Ravenous (27 page)

“Is it far?” I ask, while Ren shakes his head.

She shrugs. “A journey of a day or two, maybe more. Who knows who you might meet on the way.” She winks.

“What do you mean?” Ren says.

“Did you think the wizard wouldn't be looking for you?” Old Mae's eyes shine in a way I don't like at all.

“People say the wizard ran off to some faraway place,” I say. Everyone except my parents, that is. They fear he hovers at the edges of our lives.

Mae grins toothily. “They're wrong. But I can give you something that will help you stay undetected. You'd like that, yes?”

Ren and I exchange a look. “What is it?” I ask.

“Come with me.” She motions for me to follow her down the alley behind her cart. “I'll show you.”

I hesitate, then follow her. It's just Old Mae. I know her.

When Ren follows too, she stops. “Only the girl. Remain where you are, boy.” Her tone is surprisingly harsh.

“What? Not a chance, I—”

“It's all right, Ren,” I tell him. “We'll be back in just a minute, right?”

She nods, silver hair swirling around her face and making her seem more wild than ever.

Ren starts to say something, but then he frowns and heads back to wait at the stall. Mae takes my arm, her paperlike fingers wrapping around my elbow. It gives me the chills,
which is foolish. What harm could a mere old woman do?

Ren watches us like a hawk until we round a corner in the alley. The bricks are dark and coated with soot. Public houses and shops lie beyond the walls. The faint smell of something burning lingers here, but I don't see where it comes from.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

Old Mae clucks at me but doesn't offer an answer. I begin to wonder if Ren is right to worry, when she stops at a section of wall covered by enough soot that I can barely see the door she opens. She pulls a vial from her pocket and waves it in front of my face. “See this, dearie? It's made from a special plant. If you drink it, the wizard won't know you're out and about in the hills.” She giggles. “But this isn't enough for both of you, nor for the time it will take to get there and back.” She gestures to the darkness beyond the door. “There's more in there. Go on in and fill your pockets. That should do the trick.”

As I stare down the darkness, an odd feeling of panic trickles over me. I squint and tilt my head, yet I can see nothing beyond the door. “What does the plant extract do exactly?” I ask.

“It dampens your signature, your unique life force. The wizard has you in his sights, that's for sure. He just can't reach you in Bryre.”

The chill turns to a ball of ice. How does Old Mae know so much about the wizard? She never mentioned him in all the times we spoke before until recently. I can't help thinking of the passage I read this morning about unwitting
humans under the thrall of the wizard. Something feels very wrong here. Could that something be Old Mae?

“Will there be any side effects?”

Old Mae cackles. “Beats me, dearie. Never taken the stuff. I only know it works.”

“How?”

She grins so wide, I can see every speck of blackened gums between her teeth. “Do you think you're the only one who's ever crossed the wizard? Other people have had to hide on occasion, princess.” She hisses on the word, and it chills me. “Go on, get the vials in there. You'll need them.”

The sun moves behind a cloud, casting more darkness into the alley. “Have you ever met the wizard? Do you know what he looks like?”

“Get the vials, princess,” she growls.

“I don't think I should go in there.” The blackness seems to expand, like it wants to swallow me whole. Her aged hand tightens on my elbow.

“But you must,” she says. “I am too old to bend over and lift them for you.” I try to wrench my arm free, but she's startlingly strong. She places a hand on my back and pushes me toward the doorway. I thrash and twist, trying my best to get free of her iron grip. The odd behavior, the burst of strength—Old Mae must be in the wizard's thrall. Is it my fault this happened to her, or was she under his sway all along?

“Release me!” I shout.

“Tsk, tsk,” she says. “None of that. In you go.”

I dig my heels in to the alleyway dirt. “What's really in
there?” I am certain there are no helpful potions waiting for me. Only darkness and danger.

She laughs. “You'll find out in a moment.” A crack resounds in the alley; then her face contorts from shock to anger to slack. She stumbles, releasing her grip.

Ren stands behind her, holding a flower pot, now cracked, and watches as she sinks to the ground unconscious.

“I knew she couldn't be trusted,” he says. “It was too odd that she wanted you alone.”

