Rue

Chapter 8

Armed with new information about Rue, the day of the full moon didn’t scare me as much as it normally would. I spent the morning doing half of Henri’s chores, long before he even thought of getting out of bed. Aunty scolded him for his behavior and for sneaking out, but she didn’t so much as look at me. Being invisible had its perks.
“Why are you so happy?” my cousin muttered.
Henri rubbed his forehead for what seemed like the millionth time, his usual smile gone. We walked down the path to the cabin I had been using. A slight warm spell had turned the snow wet. My boots and socks were soaked after a few minutes of walking.
“Nothing,” I lied. “Maybe because it’s so nice out?”
Henri shook his head, but said nothing.
The cabin came into view, and I stopped myself from running towards it. Henri agreed he wouldn’t bind my hands since I would probably escape anyway. I pulled the door, the weight of the snow in front of it making the task harder than it should have been. I felt Henri staring at my back, judging.
“Try lifting the goats every day. That’ll put some meat on those bones,” he suggested, pushing past me. I followed him inside.
Henri threw a match on a pile of logs, kicking his boots off in front of them so they could dry. Mine followed along with my socks. Henri dug out the kettle and filled it with snow, hooking it over the fire before dropping into his chair. He fetched a flask out of his pocket and took a swig. I raised my eyebrow, wondering how he could still drink after last night.
“The best cure for a hangover is to never be sober.”
I shook my head, but smiled.
Once the water boiled, I poured it into two cups and dumped in scoops of coffee grinds. I swirled around a spoon in the cup and didn’t bother to wait until it cooled. The coffee scalded my tongue, but the coffee itself was a treat I couldn’t ignore. Henri dumped the contents of his flask into his cup.
“What do you want to play?” I shuffled a deck of cards.
Henri shrugged. “I’m honestly not in the mood to play, or even be here,” he snapped.
I stopped shuffling. Henri waved his hand, flashing a small smile. “What I mean is, I’m here to please Father. It has nothing to do with you; I just would rather not waste my time if you’re going to escape anyway.”
“You could leave,” I suggested. “Maybe go to the Magic Realm for a little while?”
Henri dropped his head into his hand. “Trying to rid yourself of me, cousin?”
“Of course not. Now, what should we play?”

