“This time,” Grace whispered as she finally wore out her energy from trying to sit up and let herself slip back down to lying on the couch.
“Sera, and I won’t let you harm anyone. You don’t have to worry.”
She closed her eyes but didn’t seem convinced by my words. Her breathing slowed as she drifted off to sleep again. I placed her hands on her chest as her breaths became shallow.
Within moments she was back asleep. I stared at her for a few moments before standing and going back to my kitchen.
How in the world was I going to break the news to Nikkan? He already hated me because he thought I was dating Grace. Would it matter that I wasn’t after she got sick? He was never going to forgive me for not protecting her.
I heated up the skillet and got ready to fry the eggs my mother had given us on our way through town. Once it was all done, I’d wake Grace to eat, but it seemed she wasn’t going to spend much time awake.
As I went through the motions of cooking, I couldn’t help my mind from wandering again.
Where did the curse come from? Red had explained to me as a kid that it had been around for hundreds of winters. Everyone in the villages, wolf or tree-human, knew that. But no one spoke of why or where it came from. Maybe defeating it had to do with that. Or perhaps it could be beaten by the same witches that gave the Red their power. Someone had to know something; it was just going to take some searching to find and talk to the right person.
First, I was going to have to talk to Red again and try to get some more answers out of her once I figured out what to do with Grace. Red had knowledge that other people didn’t have, and even if she didn’t know how she broke the curse winters ago, she still did it. It might just be stuck in her head, and if it wasn’t, Red was an excellent place to start. And there were books in the village. There had to be more knowledge. But I wasn’t leaving until I figured out what to do with Grace. She was weak right now, but I didn’t trust she’d be okay if I took a run back to Red for the day.
Grace's crazy talk of wanting to be killed was just that: absurd. Being cursed didn’t mean she was dying. It meant she was sick. I could see it as it hit her hard in the last day, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t help her. While Sera didn’t especially like wolves, I could tell she was on my side about this one. We needed to save Grace. She was too sweet and innocent to be taken by the curse.
Watching my friend sleep and suffer from something she had no control over made my mind wander to Nikkan. Yes, I was mad that he was acting like an idiot, but that didn’t mean I didn’t care. In fact, with all that was going on, I cared more than ever. I wanted him to stay safe and this stupid curse to stay as far away from him. The last time the curse came, they didn’t know how it was spread amongst the wolves, so I had no idea how to go about keeping Nikkan safe. If he were with me now, I’d beg him to stay in his wolf form, but he wasn’t with me, and now with Grace, I was sure he would spend more time as a human to help her.
I didn’t have Nikkan to think of answers with, and Grace needed something soon. It was less than one day, and she was already withering away. The only thing I could think of to help her was Red. Even if my mother sent Sera to be my babysitter and forbade me from seeing the wolves, she was still the best answer to all of this. I needed to see her as soon as I could.
It didn’t take long to fry the eggs and slather the fresh bread with strawberry jam. Quick breakfasts were my specialty. Nikkan was the one that liked to make elaborate breakfasts with pancakes, eggs, three types of meats along with bread and jam, and anything else he could take as he ran around the forest in his wolf form. The scent of food woke Sera, who was soon kneeling by Grace and checking her over just as I had done when I awoke.
“I doubt that was enough sleep to keep you energized,” I commented. She had been up most of the night and barely had shut her eyes before she was up again.
“I’m fine. Technically, I don’t need as much sleep now,” Sera replied, still looking at Grace. “She isn’t fine.”
That much was obvious. Grace had a pale complexion during most winters, but her skin was tinged a slight green while she slept more than normal. Healthy people didn’t sleep days. Her breathing was shallow, and if you didn’t notice her weird skin coloring, you’d think she was peacefully sleeping.
“No, she isn’t,” I replied as I placed eggs and toast on a plate for Sera.
Sera and I stood side by side, looking down at Grace. I didn’t have answers, and it seemed like neither did Sera, but we both wanted to help her, the sooner, the better.
“She’s not dead yet,” Sera commented.
Leave it to Sera to go there. I wasn’t thinking about the wolves dying. I was more concerned she was going to wolf out and hurt people. That would kill Grace on the inside even if her body stayed alive.
“So, what do we do?” Sera finally asked as she stood and took the cold plate of eggs and bread from me before heading over to my two-seat table.
I joined her.
“I have no idea. I talked to Red, and she said there’s no way to break the curse.”
Sera shook her head. “But she broke it eighteen winters ago.”
I nodded. My thoughts exactly.
“Once I’m sure Grace is doing okay, and I can drop her off with the wolves, I plan to give Red a visit,” I explained to Sera.
“I’m not going back there,” Grace said in a raspy voice.
Sera and I both hurried over to her.
“Grace, the wolves can take care of you. Protect you and keep you and everyone safe until I find an answer,” I explained to her like she was a child, not someone my same age.
Her sleep-lined eyes stared back at me as the corners of her mouth pulled into a frown.
“I’m not going back to the wolves. It would be better for everyone if you just let the tree people kill me. That way, I can’t spread the curse, and I can’t hurt someone. If I’m not around, that is one less wolf for everyone to worry about.”
