Page 91 of Foul Days

“What are you doing?” Asen asked.

“I’m going to eat them.” To demonstrate, she took a handful and stuffed them in her mouth. Her eyes filled with tears as the garlic burned her tongue.

Asen watched her, his head slightly tilted. “Why?”

“To make myself as unappetizing as possible. They can’t enchant you, and I’m trying to make it so they won’t want to enchant me. I’m turning myself into a walking upir repellent. The first ingredient is garlic.”

“I see.” Asen sat next to her and helped her peel the rest of the cloves. “How much garlic will it take?”

Kosara shrugged. She kept dropping the garlic to the floor whenever her fingers turned to shadow. Hey, hands, she thought at them sternly. Hey, the two of you, one of you washes the other.…

Finally, she was left with a pile of peeled garlic. She chewed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her tongue went numb. She’d taste nothing but garlic for days.

“Do you think it will work?” Asen asked.

Kosara shrugged again, unable to talk with her mouth full. Who knows?

“What’s next?” Asen said. “What’s your second ingredient?”

Kosara still couldn’t reply, so she gestured towards the elaborate holy water fountain near the entrance. It was large enough to fit her if she crouched down. Its purpose was something of a mystery to Kosara, though she suspected it involved a lot of chanting and reciting passages from the Holy Book. Everything in the church seemed to.

“I tried moving it to block the door.” Asen slammed his hand against it, the clap echoing in the nave. “Too heavy. I think it’s solid marble.”

“I’m not asking you to move it.” Kosara stood up and dusted her knees. She ran her tongue across her teeth, trying to dislodge the pieces of garlic stuck between them. “I’m asking you to help me climb into it.”

Asen considered this. “Are you sure you won’t burst into flames? Being a witch and all that.…”

“Ha-ha,” Kosara said without humour. “Come on, give me a hand.”

She flung her arms over Asen’s shoulders, her face turned to the side to save him from her breath. He boosted her up until she kneeled on the marble edge of the fountain. The holy water beneath her was inky black in the dim light, candle flames reflecting in its depths. A few chubby cherubs glared back at Kosara, disapproval in their marble eyes.

What if she did burst into flames?

She carefully dipped a finger into the fountain. The cold water slid off her skin, making her shiver. There were no flames. Kosara took a deep breath and submerged her whole body in the water.

Cold. So goddamned cold. Could it be cold enough to freeze her brain? It certainly felt like it.

She held her breath for as long as she could. Her hair floated around her—she couldn’t see it in the dark, but she felt it tickling her face. Her teeth chattered, cold water filling her mouth.

A few seconds later, she emerged and inhaled deeply. Her nose and ears were filled with holy water. Her eyes smarted, from the mixture of water and mascara running down her face.

“Are you feeling reborn?” Asen asked.

“I’m feeling cold, mostly.”

“Now what?”

Kosara bit her lip. What else could she do to deter the upirs? Fashion herself a suit of armour from the pictures of saints in the walls? Learn a few passages from the Holy Book to chant? Would they even work, when recited by a nonbeliever?

The pile of church furniture swayed, dangerously close to collapsing. They didn’t have much time left. And, Kosara suspected, if they stayed here much longer, even if the upirs didn’t get her, the hypothermia would.

Holy water ran down her hair, collecting in a puddle at her feet. Her whole body shook. Her skin felt like nothing but goose bumps.

Kosara grabbed a large silver cross from the pile in front of the door and squeezed it with both her trembling hands like a two-handed sword. Asen caught her eyes and drew out his revolver.

He gently pulled on the leg of one of the chairs in front of the door. The pile of furniture swayed again. Kosara could see how, once the chair was removed, the rest of it would collapse like a card tower.

“Are you ready?” Asen asked, his hand still on the chair.

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