Nell Larkspur's Arc

Chapter 10 of 23

Lena's breathing stayed slow against his ribs. Nell eased out from under the cloak and tucked it around her. She murmured but didn't wake. He crouched by the fox and set a hand between her ears. "Stay," he said. "Watch her. Anything comes down those stairs that isn't me, you bite first." The fox's green tail curled over Lena's boots. Her eyes locked on the dark hallway. Nell took the axe and a burning stick from the fire. The bare prints led from the kitchen back to the stairs. He followed them up. The steps groaned under his weight. Dust hung in the torchlight. The prints ended at the top landing against a blank wall. He stood there and listened. The house creaked. Somewhere above him, wood shifted under a small weight. Above him. He ran his free hand along the wall. The paneling gave under his palm. He pushed harder and a section swung inward on a hinge. Behind it, a narrow staircase climbed into black. He went up slow. The prints started again on the third step, fresher now, damp at the edges. The stairs opened into an attic. Broken crates. A cracked window. A pile of rags in the far corner that was not a pile of rags. Something flew at him from the left. He caught the wrist before the nails reached his throat. A boy, maybe ten, all bone and matted hair, teeth bared. His ears came to sharp points. He hissed and kicked at Nell's knee. "Stop," Nell said. The boy bit down on his forearm. Nell hissed and shoved him back against a crate. The boy came again. Nell let it rise. He'd only felt it twice before. The heat behind his eyes. The forest under his skin. He held the boy's gaze and let it show. His eyes glowed green. The boy froze. His mouth opened. He stumbled backward and hit the crate and slid down it. His hands came up over his face. His whole body shook. Nell breathed out. The glow faded. He set the axe on the floor and pushed it away with his boot. Then he lowered himself onto his knees so his head was below the boy's. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said. "Look. Axe is over there. I'm on the floor." The boy peeked between his fingers. His lip was split. His feet were black with dirt and blood. Under the rags he wore, his ribs pushed out sharp. "Are you here alone?" The boy nodded once. "How long?" He didn't answer. He was shivering too hard. "We have a fire downstairs," Nell said. "Bread. A blanket. There's a girl down there sleeping. She won't hurt you either." The boy stared. Nell held out his hand and waited. After a long moment, small dirty fingers closed around his.