“Your guardian angel happened,” I joke.
“What?”
“Never mind.” I get up before I freeze to death.
“You can’t be here, Karl.” Lucca gets back on his feet. He seems completely recovered.
My reason for coming here returns to the forefront of my mind. With it come all the emotions that have wreaked havoc on my heart.
“I wouldn’t be here if I had a choice. It’s Cheryl. She’s dying. I need your help.”
Eleven
RONAN
ITALY, 1521
Tonight is one of those nights when nothing seems to go according to plan. Halfway through my shift patrolling the south border with the leader of the Red Guard, James Davenport, and his son, Dean, we pick up the scent of humans. It’s too cold for them to be roaming this late at night and in this area, so naturally, we go investigate. We track them for a while before we completely lose their scent.
“How is this possible?” Dean asks. “Humans don’t simply vanish.”
“Hmm.” James rubs his face, staring at the snowy ground that, up until this point, had been covered with footprints.
“Maybe they weren’t humans. Is it possible for other creatures to alter their scent?” I ask.
James glances at me, looking troubled. “I don’t know of such a spell. We would have to consult the High Witch.”
A chilly wind blows from the north, making the trees whistle in a spooky manner. My skin breaks out in goose bumps, and not because of the cold.
Dean shivers, stepping closer to his father. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
James looks up and stares at the blowing needles of the pine trees. “Me neither. There’s something unnatural afoot. Let’s return to the castle. We’ll come back tomorrow with a larger party to investigate.”
It’s a sensible plan, so I don’t push to continue patrolling even though I’m curious about the humans who simply disappeared—if they were humans at all. James and Dean take the lead, and I trail behind them. As we put distance between us and the spot where we lost track of the humans, my sense of uneasiness lessens. That is, until another gust of wind brings forth two scents that shouldn’t be anywhere in the area—Cheryl’s and Karl’s.
Fucking hell.
I stop and wait for James and Dean to pick up their scents too, but they continue on as if nothing is amiss. They’re ahead of me, so they might have missed the breeze that carried the scents. I should tell them, but I hesitate. King Raphael banished the siblings—if they’re caught near the castle, it won’t end well.
I can’t tell my companions, but I also can’t return to the castle and forget about them. I have to do something.
Before I change my mind, I follow their scents, running fast in the hope that James and Dean won’t notice I’m no longer behind them. It’s a shameful move to leave them like that—especially after the missing humans incident—but I have to make sure Cheryl and Karl depart the area before anyone else finds them.
It’s a foolish mission. That much I know. Karl was intent on killing me before he was banished. He seemed to believe I committed a huge offense against him, when the only thing I did was develop complicated feelings toward his sister.
Soon I realize where their scents are leading me. They went to see Solomon. But the first familiar left a day ago on a mission for King Raphael, and it’s unlikely he has already returned.
My pulse accelerates as I approach his hut, and I soon understand why. Cheryl is leaning against Solomon’s door, curled up in a ball. Karl’s scent is strong too, but I don’t see him.
“Cheryl?”
She doesn’t move, so I run the rest of the way and drop into a crouch in front of her. “Cheryl, wake up.” I shake her shoulder.
She should be cold to the touch, but she’s hot instead. I press my hand against her forehead, confirming my suspicions. She has a high fever—way too high.
“Come on, Cher. Open your eyes, please.”
“Go away, Ronan,” she croaks. “I want to die in peace.”
