Page 69 of The Poison Season

And then there was her brother. Mama, Leelo, and Tate could all live together out there. And wasn’t that everything she wanted? That, and to stay with Jaren?

But leaving Endla would mean she would never be able to sing again, and that thought was perhaps the most painful of all. She touched her throat, trying to imagine never letting her songs pour out of it. Maybe she’d eventually stop feeling the desire. Maybe, but she couldn’t count on it. And that would endanger everyone around her, including Jaren.

Up ahead, Leelo heard the sound of someone tromping through the woods. From behind, she recognized Isola’s short brown hair, and she trotted to catch her. She was about to call out to her friend when she noticed that Isola wasn’t alone.

She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her gasp. Sage was in front of Isola, standing on her tiptoes to peer over the rim of Isola’s basket. “Gathering, you say? A little late for berries. A little early for mushrooms.”

Isola glanced around the Forest like she’d rather be anywhere than here. “I’m gathering herbs, if you must know.”

Sage grinned. “I see. Would you like some company?”

Isola studied her for a moment. To her credit, she smiled back. “Absolutely.”

“Please, lead the way.”

Leelo breathed a sigh of relief as Isola led Sage away from the cottage. She followed from a distance, straining to overhear their conversation.

“What are you doing out here?” Isola asked. “You’re not on duty, are you?”

“Leelo has been sneaking off a lot lately. My mother wanted me to find out where she’s been going. You don’t know anything about that, do you?”

Saints, Sage had been following her. Leelo’s back broke out in a cold sweat as she dashed behind a tree just before Sage turned to look in her direction.

“Why would you think I know anything about it?” Isola asked.

“You and Leelo are friends, aren’t you? Leelo is youronlyfriend, after what you did with Pieter.”

Leelo knew exactly what her cousin was doing: trying to get under Isola’s skin, to see if she would slip up. But Isola was tougher than Sage had ever given her credit for.

“Leelo has been extremely kind and patient with me. I am fortunate to call her a friend. But if she’s been sneaking off, I haven’t noticed. She and I take walks without you, so it’s entirely likely that I’m who she’s been seeing.”

“I suppose Leelo is helping to fill the hole that Pieter left behind?”

Now Isola stopped and turned to Sage. “What are you implying?”

“Nothing at all. No one needs to tell me how special Leelo is. It would be perfectly understandable if you fell for her.”

Leelo swore under her breath as Isola’s face turned beet red. “Yes, it would be. But that is not what is happening between Leelo and me. She’s just a good friend, something you clearly don’t understand. If you love your cousin so much, why don’t you ask her yourself where she’s been going, instead of sneaking around trying to catch her in a lie?” She lifted her chin. “Perhaps it’s because you know she wouldn’t tell you, that she doesn’t trust you at all.”

Sage’s lips thinned. Even from here, Leelo could see she was struggling to keep control of her temper. “You don’t know anything about my relationship with Leelo. You can’t possibly. But believe me when I say that I will do whatever it takes to protect my cousin, even if that means discovering a secret she wants to keep hidden. Leelo doesn’t know what’s best for her. She made that perfectly clear when she chose to be friends with you.”

Isola flashed a small, condescending smile. “That’s right. Shechoseme. The poor thing got stuck with you.” And with that, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the Forest.

Sage stood in silence for a few minutes, her face white beneath her freckles, her hands clenched into fists. A part of Leelo wanted to run and comfort her because she could see that while Sage had been trying to land a blow, it was Isola who had hit Sage where it hurt most.

But if Sage knew Leelo had witnessed the encounter, she would only grow defensive. Even now, she was straightening her spine, flexing her fingers and swiping the tears from her face before they could fall.

Besides, Leelo wasn’t feeling particularly warm toward her cousin right now. Not when she knew she’d been spying on her. She wasn’t sure what she would have done if Sage had simply asked her for the truth, rather than trying to flush it out like an ambush predator. But Sage had never respected her enough to ask.

Leelo waited until Sage had turned and headed back toward home before releasing her breath and running in the direction Isola had gone.

“Isola,” she hissed when she’d nearly caught up.

The girl whirled around, her eyes wide. “Saints, it’s you, Leelo. You startled me.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“Sage was just here.”

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