Page 42 of A Curse So Vile

BRENNA

They pulled into Ashenvale after a hard day of riding. Surprisingly, the wagon was still intact and would live to see another day of travel.

Fiona was hungry. She’d said so half a dozen times in the last hour, and her stomach was now growling more fiercely than any human’s.

Brenna knew that if it wasn’t taken care of soon, it would trigger another incident, so she secured a room at an inn in a shady part of town and sought a butcher.

Despite riding in the back of the wagon, she was exhausted. Her blood sacrifice to the child took more out of her than she’d realized.

There were reasons only elders were allowed to oversee the welcome of new blood to the Den. It was said that if one were too weak, they wouldn’t survive the blood sacrifice, and while she may have scoffed at the notion in the past, she now knew the truth of it.

“Here,” she handed Fiona a package of sliced, raw bison, “you’re gonna like this.”

“Uncooked?” Cole said through clenched teeth.

“I know that must be terrifying for you, but it will sate her well.”

“What happened back there?” Dorthea snapped. “At the inn?”

Tears welled in Fiona’s eyes. “I couldn’t help it!”

Brenna faced the Gryndari woman, giving her a hard look. “I told you what I am. You shouldn’t be surprised.”

“But the townsfolk were ready to kill us!” Dorthea hissed.

“Then be thankful we’re still alive.” Guilt needled her, because she knew that while her intentions were good, she had forever changed their lives. “I know this is hard, but you have to believe me. Once we get to the Den, Fiona will have nothing to fear.”

“If we even make it to the Den.” Cole's voice was thick with resentment.

“Fiona’s alive, just as you wanted. What happened was a—product of the cure.”

“Will I turn into what you are?” Fiona asked, her eyes wide with fear.

“Yes, and no. You’ll probably not have as true a form as I do, having not been born of the blood, but you will have small transformations.”

“Small transformations—you mean like the gigantic teeth that jutted from her mouth when the innkeeper brought her a bowl of soup?” Cole gazed out the window, hands gripping the ledge as though he would tear it off.

“I didn’t realize that would happen. Her reaction is not typical, but once we’ve made it to the Den, she’ll be safe.”

She didn’t like lying to them, but the truth would only make them suffer. That truth being that she didn’t know if she’d somehow passed her curse on to Fiona.

She hated the thought of destroying something so innocent and pure, but how was she to know? She couldn’t have predicted this.

“How long until we make it to this Den of yours?” Dorthea asked as she watched Fiona lap at a raw shred of meat.

“Just a few days.”

“Will Fiona change again?”

Brenna shrugged. “I’m surprised she changed at all.”

Dorthea was clearly angry, but she kept her tone neutral, perhaps for the child’s sake. “Is there anything we can do to avoid it?”

“We need to keep her calm and feed her well.”

“Is the meat going to be enough?” Cole asked.

“For the night, yes. Tomorrow, during our travels, we’ll pull over and I’ll hunt down some fresh meat. As we go further south, the woods will be less dangerous, and we’ll be able to slow our travels.”