“Thank you,” I say, shivering. I liked Old Mae. She seemed so harmless, but that's what happens when someone is enchanted. They seem normal until the wizard wants to use them. I rub the spot on my arm. I suspect it will bruise. This is a lesson I shall not forget.

“Let's go.” Ren tugs at my hand.

We hurry back to the market, but I can't help looking over my shoulder now and then. The door she opened has completely vanished. It must have been magic.

I don't want to think ill of the old woman I thought was my friend, but I don't believe I'll ever return to the market. Not if she might be lurking here.

I still shake by the time we reach the tunnel, and Ren stops me once we're inside. “Rose,” he says quietly. “Are you all right?”

I clench my fists at my sides. “I am not all right, and I'll never be all right until that
wizard is out of our lives for good.” I release a quivering breath. “Old Mae must be involved with him somehow, either willingly or under his
thrall. I was a fool to trust her.” Perhaps my parents have more reason to be afraid than I'd like to admit.

My garden—my precious garden—is now tainted by association with that woman. But it isn't the fault of the plants. I'll care for them even so.

“I trusted her too,” Ren says. “I introduced you to her.”

“We'll simply have to figure things out on our own.” I stand up straighter. “I have faith those books can shed more light on things for us.” I'll throw myself completely into the one I took when we get back.

Soon we exit into the garden. One of my rosebushes—the blush one—is in full bloom, and I pick a couple of flowers for Delia as a peace offering. However, when I get to her room, she isn't there.

Warning bells go off in my head. Where could she be? She should have been studying all morning with Maxwell.

I groan and stomp out of her room. I hope she didn't go looking for me again. After this morning, the last thing I need is a panicky little sister.

I march down the halls, racking my brain for where Delia might be. A peek out the windows reveals she is not in the maze in the back of the palace; a glance out the opposite side shows she is not out front, either. Perhaps she's in the music room.

My steps slow. I've been neglecting my younger sister. We used to play music together all the time. I would play harpsichord, and she would sing. Sometimes one of us would take a turn at the harp.

First my garden grew between us, now my festering
obsession with stopping the wizard. Yet I cannot stop trying. Mama and Papa gave up their efforts to stop him years ago. I snort. Unless you count hiding me away.

I do not.

Their problem was that they were so blinded by fear that they would not resort to magic. They feared that would mean another wizard, another person who would deceive them. I suppose I cannot blame them too much, but I am determined to find an alternative to hiding.

They may have kept me alive this long, but it is hardly a life at all.

I make my way to the music room. I'm not ready to consider that Delia could be with Mama and Papa.

When I enter, she sits at the harpsichord, picking out a mournful tune. She doesn't glance up, not even when I stop in front of the instrument and place my hands on the instrument.

“Delia.” I say softly.

She pounds on the keys a little harder.

“Is something wrong?”

This time she slams the lid of the harpsichord, nearly catching my fingers. She moves to the harp. The light streaming through the windows makes her appear positively angelic as she sits down.

My heart sinks in my chest. I hope she didn't do something very bad for me.

I stride over to her and pluck her hand away from the strings, holding it firmly in mine.

“Delia, why are you acting like this? What has made you so angry?”

She cannot hide her scowl as she yanks her hand from my grasp. She returns to playing the harp.

“Maxwell taught me a section on plants today. I asked him if he had ever heard of a
bano magus
.”

I suck my breath in sharply. I never should've told her that lie. Stupid, stupid me.

“Maxwell says it is no plant he has ever heard of, and definitely doesn't mean Crown-of-Roses. In fact, he says the term means something else—something you didn't mention.” Her eyes turn to mine, glaring. “He says it means Wizard's Bane.”

I stare numbly out the window, watching the hedges rustle in the warm afternoon breeze. Sometimes it makes the creatures carved in the hedge seem to dance.

“Then you understand why I didn't tell you.”

She shoots up, knocking over the bench. “No, I do not. Why don't you trust me?”

Anger ripples through me. “Why must you insist on knowing every single thing I do? Why can't you worry about your own life?”

I ball my fists in my skirts. I regret the words even though they are barely out of my mouth.

