Page 57 of Hollowed

Thefog.Thememory hit me out of nowhere, but once it settled,Icould think of nothing else.

“Thesluagh are coming soon.”

Hestraightened, looking around the room as ifIhad meant they were coming right to this moment, in this room. “What?”

“Thefog.Itmeans they are coming,”Isaid, my voice frantic.Itook a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart.Myhands flitted about asIspoke. “AtPriscilla’s,Ifound a book.Itsaid that a sign of the sluagh being summoned was thick and unnatural fog.Weget fog and mist in the fall, and in the spring, but it is never this thick.Andit does not hover near the ground like this.Foglifts as the sun comes out.Thisfog has stayed when it’s been overcast enough.Icannot believeIdid not notice this before.”

Hetook hold of my frantically moving hands and held them steady in his own. “Breathe,Katrina.Startfrom the beginning.Whatdid you learn?”

Despitethe panic gripping my throat,Ifollowed his instructions and took several deep breaths, organizing my thoughts in my head asIdid so.Icould do this;Icould handle this.

“Therewas a book about creatures of theOtherworld.Itsaid that when sluagh are summoned, they would manifest in a thick, unnatural fog or in a large swarm of gray birds.Ifthe sluagh are summoned by someone, they can take the soul of those that fall in their path, and if those people have magic, the sluagh can transfer the power from those people to the one controlling them.Andthen they die.”

Hewas silent, taking in my words, but his hands tightened around mine.Theanger was palpable, and despite knowing logically thatAlexanderwould never hurt me, my body responded as it had been trained to, to make myself as small as possible.

“Thesummoner is my mother,”Iwhispered, fighting the urge to cower beneath the waves of anger washing from him. “Isn’tit?”

“Whatelse did you find out?” he asked, glossing over my question.Itwas probably for the better.Ineeded to pull myself together.Iknew my mother was evil, andIdid not understand why this was affecting me so much.

“Priscillawas doing some research on the prophecy and a poem we found about death and a phoenix,”Isaid, shrugging. “Shewas still trying to find the entire prophecy when we were interrupted.Sofar, she had only found a few lines.”

Hishands tightened around mine again. “Whatdid the poem say?”

Myeyes flitted asItried to recall the wordsIhad read. “Itdescribed a dance between death and a phoenix, chasing each other through time.Itsaid that death would always chase the phoenix, but that death could never catch it, could never succeed at destroying it, and so instead would burn the phoenix’s home to ashes each time it caught up to it.Ithought it might be useful in understanding the prophecy, butPriscilladid not find anything more.”

Thesudden darkness of his expression reminded me of what truly sat in front of me: theDullahan, the rider ofDeath.

“Iwas too afraid to askPriscilla,”Isaid tentatively. “Butdo you thinkIcould be a phoenix?”

Immediately, he shook his head. “No,Katrina, you are not.Phoenixeshave been gone from this world for over a century.Donot worry.”

“Thenwhat are you worried about?”Iasked.Iwanted to lift my hand to rub out the lines between his eyebrows, butIkept my hands still.

“Aphoenix is not the only creature thatDeathtends to follow.”Herubbed his hands over his face once more, sighing heavily as he stood.Turningback to face me, he dropped to his knees in front of me, taking my hands in his once more. “Perhapsyou should leave after all.Thisis much bigger thanIsuspected.”

Myeyes narrowed. “Youknow more than you are saying,Alexander.Whatis coming?Isit not just the sluagh?”

“SomethingCyrustold me makes me believe that yes, it is not just the sluagh.Deathis coming toSleepyHollow, andIdo not want you anywhere near her.”

“Her?”Iasked, my eyebrows shooting up. “Deathis a woman?”

Hesighed. “Yes,Deathis currently taking the form of a woman, thoughDeathis whateverDeathchooses to be.”

“WhatdidCyrussay,Alexander?”Ipressed, not wanting him to shut me out, but needing answers.

Hiseyes searched mine, pleading in a wayIhad never seen before. “Itis not safe for you here anymore,Katrina.Pleaselet me send you somewhere else.Somewheresafer.”

“Whatdid he say?”Iasked again, my voice firmer this time.

“Thesluagh always turn on their master once summoned,” he muttered. “Andthen they tear apart that master and deliver them toDeath.Deathwill follow them when they are summoned, to wait for the offering.Ido not want you to see that, andIdo not want you anywhere near here.”

“Why?”

“Becausethe sluagh may not stop at just your mother,” he said gravely. “Theymay very well turn on her entire family.”

Iceran through my veins. “Ibeg your pardon?”

Hesighed, still holding my hands as they rested on my knees. “Yousee?Thisis not safe for you anymore.Youneed to be as far fromSleepyHollowas you can be.”

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