Page 26 of Beast and Remedy
I find Marian’s hand, and she squeezes it twice, a silent understanding of the unease brimming from the suspicion pouring into the room.
“Silence!” Papa booms.
Everyone turns as he rises from his throne, a stern expression furrowing across his freckled, aged skin as he walks to the woman and Jean.
My heart wrenches when he leans in, speaking to Annie. “What kind of animal?”
Annie trembles, and Jean touches her shoulder in encouragement. She swallows, mouth opening and stuttering, “W-W-Wolves, Your Majesty.”
My father glances back, my heartbeat tripling with his grimace.
We received confirmation that the first attack in Lomburg was by wolves today from Pierre’s spies, but there was another in C’eaux?
Sweat protrudes along Annie’s temple, and she wipes it away, fatigue and exhaustion dragging her down. “Th-Th-There was a pack of them. We tried to fight them off, but—” She shudders, rubbing her arm and revealing it is bandaged. “B-B-But there were so many, and w-w-we didn’t have a chance.”
My grip on Marian tightens, a lifeline, as my panicked breaths increase from Annie’s words, sending me on the verge of collapsing.
Tremors rack through me, magic thrumming in my blood, in my chest, in my heart. A vicious growl teeters on the edge of escape, rumbling low in my throat.
Marian whispers, “It’s okay, Vi.”
I know she is trying to calm me, but my breaths turn ragged, the scrutinizing stares stifling and suffocating me as the walls close in.
A surge of power thrashes in my veins, my knee wobbling to control it. My thoughts comb through every possibility, every outcome, every logical reason, trying to find out why and how this could have happened.
Anentirevillage… gone.
“You know how,”a somber voice whispers on my right, and I look toward the window, dusk peeking through, and a familiar floating shimmer twinkles.
Trepidation flickers in my mind as I squint, a thought in my mind.“I know how?”
The shimmer sharpens into an ember, and its flame sparks with a flourish before vanishing from sight.
Turmoil crashes against me, and my mouth slackens.
Wait… not one wolf. But apack.
Shit.
“Do you know where they went?” Papa asks Annie, tears soaking her flushed cheeks.
“I’m so sorry, my king. I-I-I don’t know where they went.” She pants, clutching her hand and trying to catch her breath.
Jean pulls her into an embrace and stiffens. Glancing at us, he frowns as he mouths,I think she’s sick.
My eyes widen, and I peer toward Pierre, surprised he hasn’t spoken.
He simply stands with his arms folded, scanning and assessing the crowd.
My father looks as if he, too, is trying to help the village.
But if they were all killed...
“My citizens, this is a trying time for our people. Rest assured, we will look into this matter, and with that, we will end today’s session. Thank you all again for visiting and may next month bea brighter time for us.” Papa gestures for everyone to leave, the guards seeing his order through.
I rise and hurry to him.
Jean helps the woman up, but her knees give out, and Papa and I rush to catch her.