Tears well up in Delia's eyes. “Because you're my sister, and I'm scared I'm going to lose you.” She runs from the room. I start to follow, but I know she doesn't want me to. How can I expect her to respect my need for privacy when I can't respect hers? Taking a seat on the harpsichord bench,
I rest my head on the lid.

It's an unpleasant business, but my choice is to either shut her out, or let her in entirely. She won't agree to half measures and half-truths.

Worse, she knows my secrecy has something to do with the wizard.

After almost getting kidnapped or drugged or who knows what by Old Mae, I need rest. Then I'll be able to make sense of this, and a sensible decision.

Unless, of course, Delia has already told Mama and Papa. I just pray she has not.

FOR THE SECOND DAY IN A ROW, A COMMOTION WRENCHES ME FROM
slumber.

“Rosabel! Wake up!” Delia pelts my door with furious knocks. This time, I made a point of locking it. But I spent the evening with nightmares and little sleep from sneaking into the library, so I am more groggy than usual.

“Hold on,” I mutter, pulling my robe over my nightgown and rubbing the sleep from my eyes. The flagstones are cold beneath my feet, odd for the summer, and they send a chill rippling over my body.

I open the door and find Delia and Ren in the hall. Fear grips my chest at the expressions on their faces. “What happened?”

Delia bursts into tears and launches herself into my arms.
What inspired her to forgive me already? I pat her back and give Ren a questioning look. He swallows hard.

“The guards,” he whispers. “All the guards who were on watch at the city gates last night—at least twenty—they're all dead.”

“All of them?” I cling to Delia a little tighter as she sobs again. Ren nods. “But how?”

He shakes his head. “I don't know. The court physician is examining them now, but there were no visible wounds. Poison, maybe?”

“Or magic,” Delia says with a shiver.

I will not admit it to my sister, but I fear she is right. The wizard may not be as far away as I've always believed. If so, Ren and I must redouble our efforts to find the Wizard's Bane. If he can get to the guards inside the walls, who can say how far his reach extends? After all, while the wards may keep out those who wish to harm Bryre, they belong to the wizard. If anyone could find a way to nullify them, it's him.

I take my sister by the shoulders. “Delia, listen to me. Go to your room and stay there. Only come out for us or Mama and Papa, all right?”

Tears brim in her eyes. “Why? What will you be doing?”

“We're just going to see what we can find out about the guards. I need you to be safe.” We must locate the Wizard's Bane, but I can't tell her I plan to leave the castle again. This time I don't know how long I'll be gone. I have every intention of breaking my promise to my parents and leaving the safety of Bryre far behind.

“Let me come with you,” she pleads. I can't bear to look her in the face.

“We can't. They could be contagious. I won't put you in any danger.”

“You can't keep leaving me in the dark!” she cries.

“Taking you would put you at risk. Don't you understand I need you to be safe?”

Delia's lower lip quivers, but finally she nods. She isn't happy with me, but I'm relieved she stopped fighting me on the matter.

We walk Delia as far as her room, then shut the door securely behind her. Knowing she is safe in there makes me feel much better.

“You're planning something, aren't you?” Ren says as we hurry down the halls.

“Am I that transparent?”

“What's the plan?”

I take his hand in mine. It shakes as much as my own. “I'm going to look for the Wizard's Bane at its source. You don't have to come with me. But I could use your help.”

Ren's face pales. “You mean you're going into the mountains to find the volcano?”

“What other choice is there? The dead guards must be the wizard's work. We have to do something, and nothing in Bryre can help. We've done all we can from here. The only thing left to do is find the Wizard's Bane.”

Last night, when all the palace was asleep, I snuck back into the library's secret room, but I found nothing more to aid us against the wizard. But I did find a map that
confirmed Old Mae's assertion that a volcano lies a couple of days' journey away.

“Then I'm definitely coming with you. I know some of the trails. I can at least guide us as far as the river. And I'm a good tracker.”

I squeeze his hand. “Thank you.”

As we march down the hall, Ren asks, “When do you want to leave?”

“As soon as possible.” My head spins with plans and preparations that need to be made, and in utter secrecy. “But first I want to see the guards.”

“You want to see their bodies?” Ren chokes.

