Chapter 26

26

Ella

The last rays of the sun were fading behind the tops of the trees, leaving the sky a deep blue. I was going to be so late. I wasn't scheduled for Lorayna's service for a few hours, so hopefully, Albert would cover for me in the stables, and no one would notice.

Even if I were reprimanded, the venture would be worth it. I now knew the truth about my magic and the world around me. Siggy had opened my eyes not just to the curse but to my own potential. That was worth any punishment the monsters in the castle would dole out.

If only I could live up to her belief in me.

A branch snapped behind me. I froze, then looked around. After a few moments, my breathing relaxed. It was nothing.

The small owl leading me back to the castle hooted.

"I know, I know, I'm coming." I repositioned the bag of herbs Siggy had given me for the castle kitchen and tromped on through the brush. The game trail was much harder to follow in the gloom of dusk.

Another branch snapped, and I spun around. "Who's there?"

But there was nothing. The owl hooted again, but I didn't move. The hair on my neck stood on end, and my nerves tingled. Something was out there. A boar? A bear? Something worse? Everything was dark beyond the trunks of the trees.

Then the darkness moved.

My heart constricted in terror as a lumbering form shifted in the twilight. The owl cried out in distress behind me, but I was transfixed.

The beast was something I couldn't have imagined, even in my nightmares. Covered in scales and fur, it moved on two legs, while its clawed hands dragged along the ground. It had the head of a wolf, but with huge tusks and boney spikes that erupted from its spine and along the back of its arms. The thing's eyes were blacker than night.

I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe.

My foot crunched on fallen twigs as I retreated several steps. "Don't come near me."

I was a whisperer, and this was an animal. It might listen, right? The thing paused, and then its jaws opened wide, releasing the stench of carrion breath.

I bolted.

Low brush and branches tore at me as I hurled myself through the woods with no direction in mind. I stumbled and wheeled in the darkness, grasping for thin branches to keep me upright and moving. Trees crashed behind me as the giant thing shoved them down.

This can't be the way I die.

"Let go of me!" I shouted in blind panic as a patch of brambles snagged my dress. The bushes slipped away instantly, and I was running freely again.

A thought glinted through the fog of terror. "Make way!" I shouted at the woods as I charged forward. "Let me through!"

Ever so subtly, the trees and bushes bent away, and my pace quickened. The hammering in my chest and choking fear couldn't entirely strangle my elation. The forest listened .

Wild magic is all around us, waiting for someone with the strength to ask for help.

"Help!" I shouted as I ran. "Help me get away!"

I glanced back and my chest clenched. The huge beast was almost on me, tearing through trees and brush with its massive claws. Suddenly, I heard the sound of splitting wood, and a branch swung down in front of it, blocking its way. The beast tore through it, but other limbs took its place. My heart skipped with a spark of hope. The forest was trying to protect me. Although the creature was stronger and faster, with the help of the trees, I was beginning to gain a little distance.

Then my luck ran out.

I stumbled down into a ravine and came straight up against a jagged rock wall running in both directions, too high to climb. I skidded to a halt and spun. The creature leapt through the air and landed ten paces away with a thud.

The limbs of the trees beside me shook and crossed down protectively around me, but I knew that if the bloodthirsty thing wanted, it could smash through them and devour me in a moment. "Whatever you are, I'm not your enemy or your prey. I'm a whisperer," I said to the creature. "Go home!"

The beast roared, and I trembled. My life was in its hands, and the only thing I had was words to protect me. What could I tell the thing to make it listen? What could it possibly want other than a meal?

Thoughts racing in desperation, I pressed myself against the rock wall, keeping my gaze locked on the monster. "Hey, now, don't be hasty—we're on the same side. There's a curse that represses magic in these woods. I'm magic, and I'm guessing by the look of you that you're a bit magic, too. I'm going to find a way to end the curse, but I can't do that if I'm dinner."

The monstrosity growled low, but I didn't look away. I drilled down, harnessing the strength inside me and summoning my will. Leave me alone.

"I have a purpose here." I forced my voice to remain calm. "Don't keep me from it. I can make things better for both of us. Please ."

The beast's lips curled back as its jaws opened, but then, as if it had changed its mind, they snapped shut. The creature studied me intently, and then, with one last glare, it turned and shambled away.

I stared after it, still quaking, unable to believe that it was gone—or that it had ever been there at all.

I slid down behind the comforting barrier of branches, trying to take control of my breathing. What the hell was that thing?

The rumors of monsters had always kept villagers out of the deep woods, though Belle and I hadn't fully believed them.

Now I did.

I let fear and terror consume me for ten breaths, slowly in, and slowly out. That was all I gave myself because I knew if I hit eleven, I might never get up again.

I stood and squared my shoulders, then straightened my dress. "Okay, Ella, monsters are real. That's no big deal. Magic's real, too, so let's go home."