Page 126 of Brambles and Bellflowers
Before I could protest, she grabbed my fingers, and I allowed her to pull me toward the one-room dwelling. I stayed with her as she led me toward the now-cool hearth. She placed thelantern on the table. The light reflected off the rounded, black iron.
“This stuff,” she said, gesturing toward the cauldron with a wave. She bit her lip as she spoke, suddenly nervous and unsure.
I dropped Bianca’s hand, stepping forward as I leaned toward it, but it was too dark to see the contents.
“She was making it for me?” My eyes flashed toward Bianca, who only shrugged. “For what?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “She put mandrake in it, and it did something weird. She never said what it was for. But…” She hesitated, biting her lip. She looked away and added, “She said to tell you it’s okay to ask for help. Like I said, my…” She paused again, then corrected herself. “Jonathon is just messing with you.”
My heartbeat was thundering in my ears. Why would he do that?
“Do you—” she almost whispered. “Do you think she made it for your spell?”
I frowned down at the potion. It had looked like the drawings, but how had she known I would be coming? However, I couldn’t question it. It was precisely what I required, and with time running out, I wouldn’t have the chance to make my own.
I might have to take Bianca up on her offer after all.
“I’ll bottle what I need,” I told Bianca, breaking the electrified air—or maybe that was just my excitement. “We can take it with us.”
Hell, Kathleen even had all those materials ready, too. She’d planned this all along.
“O-okay.” Bianca watched me, and I wondered if I looked as crazed as I felt.
But this wasn’t something I could explain without exposing my weakness. Tonight would be the perfect time. I couldn’tafford to hesitate any longer. The full moon’s energy drove me forward.
Initially,I led us through the trees, but it was still hard to see, even with the lantern and the bright moonlight. After a question about our destination—when I realized I hadn’t even told Bianca where we were going—she took over. She didn’t complain about the walk, only reaching her hand back to grasp mine as I stumbled after her.
My apprehension faded as she threaded her fingers through mine, and her confidence grew as we drew deeper into the forest.
Nighttime sounds fell away as I studied her silhouette. Her braid swayed gently with her movements, and every so often, I’d capture a glimpse of bright green as her attention flickered to me.
My chest tightened at the sight. Was she even aware of how casually she’d drawn upon her powers? Did she know, for example, that her eyes glowed?
She must know. Why wouldn’t she?
Bianca squeezed my hand and said, “Watch your step.”
I sighed. She was taking care of me again. And yes, while I definitely would have tripped and fallen on my face, I hated that I must seem so helpless next to her.
Maybe this was why she didn’t trust me. I didn’t blame her.
“How well did you know her?” Bianca asked as her attention returned to her invisible path.
I was struck dumb for a moment. “Huh?”
“Kathleen,” she asked. “You seemed to have had a good relationship, but she didn’t know you lived in France.”
“Well,” I said, my focus turning to the ground. Not that I could see much, but it was easier to let Bianca completely take the lead. At least she wouldn’t let me walk face-first into a tree.
I hoped.
“My dad was a witch, while my mother has no magical abilities,” I continued. “He was studying in France and met my mother at a church. My maternal family have maintained the grounds there for generations. I don’t know much about my father’s line—they disapproved of their relationship, and there aren’t a lot of them anyway.”
“Oh,” Bianca replied. “I’m sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter—I never met them,” I reassured her. “My father brought me here for a while, and I studied with Kathleen. He and I traveled back and forth for a few years, but my dad died, and I went back to France to support my mother.”
“Support?” Bianca asked, and I could feel her curious gaze on me. “When was this? How old were you?”