Henri locked me in the basement, but like he said, with any luck, I would be out running with Rue again. I had slipped a scrap of paper from my pocket and placed it on the window sill while Henri was preoccupied, hoping she would find it or could read German. I wanted her to know that if I was a part of her pack, I didn’t want to kill any humans or the livestock of the villagers.
I dropped into the corner, closing my eyes. The change was still a while off, but Henri was growing bored of our silent conversations and me winning the card game twice in a row. He left, muttering about spring just around the corner and how he would stay inside until the ground was dry.
Uncle was harder on my cousins during spring. With animals coming out of hibernation and starting to mate, they had to be careful about which animals were hunted. Newborns and mothers were off limits in all cases, leaving a small handful of opportunities for them. Last year, my cousins did nothing but groan about it while doing their chores, complaining the entire time.
I shivered, the hair on my arms standing on end. My prison wasn’t cold to me, but the presence of something else was bothering me. I could feel eyes stabbing into me, watching. I straightened my legs, moving to stand under the door. My eyes couldn’t focus in the dark. I held my breath, listening.
Silence.
Letting the air escape my lips, I smiled. I was becoming a scaredy-cat.
I searched my pockets to find a small box of matches. Being locked inside so early felt off, as though there was a reason Henri grumbled off so early, hangover or not. I groped the damp box, hoping the matches would light up. I lined up the stick with the side of the box, striking it once. A bright light blazed to life for a second, then died—enough time to catch glimpse of the golden eyes that stared back.
The box fell from my hands. I could hear the matches scattering across the floor, but I didn’t dare move. I clenched my eyes shut. Had I been seeing things?
The sound of another match being lit confirmed my fears. Curiosity overwhelmed me.
Rue pinched the match between her slender fingers, staring at the flame with a blank expression. As it flickered out, another one popped to life. I held back a smile, despite my fear. She was curious about the fire sticks—but how did she even get in here?
I swallowed. “R-Rue?’
Her eyes darted to meet mine. She couldn’t speak, so I had no way of knowing what she was thinking. I looked to the floor at the few remaining matches.
The one she was holding died again, leaving a small wisp of smoke in its tracks. The smell of burning wood mixed with pine. I waited for the light to return, but nothing happened. The feeling of being watched was gone.
“Are you still here? Tap my shoulder if you are.”
Nothing. I stood still for what seemed like eternity before I finally sat against the wall.
The pain shot up my leg first. I groaned; my bones seemed to shift with every movement. I crawled onto all fours, panting. I would black out soon and the pain would disappear. I pressed my sweating forehead against the cool ground, finding some relief. My stomach twisted, changing and threatening to rid its meager contents.
“Aldreina, help me,” I groaned, begging the creator of this world to rid me of my suffering.
A cold hand pressed against my cheek. I wanted to retreat, but the pain held me in place. Rue, I could tell by her scent, had returned to my dungeon. Her soft hand found itself wrapped in the back of my shirt, pulling to sit me up. A stab of pain shot up with every movement. Moving while being half-changed caused more pain.
What felt like a bowl or cup was pressed to my mouth; some of the contents splashed on my face. I pressed my lips shut as tight as I could. I hardly knew anything about the Faeries, but there was one rule everybody knew: don’t drink or eat any of their foods. Whether it only applied to humans was beyond my knowledge, but I wasn’t going to risk such a thing.
Rue ignored my protest. Her fingers pulled my lips apart with ease. Her petite appearance was misleading; I was caught off guard by her massive strength. She poured the sour smelling liquid slowly into my mouth—the drink tasted of smashed leaves and rotten fruit. I jerked my head to the side, swallowing the disgusting concoction.
I coughed, my stomach feeling as if it was on fire. The burning spread; I felt I was covered in invisible flames. I couldn’t see her, but I wish I could glare at her. What was the point of having me drink that if it wasn’t going to help?
My leg convulsed, snapping backwards. I waiting for the pain, but as the blazing fire in my body settled to smoldering, so did my pain. My right leg copied the actions of my left, but I could hardly feel anything. My body was numb. I attempted to wiggle my fingers—nothing happened. My body continued to change, but I could not move. My heart sped up. I wanted to run from here. I wanted to run from the Faerie that fed me poison.
My body took on its final form.
Breathing in, I could taste and smell the dust, dirt, and sweat. My nose was stronger. My eyes couldn’t open, but if they could, I knew they would see something strange.
Rue pried my mouth open once again; only this time it was much wider. She turned my head to be in a better position and forced me to drink something that tasted like starchy, sour berries. I wanted to spit it out, but once again I was at her mercy. I swallowed the last drop and heard the cup being placed on the floor.
The paralyzation faded. I stretched my new paws, finding the feeling to be foreign. My fingers were long gone, replaced with stumpy toes. When I had full control over my body once more, I tested my new limbs, mentally smiling.
I had done it! I had changed while holding consciousness.
I rolled onto my stomach and pushed off the ground, standing up. My legs wobbled as I swayed. The tail seemed weird; I could manage to move it a little. It was still dark, and my eyes failed me.
I wanted to call out to the Faerie, but my own mouth didn’t exist. I dropped my bottom on the floor, sitting like any dog would.
I waited.
And waited.
Rue never came back.

