揑 didn抰 do it,?I said quickly.
She peered into the tree line, then turned back around. 揔eep moving.?
We continued on, but somewhere in the shadows there was a flash of something between the trunks. A person. I kept my head down and my mouth shut.
The trees began to thin and a rush of panic washed over me. I thought we were approaching another shoreline, but all of that faded away as we pushed into a large clearing littered with Tacca chantieri. The black bat flower. Exactly the same species as the ones in the glade outside the garden back home. The difference here was the sheer volume of them. They were so tightly packed I couldn抰 see the grass beneath them, and as I walked into the glade, they all turned their whiskered faces toward me.
Across the clearing stood a stone enclosure. Dre had said it was three stories high but I think he was off by a lot. The top of the wall was at least twice the height of the house in Rhinebeck, maybe a full five stories. It rose up from the surrounding land like it was born from it. A constellation of star moss bloomed at its base and swirled up the sides like thick green galaxies, catching each slick slate-gray stone in its orbit. Dre put his hand on my shoulder and I shrugged away from him.
揝ee the entrance??he asked.
The gleaming metal gate was festooned with vine-like structures I didn抰 recognize. They were a deep cobalt blue with thorns the color of rust and blooms a shade of peachy coral.
揥hat is that vine??Dre asked.
揑桰 don抰 know. I抳e never seen anything like it before.?
Dre tilted his head back. 揙ne of those thorns barely nicked Calvin and now he抯 dying.?
揝hut up!?Viv snapped at her brother. 揧ou don抰 know that.?She pushed past me and knelt next to Calvin, who had collapsed into a heap among the black bat flowers. 揧ou抮e gonna be fine. As soon as I抦 stronger, I抣l bring you back.?
揟hat抯 not how it works,?I said.
Viv glared at me. 揑t抣l work the way I say it does.?
A snapping of branches drew my attention up just as Circe and Persephone emerged from the tree line on the other side of the clearing near the towering enclosure. Circe set down the two cages.
I began to sob. I was so relieved they were safe. Circe抯 face twisted into a mask of anger as she looked me over. She curled her hands into fists and a rumble shook the ground under my feet.
Viv clamped her hand down on my shoulder and squeezed as hard as she could. 揧ou better tell them something. Don抰 let them come any closer or I抣l put you in a coma.?
I held up my still zip-tied hands in front of me. 揝top! Just梛ust stay there!?
揈verybody calm down,?Dre said.
Circe still marched toward us. Viv inhaled sharply and a wave of sleepiness washed over me. My knees buckled and I almost fell. Circe stopped.
揝he抯 one of them, one of Jason抯 descendants,?I said through a yawn. My arms and legs felt heavy. I struggled to keep my eyes open. 揝he can put you to sleep, just like Hermes could.?
揌ermes??Viv asked in confusion. 揥hy are you talking about him like you know him??
Circe narrowed her eyes at me梟o梡ast me. Behind me.
Something slammed into me from the side and I tumbled to the ground. A growl like a wild animal cut through the air. Viv broke for the tree line. Persephone was on her in the blink of an eye. She caught her by the throat and lifted her up.
揌old her!?Circe yelled.
Viv twisted around in Persephone抯 grip and locked eyes with Circe, who suddenly gasped and fell straight back into the sea of black flowers.
Hands looped under my arms and pulled me back into the brush. I kicked and screamed, trying to break the person抯 grip. I reached up and grabbed at their shirt, tearing it, clawing at their face. A face I knew.
Karter.
He pulled out a pocketknife and slipped it between the zip tie and my wrist, cutting the plastic. As soon as my hands were free, I hauled off and socked him as hard as I could, catching him somewhere close to his nose, judging by the amount of blood that began to leak from his face. I pummeled him with closed fists. I screamed at him until my throat hurt.
揋et away from me!?I screamed through a torrent of tears.
揑抦 helping you!?he yelled back as he attempted to catch me by my wrists. 揃riseis, please! I抦 so sorry! Please!?Tears streamed down his face.
I scrambled to my feet and darted back out into the clearing. Viv lay still and silent, her neck bent at an angle that told me she was dead. Marie was crouched over Circe, cradling her head. Persephone had Dre by his neck, his feet dangling off the ground.
I ran up to Marie. 揑s she梚s she hurt??
揟hat woman did something to her.?Marie抯 voice was changed, as were the color of her eyes. 揑 can抰 wake her up.?