Page 62 of Hollowed

“Drink.Your.Tea.”

Godsabove.Huffingin frustration,Ipicked up the teacup and brought it to my lips.Anythingto get her to move on and answer my questions.Idrank the contents in one unladylike gulp before slamming the porcelain onto the table, wincing at the bitter taste of the tea asIwiped the excess from my lips with the back of my hand. “There,Idrank the tea.Now, tell me why you are summoning the sluagh toSleepyHollow.”

Theanswering smile on her face sent chills down my spine. “Iam not summoning anything, you petulant child.Younever could see past your own imagination.Stubbornand wrong is a dreadful combination.”

“Thenwho is summoning them?”Idemanded.Myvision blurred, andIblinked rapidly to clear it.Mytongue felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. “Surelyyou have noticed the unnatural mist blanketing the town.Thatis a sign the sluagh are coming, and you are the only one who stands to gain from it.Youhave destroyed those you deemed to be against you by sending them to theDullahan, and this—”

Mybreathing grew labored, and my vision blackened around the edges.Sweatbeaded on my forehead and back, rolling down my spine.Phantomhands gripped my throat, cutting off my airflow.Allthe while, my mother sat, smiling at me.

“What—what are you doing to me?”Ipanted out.Theroom spun around me, andItried to raise my hands to steady myself on the arms of the chair, but they would not move.Itried again, but none of my limbs obeyed me.

“Itis henbane,Katrina,” my mother said, smiling wider still. “Andonce again, your impetuousnesswill be your downfall.”

Theroom faded asIslipped from the chair; the ceiling filled my remaining vision.Mymother leaned over me, her features blurred and spinning, butIcould still make out her grin.Mymind betrayed me, andIcould not focus on anything.

Ashadow crossed the window behind my mother.Theneverything went dark.

Twenty-Nine

Mymuscles screamed in protest, tingling uncomfortably as awareness spread down my body.Myhead hung heavily against my chest, and whenItried to open my eyes, the effort to lift my lids was far more thanIhad been expecting.Instead,Ilet my consciousness move through my body slowly, taking in whatIcould whileItook stock of my body.

Icould not yet open my eyes, but it was clear we were outside.Thewind rustling through the trees was soft but clear, and the ground beneath me was damp in the cool night air.Awarenesscontinued down to my arms and torso, which came with the realization thatIwas bound to something hard.Scratchyropes dug into my stomach and wrists, and hard, cool stone sat at my back.

Asoft clink of glass from something being set down upon a hard surface followed the sound of something being poured into another container.Itwas not far away, butIcould not tell how close whoever was making the noise was to me.

Finally,Icould lift my head and open my eyes.AndimmediatelyIwishedIhad not.Myvision was blurry, making everything muddied and wavy.Twofigures stood in front of a small fire, and whileIcould tell they were moving,Icould tell nothing else about them.Blinkingrepeatedly, my eyes cleared, the scene before me finally coming into focus.

Iwas inSleepyHollowcemetery, and based on my position amongst the graves,Iwas tied to a headstone.Testingmy hands against the rope that bound me, there was no give and the material only bit into my skin, tightening further.Therope was wound around my wrists, and then another length of rope stretched across the front of my chest and shoulders, and another around my stomach, holding my lower back to the stone.

Thelight from the small fire made it easy for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, andIwas able to finally make out both of my parents standing before me.

“Sheis awake,Loralai,” my father said, pausing from his work in front of a large brass bowl sitting on a stone pedestal in front of them.

Mymother looked up from her own work. “Good.”

Tippingmy head back,Ilet the gravestone take the weight of my skull.Thehenbane was still in my system, given how much effort it took to move my body.AnythingIcould do to conserve my energy would benefit me.Inthe same vein,Idid not waste any of that energy on speaking.Itwould do no good.

“Iam sorry it had to come to this,Katrina,” my father said, walking from behind the stone pedestal and squatting down in front of me.Hereached out and tucked a strand of my curls behind my ear.Fora moment,Ialmost thought there was remorse in his eyes. “Ido wish there was another way.”

“Why?”Iasked, my voice hoarse asIspoke.Mytongue reached out to lick at my dry and cracked lips.

Hesighed and stood, stepping around the crackling fire and back to my mother’s side.

“Theveil is crumbling.Thisunnatural fog andAdelaide’sunfortunate death are proof of that, and if theDullahanwill not protect us, we will do it ourselves,” my mother said, motioning toward the forest.

Myeyes followed her movements, andIblinked to clear the remaining haze, revealing the thick undulating fog circling the bases of the trees once more.Itdidn’t whisper.Itdidn’t move any closer.Itwas as if it were watching us instead.Waiting.

Pickingup bottles of liquids and herbs, she added them to the brass bowl. “Unfortunately, that requires a bit more power than we currently have.”

“Soyou will summon creatures from theOtherworldto take the souls and power of the people who live here?”Iasked, straining against the ropes, and wincing when they again tightened. “Thenwho will be left to benefit from the veil?”

“Newpeople always come to town,Katrina,” she said. “Andpeople always leave.”

“Whatwill you do to me?”Theropes around my chest and stomach tightened uncomfortably, making my breath difficult.Iwinced, straining to catch a deep breath without pushing against the ropes more.

“Wetold you the truth before,Katrina,” my father said. “Repairingthe barrier requires a more significant sacrifice this year.Andthat is you.”

“Youcould not even die properly, and that is the only reason we have not already repaired it,” my mother bit out, scowling at me. “TheDullahanmay have rejected you once, but we will ensure he takes you this time.”

---