Page 38 of Box of Frogs
‘Let me try.’ Morgan moved down and took Viburna’s place. She released my hands and I expelled a breath, relief cascading through me as the compulsion to talk was lifted. Then he took my hands and the pressure returned. This time it was even stronger.
‘Who are you?’ he asked, his voice silky smooth.
My lips opened. I bit back the word. It was sheer stubborn will holding me back now. I was really struggling but I wasn’t going to give in. Not like this.
Morgan’s green eyes held mine. ‘Who poisoned you?’
I couldn’t hold it back any longer. The word fell out of me in a rush of air. ‘Madrona.’
He dropped my hands as if he’d been burned.
‘See?’ Cravat Man said. ‘I told you that bitch was behind all of this.’
I yanked my hands back, placing them behind my body as if that would help me. ‘You absolute idiots,’ I spat. ‘I’mMadrona. I poisoned myself by touching a poisoned sword. Not my finest hour, I admit, but I didn’t know any better.’
All four of them stared at me in shock. I was only just getting going.
‘You call me evil?’ I hissed, addressing Morgan in particular. ‘You lot dragged me here against my will and began interrogating me like we’re in Guantanamo Bay. I’ve not done anything wrong! How dare you try and pull information out of me like that? It’s … it’s…’ I searched for the correct word. ‘Impolite!’
While the other three continued to stare at me open-mouthed, Morgan leaned back on his haunches and regarded me carefully. ‘You’re certainly not on the side of good, Madrona,’ he murmured. ‘If indeed that’s who you are.’
I almost howled in exasperation. ‘I’ve got amnesia! Apparently I’m Madrona – everyone keeps telling me I am – but I don’t know for sure. And I tried to be bad. I’ve spent all crappy day trying to be the villain you think I am. It’s not worked.’ My voice was rising. ‘You know why it’s not worked? Because I reckon that I’m not the bitch you keep telling me that I am. I’ve not met this bloody Rubus you keep talking about. I bet he’s a damn sight nicer than you lot. He can’t be much worse. So I theoretically sell some pixie-dust drug shite to some faeries to make them feel better. Big bloody deal! At least I’ve not tried to drag answers out of someone with some stupid truth-spell thing. I almost died out on the street an hour ago and now I’m trapped in this ridiculous oafish body. None of this is my fault! Stop being such an arsebadgering bastard and let me go!’ I glared at him for extra effect.
All Morgan did was take a step back. He did not, however, take his eyes off me. ‘Yeah,’ he said slowly. ‘That’s Madrona.’
Jodie’s lip curled. She might have been doing a good impression of disdain but I could tell she was nervous. ‘You told me that you guys could only keep up glamours for a short period of time. If that’s your ex, how come she still looks like that? It means any of you could pretend to be someone else whenever you wanted.’
Morgan’s head tilted. ‘I wasn’t lying to you before, Jodie. No Fey had ever been able to maintain a glamour for more than a quarter of an hour.’
Her arms flailed in my direction. ‘Then how is she doing it?’ she screeched.
‘Good question.’ He raised an eyebrow at me. ‘Madrona?’
My glower only increased. ‘Do I look like I have any answers? Everything that happens to me only gives me more questions! I don’t want to look like this! I want to look like me!’
Morgan glanced at Viburna and Cravat Man. ‘Well,’ he drawled, ‘the winddidchange direction earlier today. Maybe she’s stuck in that form forever.’
My glower abruptly transformed into a gape. ‘What the hell? Are you telling me that I’m trapped like this? That I’m going to look like a brutish, muscle-bound prat with a Santa Claus beard for the rest of my days?’
He shrugged. ‘You could shave.’
‘You…’
Morgan held up his hands. ‘Relax. I was only joking. The wind’s got nothing to do with it.’
‘Then what does?’ I demanded. ‘Why do I still look like this?’
Recovering slightly from her shock, Viburna spoke up. ‘It could be the rowan poisoning,’ she said doubtfully. ‘It might be preventing her from returning to her normal appearance.’
‘Or,’ growled Cravat Man, ‘it might be one of those dust concoctions. Who knows what Rubus has been adding to his bloody drugs?’
I’d had enough. I got to my feet, dusted myself off and sniffed. ‘I don’t know who any of you people are. Unless you’re planning to keep me here against my will, I’m leaving.’
It irked me beyond belief that Morgan merely looked amused. ‘You’re not a prisoner. I should point out, however, that if Jodie hadn’t noticed your shenanigans in the centre of town and called us, it’s highly likely you’d be dead by now. The rowan was working its way through your body faster than I’d realised. We saved your life. And if you want to know how to return to your normal body, we can help you with that too.’
‘Why?’ I asked suspiciously. ‘You obviously hate me. Why would you want to help me?’
He put his hands in his pockets. ‘I never said I hated you.’
