Page 263 of Fated to be Enemies

If I had any chance of finding Mona, I needed to become a keeper so I could have access to the ring, powers, and the travel I needed to go into Salvius.

The tall trees narrowed as I walked, the sun casting a glow onto the dewy logs and leaves coating the uneven ground. Peering through gaps in the trees to the left, I eyed the babbling brook leading downhill. I always walked to the meadow, but something lured me in the other direction. I’d only ventured this way a few times before, when I’d felt adventurous on my afternoon runs.

Stepping over roots that had broken through the earth, coiling in and out of hard mud and undergrowth, I moved to my left. I crunched leaves beneath my boots as I ambled forward, taking in the world of hues of green, gold, and red melting into each other as time-chiseled trees grew closer together. Through fallen branches on the ground, pink wildflowers had sprouted beneath. A mossy, ripe scent filled the woods.

I walked for hours, until the sun set enough to cast a deep pink and purple blot across the sky. After carefully tiptoeing through a patch of bluebells, I decided to turn back. I hadn’t even stopped to draw as planned. It was just nice to be out in nature and clear my head.

I furrowed my brows when I noticed something out of place behind a tree, among a pile of dead leaves. Squinting, I swore it looked like a pair of legs, but they were grayish blue. As I neared the tree, my heart skipped a beat.

It was a body. There were legs poking out from leaves, which had purposely been pushed over the body. I scrunched my nose as I neared. The smell was unlike anything I’d ever smelled before. It was different than the pungent smell of death lingering around rotting animals’ corpses I’d come across before on my runs. No, this was unique, a cloying, thick smell with a sweet undertone to the decay. A stench I was certain I’d never forget.

Trembling, I moved the leaves off their face, closing my eyes as I did, not ready to see what was set to greet me. When I opened them, I let out an unexpected scream. Bugs crawled out of the man’s mouth, and ants had gathered on his hands and arms. As I shuddered back, my hand shot to my mouth, masking my next scream. His eyes… They were gone. The markings on his body were the same symbols I’d seen in ancient books I’d studied. They were markings of the gods.

Darkness loomed, enveloping the woods in indigo. The sunset pinched the horizon into purple. Oncoming night splashed shock through me, tingling every nerve to flight mode. I needed to get out of there, fast. Who knew if the killer was still in the area, or if they were watching me right now?

Chapter Six

Someone had covered me in a blanket. Another person brought me a water I didn’t drink. Night had coated our small town, but everyone was outside as if it were the middle of the day. A crowd of people surrounded the tape cordoning off the entrance to the woods. Edmund clawed through them, to the same bench I often drew sunsets from.

The body from the woods was taken away in a black bag, after the casters had come to check the area for lingering magic or spells and the protectors came to sweep the area.

“Elle!” Edmund rushed to my side, panting. “We just heard. They took their time telling us. I’m so angry, but…” He paused, seeing my expression. “That doesn’t matter. How are you feeling?”

Nauseated. Fragile. Confronted with my inevitable attachment to mortality. I wanted to scream because I couldn’t get the smell of death out of my nose. “I’m okay,” I managed to say. I looked at his frantic gaze and tight lips. I didn’t want to worry him more than he already was.

His forehead wrinkled as he wrapped an arm around me. “Let’s get you home.” He squeezed my shoulder. “Viktor. Maddox.” He waved a hand at the crowd.

The group of people were still gathered, whispering to each other. Some were crying. Maddox stood next to Viktor. Pity softened Maddox’s features, but Viktor’s was different. Rage guided his expression as he glared into the woods. Maddox tapped him on the back, and he snapped back to reality.

“Elle.” Maddox took wide strides until he was at my other side. “You okay?”

Viktor followed. His blue eyes met mine, and his expression softened. “I think what Elle needs is a drink.”

Edmund scowled. “An alcoholic drink? Now?”

“Come on, doll.”

I hesitated as he held his arm out for me to grab. “No, thank you.”

Edmund smirked. “You need a hot chocolate, I think.”

I nodded slowly.

“Dora’s lit the fire in your room and made your bed.”

I closed my eyes. She must be worried sick. She panicked at the best of times. “Let’s get home.” I shuddered as the stench wafted into my nose once again. A hot chocolate was welcome to remove the taste of bile in my throat, and the thought of the fire and my bed pulled me into action. I wanted to get as far away from the woods as possible.

Viktor glanced from me to Edmund. “I’ll clear the way.”

Edmund nodded. A loud crack sounded from the tree line behind us. I whipped my head around but was greeted with nothing but darkness. Edmund pursed his lips, and I heard an unintelligible mutter from Maddox. Viktor poised to fight, his muscles bulging under his shirt and his fingers flexing. His eyes appeared almost animalistic as he fixated on the rustling trees swaying against the wind.

Maddox and Edmund helped me to my feet. “Viktor.” Edmund tilted his head in the direction of the small crowd. “Let’s get her back to the house.”

Viktor pulled his stare away from trees, and his sharp jawline hardened as he turned slowly. The pale light of the moon showed off his olive complexion and dark hair. The way he moved reminded me of a wolf or a similar beast ready to attack at any moment.

He created a path through the swelling group of witches, and my friends escorted me back. As we walked, I pinched my eyes shut, unable to erase the scene replaying in my mind. Where bugs crawled between blue lips and ants crawled along gray-tinted skin. Where death hung thick in the air and the absence of sound or a heartbeat was deafening.

Dora brought me hot cocoa, which I drank too quickly, making my nausea worse. I sat in front of the crackling fire, watching it wither newspapers to embers between charcoaled logs. The pale-blue walls illuminated from the shadows as the flames flicked taller. The headline of the latest murder turned to ash as I watched the last newspaper feed the fire. Tomorrow’s front page would be splashed with yet another warlock found dead. This time, I was part of the story. Edmund had said something about a reporter wanting to talk to me, but he’d told them no. I was grateful. The last thing I wanted was to speak to people about what had happened.

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