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Colour flooded my cheeks.
“And I hoped you wouldn’t be too disappointed if things don’t go the way we want them to. You’re doing everything you can. No matter the outcome, hold on to that. You did everything you possibly could.”
I didn’t see things his way. I hadn’t tried nearly everything yet. But if I had to, I would.
Lena welcomed us warmly with bowls of stew and cups of tea, as though she knew we would all be showing up on her doorstep.
“You’ve met them then,” she said smugly when we gathered inside her home. “I can tell. They shook you, too.”
“The village where they trade,” Niall said. “We’re planning on staying there until the people from the compound come to trade. Do you know if there’s anywhere we can stay?”
“I’ve already written to my cousin,” she said, waving a hand. “You can stay in his barn. He has no backbone. He won’t mind.”
I exchanged a bewildered glance with Ryan.
“What will you do when you find the harbingers?” she asked. “Kidnap one?”
Byron hid his smile. “We’ll ask them questions. All we’re looking for is information.”
“Hmm.” She sipped her tea. “Will you ever return?”
“Why, will you miss me?” Niall teased.
She looked at him with wistful eyes. “You could write me a letter and tell me how it all worked out. I’ve thought of your family a lot over the years. There were things I wished I had done differently, but it feels right that I should know how it ends.”
Niall promised to keep in touch with Lena. She watched us eat and kept us entertained with stories as though she didn’t want us to leave. After many attempts to get going, she packed us off with food and a lift from her neighbour. Her cousin wasn’t so happy to see us, but he let us sleep in his barn, which was infinitely better than the mountains, given what was up there.
We passed days helping Lena’s cousin work, talking to villagers—or at least trying to—and venturing back onto the mountainside. We never made it far before something dark and malevolent drove us away. It was insane that something we couldn’t even see was keeping us from the compound. I wondered if I could sneak around it alone, without the others, but I didn’t want to disappoint Byron so soon after he had praised me.
Lena’s cousin woke us up early one morning. “They’re here,” he warned. “They’re at the market today.”
It was cold and foggy outside as we hurried towards the market to observe who had arrived. A group of women were trading while two men kept guard over a donkey and cart of goods.
The women all looked eerily similar, their white-blond hair tied back into severe plaits. Their clothes were old-fashioned and warm, covering everything but their faces. The lining that poked out through their sleeves looked suspiciously like wolf fur. Their hoods mostly covered their hair, but they removed these whenever they spoke to a local. The locals looked uncomfortable, as though they couldn’t wait for the group to leave. Then again, they had mostly treated us the same way.
“They practically look identical,” Niall said in disgust. “What’s going on in that compound?”
The longer I looked at the women, the more their individual features stood out. Like Margo, they seemed drained of colour, but I wasn’t convinced they were all related either. Perhaps the harbinger gift—or curse—did something to otherwise ordinary people to give them such an odd appearance. Perhaps it wasn’t hereditary at all.
“They look miserable,” I remarked. “All of them.”
“Their guard isn’t watching. Now’s a good time to question them,” Ryan said.
Byron led the way, drawing us to the closest trio of women. “English?” He asked. “Româna? Français?”
One of the women vehemently shook her head, urging the others on.
“Wait,” I said. “We need help with a harbinger. She’s my age, she’s hurt, and she needs help controlling her gift. She looks like you, but—”
The woman’s disbelief turned to horror. She whispered something to the others, making them all look afraid. They ran from us.
Niall followed, so we had no choice but to go after him.
The women hurried back to their cart. One of the men moved in front, aiming his gun at us.
“She’s my daughter!” Niall cried out after them. “Please, help her!”
The other man rushed at Niall, gripping him by the neck before I could react.