“I need to know what we're up against. I need to see his handiwork up close.”

“It isn't pretty.”

“I never expected it would be.” I take the stairs two at a time. Ren matches my speed and we reach the lower level of the palace in no time. “Where are they? The infirmary?”

He nods and leads the way, but we're stopped by a procession of skittish guards escorting an upset farmer. Something more must have happened. Surely the dead soldiers aren't going anywhere. They head for the throne room, but Ren and I linger outside. We can hear Mama and Papa questioning the farmer.

“What trouble brings you here this early?” Papa asks. His voice sounds weary already, and this man is merely the first to seek the king's counsel this morning.

“Sire, someone has stolen my herd of goats.”

“Who do you accuse?”

The man coughs. “I . . . I don't know. Last night, I locked them in their pen. This morning, they were gone. No trace at all. No footsteps or wagon-wheel tracks. Just . . . gone.”

Gone? An entire herd of goats vanished?

I can only think of one person who could pull of a stunt like that—the wizard. But what could the wizard possibly want with a herd of goats?

“No trace at all?” Mama says from inside the throne room.

“None. Their milk was my livelihood. I need them back. Please help me find them. A search party, anything.”

“We are . . . short on guards at the moment.” Uneasiness taints Papa's voice. “But we can find a few to comb the forest. If the goats ran there, we shall find them.”

“Thank you, sire.”

The guards escort the man out, and we hold our breath until they pass. The sound of my parents talking reaches us.

“I fear what this means, Aria,” Papa says. “An entire herd of goats missing. And now the guards.”

“What could be next?” Mama says.

“That is precisely what concerns me.”

“I think we both know who is behind this.”

I freeze at my mother's words.

“I won't let him have her,” Papa says. “I don't care if he destroys this whole kingdom, Rosabel must stay out of his reach.”

A tight knot forms in the pit of my stomach. The entire kingdom is in danger because of me. Because my parents refused to give me up and pay the price they promised. I
can't sit idly by while all of Bryre suffers for their mistake.

I'm the problem, and I'll do something to fix it. My resolve to find the Wizard's Bane solidifies.

Mama may not want me to take any action, but she raised me too well. I will be queen one day—I must protect my city.

Ren touches my hand, startling me out of my thoughts. “Do you still want to see the guards?” he asks.

“Yes.”

We tiptoe away from the throne room. When we reach the infirmary, we wait until the doctor leaves, then sneak inside. Everyone, it seems, is more on edge than usual. Like something unpleasant lurks around the corner.

The room is very hot, probably because the fires burn steadily despite the summer heat. Odd, but I can't pretend to know the ways of medics.

Light spills in through the infirmary windows, casting an odd sheen on the guards' faces. Not a single wound mars any of them. It feels as though something squeezes around my chest as we approach the nearest one. Ren puts a hand on my shoulder.

“You don't need to do this.”

“Yes, I do. If this is the wizard's work, then it's my fault.”

Ren turns me around to face him, his hands gripping my elbows. “It is not your fault. You can't think that way. You are not responsible for your parents' decisions.”

“I know,” I say. “But I must do what I can to remedy them.”

He releases my arms and I examine the nearest guard.
He is so still, and pale, and oddly serene. The sheen I thought was light is something else. Some kind of residue clings to his skin. Swallowing my fear, I reach out and touch his cheek—then quickly draw my hand back.

It isn't a sheen at all.

“What's wrong?” Ren asks.

“He's frozen. That shine on him—it's ice.” Understanding shivers through me. This is why the medics have the fires going down here. They're trying to thaw the bodies.

“What a horrid way to go,” Ren says. “It hasn't melted a bit. It really is the wizard's doing.”

“I've seen enough,” I say.

I hurry from the room, desperate to get away from the overwhelming heat and the frozen bodies. In the hallway, I lean against the wall and breathe. Ren's concern is clear, and his fears mirror mine.

All doubt of what I must do is gone.

Maybe, when I am back home and we are free of the wizard, Mama will even be proud. Once she recovers from her fury.

Smoothing my skirts, I start back up the stairs. “I'm going to prepare. Meet me in the garden at sundown.”

Without another word, I run for my rooms.

