at the bow. “You any good with that thing?”

She shrugged. “I'm all right.”

“All right?” Sean snorted. “Please. If anything even remotely scary comes down that beanstalk she'll have it picked off within seconds. Honestly, I'm not even sure why I'm here.”

Rose flushed, cheeks burning and red splotches painting her neck and upper chest. “He exaggerates.”

Sean grinned. “And that right there is why we call her Rose Red,” he crowed, chuckling gleefully as the poor girl's blush intensified.

I raised an eyebrow. “I'd watch it, Sean. If she's as good a shot as you say she is, you're liable to end up with an arrow in your back if you keep that up.”

“Aw, she loves it.” Sean tweaked one of Rose's braids, and she frowned, swatting his hand away—which only made his grin stretch all the wider.

Tenebris sighed. “Figures he's straight,” he muttered, giving Sean a wistful look. “The cute ones always are.”

A low growl emanated from Calum's chest, and I rolled my eyes. “Enough. We have more pressing matters to attend to than this little mating dance you're all doing.” I moved to the center of the meadow and laid my hand against the massive green stalk spiraling upward into the clouds. My fingertips sank into the soft, fibrous flesh as it gave way to their gentle pressure, confirming what the blackened, bug-chewed leaves suggested: the stalk was rotting from the inside out. Forget chopping it down—the mere weight of our bodies would bring the damn thing down before we were even halfway up. Which meant a little magic was in order first.

From my rucksack, I took out the box containing my potions and brushes. “Tenebris, if you'd be so kind as to hold this.” I handed him a glass bottle full of a sparkling gold potion—the catalyst for my spell work.

“Gladly.” He grinned, unscrewing the top and holding it out while I dipped my paintbrush into the glittery mix. “I always enjoy watching a master at work.”

Calum hovered over his shoulder, silently watching me with eager eyes.

“What are you doing?” Rose moved closer, peering around Calum's shoulder. Lawrence, Sean, and the council members shifted closer, as well, forming a semi-circle behind me.

“Watch and see.” I positioned the tip of the brush so that it grazed the side of the beanstalk, and taking a deep breath in, I focused on drawing the magic that swirled throughout my body into my fingertips. Once I felt the tell-tale tingle of magic beneath my skin, I channeled it through the brush while I made deft strokes across the stalk's surface: S-A-N-A .

Heal.

Golden light lit the beanstalk from the center, turning its skin an almost translucent green. The glow surged through the thick limbs, eliminating any sign of rot or blemish in its path while it spread into the wide, tear-shaped leaves, and misty, gold sparkles rose from their surfaces like frost in the morning sun.

“I thought you were a werewolf,” Rose remarked, gazing up at the rejuvenated stalk in awe.

“I am, but my abuela was a witch-werewolf hybrid, same as my father. Lotte here was actually the one who taught me how to work spells.” I looked over my shoulder at the councilwoman. “What do you think? Does it pass?”

The older witch beamed. “It'll do.”

I smiled grimly, throwing my rucksack over my shoulder as I stood. The wards were down, the beanstalk replenished—all that remained was scaling it and praying Abuela’s magic beans worked. Which they would. They had to, because the alternative was too gruesome to consider. “Well, boys, what do you say?” I infused my voice with as much carefree bravado as I could muster. “Last one up is a rotten egg.”

Tenebris shivered. “More like the first to fall is scrambled.”

Gods, I hoped not.

“Which is why we brought rope and stakes,” Calum stated, winding a length around each of Tenebris's thighs. Tenebris blushed when the werewolf leaned over, his muscled arms sliding up and around Tenebris's waist while he finished securing the rope. He looped me in next, the scruff of his whiskers grazing my cheek as he leaned down. “Breathe, Mari,” he whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

I swallowed, my stomach dancing with unspoken fear. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me,” I admitted in a hushed whisper of my own. “Either of you.”

“If we get hurt, we get hurt. It happens. I’d rather suffer at your side than watch you go up this stalk alone.”

I forced a shaky laugh, blinking back tears. “Are you saying I can’t handle it myself?”

“You could definitely handle it yourself.” He cinched the rope tight around my waist. “I’m saying you shouldn’t have to.”

Warmth flooded my chest, and I sniffed as I lightly flicked his bicep. “That was super cheesy, Cal. Seriously.”

He grunted good-naturedly and shifted over to add himself into our little three-man train. Soon we were all connected and ready to climb, with Calum taking point. He'd hammer the stakes into the beanstalk while we worked our way up, with Tenebris following behind. I'd bring up the rear, pulling stakes out and passing them up if we ran short. With the amount of branches spiraling off the stalk, though, I doubted it'd be necessary.

Calum rubbed his hands together. “You two ready?”

“Ready,” I confirmed, anticipation coiling in my gut.

“As I'll ever be,” Tenebris added, sounding doubtful.

I slapped him on the back. “You've got this, Ten-Ten.”

“Here goes.” Calum grabbed the lowest branch and hauled himself up. He stretched out a hand to help Tenebris, but froze at the sound of someone calling out.

“Wait!”

Noah strode across the meadow, smudges darkening his eyes. The skin around his downturned mouth was drawn tight, and he looked as if he hadn’t slept all night. I crossed my arms over my chest at his approach. “You’re not going to change my mind, Noah, so you might as well go home and get some sleep.”

“I’m well aware of your stubbornness,” he replied with a resigned sigh. “I just came to give you this.” He pulled a dagger from a sheath on his belt and held it out, the engraved lettering scrolled across the blade glinting in the sun: Braun .

I narrowed my eyes at the familiar weapon. “Why are you giving me Jack’s dagger?” I frowned as another thought struck me, making my feet bounce with a sudden burst of nerves. “Why do you even have this? Didn’t he take it with him?” That he would leave it behind was downright mind-boggling. It’d been his grandfather’s before him, a family heirloom passed down through generations of Brauns. He’d never even left Mondue without the damn thing strapped to his belt.

Noah swallowed, his gaze not quite meeting mine as he pressed the weapon into my hands. “He lent it to me… before he left. I should have turned it over to his father, but I… I just couldn’t.” His brown eyes finally flicked upward, and regret pooled deep inside them. “Take it with you. You never know when you’ll need an extra blade.”

I gripped the smooth, crimson leather wrapped around the hilt, pulling it closer even as I shook my head. “We already have weapons. An extra dagger will only weigh me down.”

“Please, Mariana,” Noah insisted. “Just… humor me.”

I searched his face, noting the desperation lurking behind his tense expression. “If you’re that worried, why don’t you come with us? An extra blade would be a lot more useful with an extra hand to wield it.”

He glanced up at the stalk, what little color he had leaching from his skin. “I want to, you have to believe me, but…” He shook his head. “It’s better if I don’t. Trust me. Just take the dagger and stay alert up there. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”

Okay. Something strange was going on, but time was wasting and it was clear I wasn’t going to get any more answers out of Noah. Giving him a clipped nod, I slid the blade into my rucksack, and nimbly leaped up beside Tenebris where he waited on the first branch of the beanstalk. I could feel Noah’s gaze on my back while we worked our way up, but I tried to block it out as the wind picked up, rustling the leaves and blowing errant curls over my eyes.

But there was no blocking out the faint voice that called after me, nor the inexplicable ache it created in my chest.

“I’m sorry.”