I stood in the woods, the snow falling around me. The trees stood perfectly straight. I looked up, unable to see their tops. I stepped forward and wandered into the forest. The trees seemed to grow in perfect rows.
“Felken.”
I spun at the sound of the voice I missed the most.
“Mother,” my voice cracked.
Her long brown hair had the slight curl at the ends I remembered. She was wearing her favorite dress—green with black trim. Her lips curled into the warm, loving smile she would give me every day.
“You’re crying, Felken.”
I wiped the tears off my cheeks. Mother pressed her palms to my face and then brushed back my hair.
“You’ve grown so much.”
I nodded, unsure of where to start.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
This couldn’t possibly be real. I wanted it to be. But it wasn’t. My mother had been dead for far too long. The snow was falling, but it wasn’t cold. We were in a forest, but not a single sound echoed.
“I’m here for you,” she smiled.
It wasn’t the answer I was looking for. “But you’re…”
“Dead? Well, yes.” Mother wrapped her arms around my waist. I was a lot taller now; I could rest my head on top of hers. I scrunched my eyes closed. She didn’t smell like anything. We stood there for a while, not saying anything. I wished this was real.
“I need to warn you, Felken.”
I pulled away. Mother dropped her arms to her side.
I looked down at my shirt. It was red with blood, but not my own. Mother’s side bled profusely, the same place where she was shot.
“Mother?”
Her smile didn’t falter.
“He’s going to hurt you, Felken.”
“Who?” A choked sob slipped from my throat. Seeing her bleed like this was too much. The red spread across her waist like blooming flowers. My breathing doubled in speed.
“Uncle?” I demanded. I dropped my hands on her shoulders. My grip tightened, my limbs shaking. Mother was growing paler by the second.
“Henri, Felken. Henri is going to kill you.”
Mother fell to her knees, growing weak. I dropped with her, pulling her into a tight hug. Her palm rested on my cheek for the final time.
“Take the crown that is yours, Felken.”
My sobs grew louder as my mother died in my arms once again.

I sat up, panting.
The shuffling of furniture on the wooden floor and the rattling the chains woke me from my dream. The details were fading, but it left me shaking. My cheeks were damp.
Sunlight poured in through the hole above me, both warming me and blinding me.
“You’re still in there! Well done.” Henri reached down his arm, and I grabbed it. He pulled as I jumped and hauled me out of the basement. I rubbed my eyes, blinking away to adjust to the bright light.
“How was the hunt?” I changed into my spare clothing. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. It was just a dream, I told myself. Still, it was hard to stop the shaking.
“We didn’t go. Uncle caught wind of a plan the villagers had just before the change. Many of the men wandered into the woods after sunset and hunted wolves.”
My heart sank. Rue didn’t abandon me. She protected me.
“All idiots! How many were hurt?” I asked, sitting across from my cousin.
Henri offered me an empty cup with a sprinkle of coffee grounds in it.
“Only one. The group came back just before I came to fetch you. Poor bugger, he looked half scared to death. Said he was taking a piss under a tree when he caught sight of a snow white wolf. Fired a shot, naturally, but missed.”
I nodded, pouring hot water into our cups with shaking hands. Rue was fine.
“What’s so scary about that?” I asked.
Henri laughed. “Nothing! But listen to this! He claims that when he turned around there were foot prints in the snow that weren’t his.” Henri sipped his cup, still grinning. “Father is holding a town meeting soon to warn people about entering the forest after dark.”
“Why would they bother in the first place? The last attack was a month ago, the last time I changed.”
Henri shrugged. “They’re saying it was so they could sell the wolf pelts. A white one, if it does exist, would fetch a lot. Times are getting rough. The price of everything is going sky high. Sounds like a reasonable excuse, but really, it probably is a cover up for wanting to find Eleonore’s killer.”
I slumped in my chair. I was causing nothing but problems for both Rue and my family. Now that I could hold consciousness, maybe I could start hunting with my cousins. I wondered about what Rue had given me, and if it had anything to do with it. The taste was still in my mouth, and my empty stomach churned at thinking of it.
“I hope Uncle can get the idea out of their heads.”
“For your sake, me too.”