Girl of Flower and Flame

Chapter Seven

Eulalia pressed her back against the wall, as far as she could, trying to escape the watery moonlight streaming through the nearest window, as if the moon wanted to give them away.

Nothing moved in the cabin, not even the air, thickened by its old stench. Garlic wouldn't be enough to keep away Liliana, though it did make it hard to breathe in the small space. Eulalia pressed her fingers over her nose and tried to recall where all the children were. Lena and Fallon were beneath the window, on the other side of the twin bed, holding each other as tight as lovers in a storm. And Gabriel and Cosmin were near the fireplace, close enough to the door to hear someone coming. Eulalia caught the gold gleam of Gabriel's glasses, pity in her heart for him and the other children to have this happen.

A wolf howled.

Her skin prickled. She'd been in the woods too many times to not know its secrets. There were no wolves in Hills Hallow. Liliana's story of Mondegreen must have been true. She had come out of nowhere to wreak havoc on their lives. For so long, there'd been nothing to fear at Hampstead House except Madam's temper and Tut's unpleasant nature. She might have stumbled across the occasional garden snake in the woods once or twice, but they'd always been more afraid of her than her of them.

The wolf's howl was filled with yearning. It was no coincidence. Wolves never hunted alone.

Eulalia pressed closer to Rowan, wanting him to tell her in his honeyed voice it would be all right. Liliana would be gone as soon as the sun blanketed the moors in its first rays of sunlight. He said nothing. Harlow might have been asleep cradled in his lap. They were both so still. She hadn't gotten a single night with him and hated to think that Liliana might succeed. At any moment, the door would come crashing down, and the spring would never come again for either of them.

No. Don't think it.

She shook her head. The spring would always come, no matter how terrible it got.

The howling continued, rolling down the land, louder and louder every minute. Someone whimpered. Harlow. Sweet, summer girl. Her beauty would thaw hearts someday. Eulalia reached for her, smoothing the fine hairs on her head. Harlow untucked her heart shaped face from Rowan's arm.

"It's all right," said Eulalia, but Harlow's chubby cheeks were dry beneath her touch.

"You don't have to cry," Fallon said to Lena. "We're all together."

"Not for long. They're going to find us. I know they are." All her crying had thickened her voice. She sniffled.

We must stay strong.

Eulalia couldn't bring herself to say those words. What good were they? Magic was what they needed to disappear from this room to anywhere else. What magic they possessed wasn't even enough to leave a bruise much less stop Liliana. Eulalia hugged Perrie as tight as she could as the howling got closer, until it was right on their doorstep.

Then it stopped.

This is it.

Fear made her blood run cold.

"I smell them in there," said a raucous, disembodied voice. Boots crunched on the wet grass outside the door. He waggled the doorknob. "Children, what are you so afraid of? We just want to talk. We promise."

The children were trying their hardest not to breathe. They hadn't locked the door, Eulalia remembered. All of this was to scare them.

He knocked. "Come on. Come out. We know you're in there, and I'm losing my patience." He struck the door hard, making Harlow whimper. "I'm giving you five seconds to come out okay. And if you don't, I'm sorry but it won't be pretty for you. One..." The doorknob rattled. "Two... Come on, you're making it harder for yourself. No? Okay. Three..." He laughed. "Four... Five." The door burst open, slamming against the wall, its hinges broken. The children scrambled into the shadows, away from the dark, looming figure.