A Fork of Paths

All my hopes hung on a cure.

Once I was satisfied that the witch and I saw eye to eye, I agreed to show her Braithe. And it was about time, too. I could just imagine the jinni seething with impatience as she stalked around on the beach.

Uma used her magic to transport us to the shore, where Aisha was hovering next to the box. Aisha cast me a dirty look, but she barely even glanced at the witch before averting her eyes away, as though the ocean was more interesting to her than what the witch had to say. I was glad. If Aisha wanted to be a cold fish and not even greet the witch, it only worked to my advantage.

We circled the box cautiously before I stopped in front of the lock and planted my hands against the lid. I could hear Braithe pounding against the walls, still fighting to get out.

“Be careful,” I advised the witch. “These creatures are dangerous even to witches. As soon as I open the lid, paralyze him and take him back to the castle.”

“All right,” Uma muttered as she rolled up the sleeves of her nightgown.

“How long is this going to take?” Aisha mumbled.

“We’re not sure yet,” I replied, eyeing the witch. “First Uma needs to take him to the castle so she can examine him, see what’s what and try to work out how we can kill the creatures.”

“And this is in exchange for what exactly?” Aisha asked.

“For three samples of the species. Uma would like to choose three others to bring back to her castle and experiment further on them for her own research and interest.”

I paused, holding my breath, fearing yet more probing questions from Aisha. But the jinni fell silent again after that.

Steeling myself for what I was about to do, I gulped, my eyes falling to the lid of the box. Reaching inside my bra, I pulled out the key and unlocked it. The lid sprang open without my even touching it. Uma and I stumbled back across the sand as Braithe burst out like a jack-in-the-box. His back and chest were heaving, his expression the picture of utter fury.

“Paralyze him!” I hissed at the witch.

She hit him with a curse, and… nothing happened. He continued to lurch toward the witch and me. My heart palpitating, I staggered back with Uma. A surge of horror rose within me. Oh God. Her magic doesn’t work on him!

Then, without warning, his body froze up midair, and he collapsed on the sand.

Recovering from the shock, I slowly approached and gazed down at him. His eyes were still open. He was still conscious, just devoid of motion. It seemed as though there had been a delay in the witch’s magic getting through to him for some reason. That was rather worrying, considering that we were relying on the witch’s magic for everything regarding these creatures, but I comforted myself that she had managed to get through to him in the end. It had only taken a few extra seconds.

The witch’s expression was a mix of horror and childlike fascination as she bent over Braithe’s form and gazed down at him. After several moments of staring, she glanced up at me and nodded. “I don’t know what you want to do while I’m working—wait here or in the waiting room back in the castle—but I can’t yet give you an estimate of how long I’ll be… This is going to take some time.”

Julie

I ended up staying on the beach with Aisha. I would have preferred to wait in Uma’s entrance hall simply because it was closer to where she was taking Braithe, but Aisha wanted to remain here—and this time she insisted that I stay with her.

Since the sun was on the verge of rising, I asked Uma to cast a spell of shade over me so that I wouldn’t get burned. She agreed and then vanished with the rigid Braithe.

Aisha spun around and glared at me. “I hope you’re not trying anything behind my back with this witch.”

I froze. Did she know? Had she eavesdropped on our conversation after all?

If she had, then she already knew all about my plan, but if she hadn’t, I had everything to lose by coming out with the truth. It only made sense to keep lying. Besides, it wasn’t even a big lie. I did genuinely want to stamp out this infestation before it spread further… I just wanted to save my loved ones in the process. The only loved ones I had left in the world. Was that really such a crime? Wouldn’t Aisha or anyone with a beating heart do the same? I rationalized that even Benjamin would, if he were in my shoes.

“What do you mean?” I asked, my eyebrows knotting in a frown.

“I mean that you’re a slimy little snake,” she replied, eyeing me as though I was a cockroach she wanted to squish.

I scowled at her. I figured that acting offended was the best way to play my cards. “Well, I’m not trying anything other than what we discussed. You know that the supernatural realm has been my home for decades. Do you really think that I don’t care about what happens to it?”

She smirked. “Is that even a question? You didn’t seem too concerned about the safety of the supernatural realm when you went and delivered Benjamin right to the Elders’ doorstep. Where was your solidarity then?”

At this, I stalled. She had a point, of course. I knew what a risk I’d posed to not only the supernatural realm but also the human realm. But… I’d been numb to the consequences of my actions. Nobody else could understand why I’d done what I’d done because nobody else understood the kind of love I held for Hans. My actions had been mad. Selfish. Even downright evil. But the truth was, I would do it all over again if it gave me the chance to be reunited with the love of my life. When I was still a human, he’d become my only reason for living and even after nearly two decades of being apart—hell, even now, after he’d turned into a creature of nightmares—he still was.