I shook my head no as Sera looked at her in horror.
“You won’t hurt someone. You had a chance last night to hurt Castiel or me, but you didn’t. You may be cursed, Grace, but you aren’t a killer. The curse can’t force you to do something you wouldn’t want to do.”
Grace looked up at me. I bit my lip to keep from telling the truth that I knew Sera knew also. Sera was trying to sugar coat it. The curse would make Grace into a monster, and yes, she’d have no problem killing Nikkan or me if she was in the change. But Grace didn’t need to hear that. Not right now.
“Castiel and I are going to talk to Red and find out how to beat the curse,” Sera continued confidently. I had no idea how she did it. No matter what was thrown at Sera, she was always sure. She thought she could do anything, even if she couldn’t.
I looked at Grace, but I couldn’t turn my eyes to Sera. She wasn’t telling Grace the full truth on any of it. I understood why she was doing that, but it wasn’t something I could do. I couldn’t lie to Grace. The curse would turn Grace into a monster, and there wasn’t a cure. Those two things weren’t going to change any time soon. I didn’t plan to give up, but I was realistic.
Elder had always looked to itself as self-sufficient. They never looked outside the border for help, but I had a feeling this time, we needed more than we could get from Red. She’d already admitted that she didn’t know how to fix it. I wasn’t sure what the other kingdoms would do, once the wolves spread over the borders, but it might be necessary this time to preemptively seek help if Red could do that.
Red was a political leader, but always private. She treated her kingdom just like her life when she was out in the rest of the world. She listened and analyzed everything, but never showed her cards. I wasn’t sure it was time to be leading like that if she genuinely couldn’t help the wolves, but her leadership was exactly like her personality. Heck, I grew up with Red as my mother and yet couldn’t tell you very many personal details about her. I honestly didn’t know if she’d ever b
een in love or wanted to get married to someone because she kept that all to herself. But in reality, she kept everything to herself. I was pretty sure that if the wolf problem got too bad, there would be no keeping it to ourselves this time.
“We’ll take you back to the wolves as soon as you are rested,” Sera explained as she continued to talk to Grace.
I nodded my agreement before going back to the food to make a plate for Grace. I brought it back to her as Sera sat on the ground beside her and patted her hand. Grace was still on the verge of crying, but she accepted the food and the support from Sera. She, at least, had calmed from Sera’s words, and maybe that’s why the future Red lied to her. She could see that Grace needed hope, even if we didn’t truly have it to offer.
Sera and Grace continued to whisper as I cleaned up the dishes from breakfast. I lost myself in thoughts rather than listen in. Sera was talking to Grace and planning their fun times after the curse was broken, and Grace wouldn’t have to live as a wolf. I couldn’t think that far ahead.
I was sure where I stood with the wolves. It was only a day ago that they had shown up at my house, demanding to have Grace back. I know they were acting out of fear and Nikkan’s irrational feelings, but it was the first time, ever, I had felt like the wolves didn’t want me around.
No matter how much the woods of Elder felt like home to me, I’d never felt like I belonged with the people of Elder. The tree people didn’t accept me because of my weird-colored eyes, and the wolves didn’t accept me entirely because I couldn’t transform into a wolf. But, at least, the wolves never shunned me. They looked at me like an oddity, but I always felt welcome. I wasn’t sure that was the case now.
Nikkan had brought some of the older male wolves with him when he came to take Grace home, but he had also brought Micco, their leader. I knew where I stood with Micco. He was like a grandfather to me. Even after their visit, I still knew that Micco supported me and always would. But he couldn’t make the other wolves change their minds if they now saw me like the outsider the tree people saw me as.
Elder is made up of two distinct areas, the woods of the north and east and the farm fields of the south. I hadn’t tried the farming villages as a place to live, but I didn’t know if I could. It was the woods that called me home all the time. Running between the trees and watching the seasons change was part of me. I wasn’t sure I could live in a place with few trees, hills, or running water. Every noise, scent, and feeling of the woods was what I needed to survive. This was home, even if I wasn’t welcome by any of the people living nearby.
The sun was at the midpoint in the sky by the time Grace felt well enough to stand. I could tell by her tentative steps, that she wasn’t going to make the jog back to the wolf village. It was going to be a slow walk, and, hopefully, we’d make it there by nightfall.
“I’ll go get Nikkan,” Sera said quietly to me as we exited my house. I nodded to her as I offered an arm for Grace to hold as we started our walk.
Grace watched as Sera took off full speed into the woods. She was almost as quiet as I was, but I was still quieter.
“I’m still not sure this is the safest option,” Grace said as she took a few more steps, her strength slowly coming back after sleeping for so long.
“The wolves will know what to do to keep you and everyone else safe. They’ve dealt with this before. It isn’t new to Micco,” I reminded her, and that was the truth. Micco wasn’t the leader eighteen winters ago, but he was the second in command. He knew what he was doing.
Grace nodded as she gave me a strained smile. I took that as a sign to walk slower, and she slowed beside me.
“And what will you be off doing while I wait to turn back into a monster?”
