Aldric Wandermere's Arc

Chapter 9 of 9

The elk stood in a clearing past the bog. Aldric had seen it before, when it nearly killed him. Now he had to get close. Its antlers held the blossom Agatha wanted, the second ingredient. Flowers and ferns grew from its cursed hide. Its eyes burned red. Mara knelt in the brush and lifted one hand. "Slow," she whispered. "Wind's toward us. It hasn't smelled our fear yet." Jane crouched beside Aldric, breathing quiet. Behind them, Kendra guarded the trail. Kendra had joined them to find the person who cursed her. The antlers pushing through her pink hair grew larger by the day. She wanted the curse-maker's blood. But Agatha had told them plainly: killing the wizard would not break the curse. The sick elk was the true source. Heal the elk first. Kendra had listened, jaw tight, saying nothing. Now her patience broke. "We're wasting time," she said. Her voice came sharp. "That thing carries what he did to me. I want to end it." "Not yet," Aldric said. "Loud and it bolts. Then we lose the blossom." Kendra's hand went to her blade. "He put these on my head." She touched her antlers. "Same as the elk. I'm done waiting." The elk's ears turned. Its head lifted. Aldric felt the whole plan tilting toward ruin. If Kendra charged, the spirit would run, and Agatha would send them back empty. He turned and gripped Kendra's wrist, hard. "Look at it," he said, low. "That's you in five years. It didn't ask for this. Neither did you. We heal it, the curse breaks. Yours too. But only if it stays." Kendra stared at the elk. The plants curling from its skin. The blossom bright in its antlers, the same flowers that would soon crown her own head. Her breath slowed. Her hand left the blade. "Fine," she said. Clipped and quiet. "Your way. This once." Jane moved then. She stood slow, palms open, and spoke words Agatha had taught her, the words that passed the elk safely. The spirit's ears settled. Its red eyes dimmed to a calmer glow. Jane stepped forward, one careful pace at a time, until she stood beneath the great antlers. "The blossom," Mara breathed. "Now." Jane reached up and closed her fingers on the flower. She twisted. It came free with a soft snap. The elk did not run. It only watched her, still and strange, as she backed away with the blossom cupped in both hands. Aldric let out the breath he'd held. Kendra stood beside him, watching the elk that mirrored her own fate. She had held her fury. Because of that, they had the second ingredient. "Two down," Mara said. She looked east, past the clearing. "Last one's moss from the wizard's tower. His tower." She turned to Kendra. "You'll get close to him after all. Just not with a knife." Kendra said nothing. But her eyes stayed on the elk, and something in her had gone quiet.