My flight is swift, and I reach my room and close the door behind me. I gasp when I find my mother seated in the chair by my window.

“Rosabel, where have you been?” Her pretty face is marred by a frown.

“I—I was just in the library, studying with Ren.”

“With Ren?” She looks at me strangely. “Take care with that boy's heart. And your own. You know you will one day marry a prince. Do not get too attached to the servants.”

A sickly, guilty feeling wallows in my stomach. “Did you come here to lecture me about my choice of friends?”

She smiles sadly and steps forward to take my hands. “No, Rosabel, I did not. I came here to warn you. The wizard, he . . . he hurt many of our guards last night. He is closer than ever. I am not sure it is safe for you to wander the castle and grounds freely right now. Your father and I have decided that you must remain in your rooms until we've determined this threat has passed, and you're only to come out for dinner. You can study here.”

“But—”

“Don't worry. We will have the gardener take care of your precious flowers. I know how you dote on them.” She pulls me to her, the silk of her dress brushing against my cheek. “I hope it won't be for long. Now that we have told you everything, we are trusting you to understand and to obey. We must keep you safe.”

Tears burn the backs of my eyes. “But what if there is another way? What if we could find magic to fight magic and—”

“Do not speak of such things.” Horror crawls over my mother's face. “You do not know what you say. You do not know what magic can do.” She shudders. Her voice is low and frightened now. “You have never been bewitched. You have been shielded from it your whole life. There is no
good, no help to be found in that route.”

Realization dawns on me with a prickling chill. “You were bewitched?”

She wraps her shawl around her shoulders a little tighter. “Once. I told you how I almost married the wizard when he was posing as a strange prince. That was no accident, and certainly not due to any true feelings on my part. Before I knew him for what he was, when he sought my hand, he cast a love spell on me. I could never quite remember the things he said when we were together, only that I needed to be near him and could think of nothing else when he was away. Thank heavens I had already fallen for your father before I met Barnabas, or I would have lost my soul to the wicked man. Magic is not something to trifle with.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“Legends say the only thing that can break the bonds of a love spell is true love, and I can attest to that. When your father returned to my country as a newly crowned king, one look from him was all it took to bring me back to my senses. To break the spell.” Her face darkens. “But for weeks, I was in the wizard's thrall. I could do nothing of my own to gain my freedom—I didn't even know I needed to. Once free of it, I could hardly understand why I had been so obsessed with him. It made no sense to me, not until years later.” Mama's agitation rises, and she paces my room. “I could have been lost to him. I might have even given him the firstborn he needed to work his terrible spell.” She stops directly in front of me, her face twisted with revulsion. I take a step back. “Do you want to know the worst part? I
would have handed over my child and let him sacrifice it gladly. I would not have known what I was doing. That is what playing with magic will get you. It is never, ever worth the price.”

Shock roots me to the spot. I cannot muster the breath to utter a single word until Mama has swept out of the room. When she told me her tale of how the wizard wooed her before, I did not fully understand. But now I do. She was in his thrall, just like Old Mae. She experienced wicked magic firsthand. What could it have been like for her to be nothing more than a puppet for the wizard to play with?

Clarity dawns like wiping cobwebs off an old tapestry after a long winter. This is why Mama hates and fears magic so much. For my sake, yes, but also for her own.

I shudder. What price will be in store for me if I find the Wizard's Bane?

Dusk comes and goes far too fast. I hardly have the chance to put everything together before it is time to leave, even though I stay in my rooms, just to avoid suspicion. Outside my rooms, the palace is abuzz with whispering servants. Paranoia rules the day, and my parents are more protective than ever. True to their word, they again attempt to keep me in my room after dinner, even taking my key, but I learned long ago how to pick the lock from the inside.

Now I wait for Ren in my garden. The sad little plot where I planted the Crown-of-Roses seeds still lies barren. No matter how much I water and plead, they refuse to sprout. It vexes me. No plant has resisted at least sprouting before.

My pack contains clothes, a cloak, and two canteens of water—one for me and one for Ren. I swiped a plain gray serving girl's gown from the laundry room when the laundress had her back turned. It's a little big, but it will keep me from sticking out.