Page 96 of Unraveled
“We waited at the manor for as long as we could. I gathered some of our things to give Mia a chance to return, but when she didn’t come back, I assumed something happened.” Finley’s amber eyes land on me, wild and unfocused. There’s a small growl from inside the carriage, and when Ash pulls back, I know Nera isn’t herself.
“What happened to her?” Was that my voice? I can’t tell from the adrenaline rushing through my body.
“Whatever reversed the glamour at the party also affected her—conscious state. She’s been fading since yesterday.”
I walk around the beasts, getting closer so I can see what’s happening to Nera while my heart aches for the devastation in Ash’s features. Both doors to the carriage are open wide, and Nera sits, unmoving, inside. Her wings press against the ceiling, and some of her stone feathers have pierced through the wooden roof.
I freeze when her head snaps to the side, her red, milky gaze pinning me down. Her mouth opens as she snarls at me. Ash’s golden magic blooms out of him, enveloping her right before he presses a finger to her forehead, and before she can leap out to chase me down, she slumps back. Asleep.
Ash wraps an arm around Nera’s waist, sparing me a glance over her body. The agony in his expression is so intense it takes my breath away. His arms shake with strain as he hoists her up before walking back into the small house with Finley following closely behind.
I wipe my wet cheeks and notice the tremble in my hands. Nera is losing her consciousness, even though we’re at least two months away from the blood moon. This is the reason she wanted to come to Hedrum. One last chance to have fun before she loses her mind for good. She didn’t think she’d come back from it again—and I can’t let the curse take her.
It’d destroy Ash to lose her, and she deserves better.
I stand still, thinking of ways I can help, going over old spells I once studied in my mind. But I don’t really know enough magic for something like this. The librarians made sure we were kept ignorant. I look at the carriage, and something nags at the back of my mind.
Finley said he gathered some of our things before leaving Hedrum. Perhaps that includes my traveling trunk, where I hid the mirror. I run around the back to the storage compartment and try the handle. Locked. Finley’s green magic is all over it.
White magic circles my fingers, and I ignore the pressure in my stomach, its weight like stones. The unraveling spell bursts through me, and the brass lock clicks open.
Inside, there are two trunks. Nera’s and mine. I reach for the leather handle, and my muscles scream as I drag it out of the tight space, scraping smooth wood off the sides. Inside, it smells mildly of dust, roses, and traces of magic. My own? It’s hard to tell.
I shift through the layers of lacy underthings and dress skirts, and find the silver oval shape closer to the bottom.
I can’t break Ash’s curse today, even though I want to. I don’t know how. But what if I’m able to free Nera from her much smaller shadowy monster? It seems I’m the only one who can see them.
When Ash had me frozen the night we met, I asked the spell to release me. I did the same last night with my father’s spell, and regained some of my memories. I might have a chance out of this mess. The prophecy flashes through my mind again.
Only when the king who cries tears of gold loses all,
will there come a new hope, and the one with the black rose will fall.
Not today. Ash can’t lose everything before the day is done.
Chapter 32
The surroundingshadows grow longer and closer as I move down the corridor to the dining room. I tuck the mirror under the thick layers of my traveling cloak, and pure determination pushes me forward.
A month ago, I was plucked from my city, a simple librarian who knew very little of what was happening out here. Now, I’m on my way to risk everything to save a beast—a friend—who not so long ago, I hated.
New rose canes cover the walls, which means Ash has been using his magic while I was outside. All are blooming with blood-red petals that bring color to the dreary halls. Following the vines, I find Ash and Nera at a long table bearing a small array of food.
“Mia, I’m glad you made it out of Hedrum alive. I have to say, this is not how I hoped to spend my birthday...” Nera’s voice is deep with lingering sleep, and I jump at the sound of it. Some of the haze from before has left her eyes, but there is a dreamy quality to the way her eyelids droop, like she could fall asleep at any moment.
Today is her birthday, the whole reason we came all the way here. And unless we do something, this may be her last one. Panic seizes me, the need to help her becomes stronger.
Ash takes a sip of tea, pretending to be at ease even though his knuckles are white and he’s paler than I’ve ever seen him. “I was wondering if you ran away again.”
My shoulders ease as I realize he’s trying to distract me from Nera’s condition, likely because of my inability to keep my emotions off my face.
“I tried, but got lost and had to come back.” I plaster a smile on my face, and judging by his expression, I’m not fooling anyone. My fingers twitch as I reach for the back of the closest wooden chair and meet Ash’s eyes from across the table. “I figured you needed time to calm Nera down...”
Finley moves outside the windows, walking around the carriage, running his fingers over the spindly wheels, and inspecting everything before we depart for the castle.
“I did, but all is well for now.” Ash scratches the edge of his chin as he tentatively leans back in his seat. “Why are you glowing, Monster?” He grabs a couple of olives from a plate and tosses them into his mouth, chewing slowly as he looks at me like he’s trying to decipher what he’s seeing.
Sweat rolls down my temple. “Maybe I glow when I’m nervous and my magic comes out...”
