AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"What creature got you two?" she asked.
"I told you." Byriel peaked his eyes open. "Mine was a creature, a snake of some kind. But his was a dagger. Nothing cursed or enchanted. Just a regular blade."
"No." She pulled out a cream-colored handkerchief, rubbing the end of her nose in a quick, forceful manner. "Before that. What got him?"
Byriel moved his eyes over the floorboards as if they might provide the answer he needed. “I don’t know.” He shook his head.
"A lizard in the cursed lands!” I yelled, suddenly remembering that awful night. Joon and Lex were unconscious and huddled under a tree while I did my best fighting for our lives. "Joon was scratched on his arm by a lizard-like creature, but it was only skin deep. It barely bled and only for a moment."
"Was your snake in the cursed lands as well?" she asked Byriel. "Or in the wildlands?"
"Cursed," I answered for him, remembering when we first found Byriel by the river. "You said you were bitten in the cursed lands. Right?"
Byriel nodded, and Haxa hummed. "Yup," she clicked her tongue, "that'll do it."
She crossed the room to a cluster of bookshelves on the other side of her living room. The heavy, wooden shelves were covered in a mess of little boxes of various sizes and glass jars filled with flowers, plants, and some that had tiny bones and stones.
"The wounds are simple to explain," Haxa said as she returned. She held a small, black tin in her hands. "Rain from the cursed lands entered your bodies when you were attacked, and the curse seeped in. It makes deep injuries—ones that are more than a scratch—almost impossible to heal. If you look at it without any light," she motioned to Joon's chest, "you can see the dark magic in the torn skin."
I leaned over Joon, cupping my hands. Faint traces of green, shimmering dust lit up the edges of his cut. It would have been hard to see even on the darkest night.
"Is this permanent?" Byriel asked, eyeing the ugly mark on his hip. The muscles in his jaw ticked as he waited for her to answer. I understood his fear. An alpha that couldn't heal, couldn't fight. And an alpha that couldn't fight wasn't an alpha at all.
"It's not permanent," Haxa said confidently. "I can fix you, but I want answers."
"Answers? Answers to what?"
Haxa eyed Byriel for a moment before twisting her hips in an almost playful manner. "I think you need some tea."
A low, deep growl pushed from Byriel's chest. "You cannot be serious."
"I am," she said, tipping her chin up. "You can be as huffy as you want, but I need to know the answers you give me are truthful. I need to protect my people just like you."
"I've never lied to you before.” Byriel leaned forward, his eyes almost wounded. “Why would I start now?"
"Byriel," her voice slipped into a careful, soft tone. "The trail of bodies in your wake is too strong, and spilling that kind of blood changes someone in ways that can be shocking."
Byriel's eyes widened with shock. "How do you know?"
"We know many things." She placed a hand on her chest. "Witches see more than we want."
She set the black tin on the table, not even a foot from me. I stared at it, wanting to snatch it up and dump the contents onto Joon's chest before she could change her mind.
The clink of teacups pulled me from my thoughts, and I forced my eyes away from the tin.
The steaming brown liquid Haxa poured had a sweet aroma and tickled my nose with notes of peppermint and something spicy. Byriel gave her a pointed look as she handed over a cup. He pushed out a heavy sigh, then downed it in one go. I stared at the alpha, waiting for him to scream or die or turn into a toad. But nothing happened.
"What's it do?" I asked Haxa.
"It makes the very idea of telling the truth so wonderfully tempting, your toes curl, and your spine sings," she said with a melodic lift.
"Really?" Lex gasped, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Can I get a cup as well?"
Haxa looked down at the kettle still in her hand. "But… it's got a spell," she said, confusion twisting her brow.
"That's okay.” Lex smiled brilliantly, holding out his hands to accept a cup.
She gave a quick shrug and grabbed another teacup. This one was bright yellow and had a distinctive crack down the side. I half expected tea to seep through the jagged line.