I tried not to smile at her statement, but how she said monster with such disgust on her face was funny. It wasn’t like she thought she’d be scary, but that she’d be a slobbering mess instead. I suppose waking up covered in blood would do that to you, but it was still funny.
Grace caught the smirk I was trying to keep hidden, and she hit me on the chest with her free hand.
“Castiel,” she complained with a whine.
I couldn’t contain my chuckle as it escaped.
“You talk about being a monster like it’s gross,” I explained. “But turning into a wolf and running around the forest eating small cute furry animals isn’t gross?”
Grace smiled and laughed too.
“Okay, fine. Being a wolf any time is gross.” Grace paused a moment and then added, “So you and Sera….”
I had no idea what she was talking about as I stared at her, waiting for her to finish. Grace huffed and then laughed at me.
“You know she likes you, right?”
“What? Not possible. She hates me most of the time, and the rest of the time, she acts like I’m her big brother.”
Grace shrugged.
“You like her too.”
I sputtered as I tried to come up with another response.
Grace just smiled and nodded to me as she didn’t say anything further.
It was impossible. Grace had that one wrong. Sera and I couldn’t stand each other. This was the only time I could remember that I could consider Sera as being nice. Most of the time, she was just annoying as she tried to beat me at everything. We might be rivals, but there wasn’t anything more between us, and if Grace thought Sera liked me, she was crazy. Sera tolerated me on a good day and hated me otherwise. This whole curse thing was playing with her mind. I was sure of that.
We continued to walk into the woods, toward the wolf village. I knew Grace loved to talk, but she was quiet too. I had a feeling she was more tired than she’d ever admit, but that was part of being a wolf: never show weakness.
As we got further away from my place and into the woods where the chirping of the birds disappeared, Grace’s thinking face turned to a frown.
“This isn’t going to be over soon, is it?”
I knew that while Grace wanted to believe Sera, but she was smart enough to see the truth. The last curse that made the wolves lose control of their animals took hundreds of winters before it was beaten. It was possible it could take a long time this time around too.
“I plan to go back to Red and find an answer. She was the one that broke it before and the one that can do it again. We just need to figure out how.”
“And until then, we will find a way to help the wolves,” Sera put in her two cents as she came out of the forest to the path we were walking on with Nikkan beside her.
Nikkan sheepishly looked anywhere but at Grace and me.
“He can take her the rest of the way back,” Sera pointed at Nikkan. “He” was better than her usual nickname of mutt. “I explained it all to him, and he knows to keep her safe. Nikkan will take care of her while we search for answers.”
I nodded and tried to catch Nikkan’s eyes, but he didn’t look up from the ground.
Grace questioned me with her eyebrows, and I walked her over to Nikkan, transferring her arm to his arm. Her cheeks flamed red. At least, that was still normal.
“She’s not very strong yet,” I told Nikkan, even if he wouldn’t look at me. “And she needs to take it slow.”
“I do not,” Grace replied with a pout.
“Yes, you do,” Sera replied for me. “The next few days, you will get part of your strength back. It should take several moons before the curse pulls at you again and forces you to change. It will come sooner if you let it, but all Red’s papers say you can fight the curse at the beginning. So fight it if you don’t want to be a monster.”
Grace had fire in her eyes, listening to Sera’s talk, and she nodded along with her.
“I can do that,” she said, determined but still weak.
I tried to smile with her, but it was hard. I could tell that the animals had left this part of the woods, so she wasn’t going to have much to eat as a human or a wolf.
“We will be back as soon as we can,” Sera said to Grace, leaning forward in
our small awkward circle to hug Grace before we left.
“Keep her fed to get her strength back,” I told Nikkan. He nodded without looking at me, still holding a grudge. I was okay with that. He could hate me all he wanted, but I knew he’d keep Grace safe.
“We will be back,” I echoed Sera as Nikkan turned to start their walk back to the wolf village.
2
12th March
Sera and I spent the night at my place as it was getting close to dark by the time we made it back from walking Grace to the wolves. It wasn’t that either of us cared if we traveled in the dark of night, but we both agreed that we didn’t want to end up killing any wolves if they got too close. We were both worried about the safety of the wolves, which was strange because Sera never really cared for wolves before Grace. That gave me, at least, a little hope that Elder could change as Red wanted.
I tried to watch Sera and see if Grace was telling the truth about her liking me, but all I saw was the same old Sera. The one that tolerated me and might hate me at times. Grace was just trying to fool me. And boy, had she succeeded. I did smile to myself several times as I realized I fell for her trick. When she was better, I’d have to get her back for teasing me. I was going to have to come up with something better than her.
We were up early to go back to Azren to see Red. With our super speed-running, we would make it back in no time. I actually appreciated being able to run with Sera since she could keep up with my pace. No other human could do that. We both just took a slice of bread before we headed out. It wasn’t hard to eat bread and run. Actually, you could eat a lot while running if you tried, but I would never advise soup.
“Anything we need to bring?” Sera asked as I closed the door to my place.
“Not that I can think of,” I replied. I didn’t have anything that could help us on our quest. I was hoping Red would be able to think of something.
Castiel: Son of Red Riding Hood (Kingdom of Fairytales Boxset Book 3) Page 17
