Leoni crossed her arms, sending me a suspicious look. “She did.”
I made a face, signing as I begin to lay down.“Don’t get too excited. Tomorrow morning, we leave for Spirit Shadow’s castle.”
Chapter Nine
BELLAMY
We left early the next morning to make our trek toward the castle after getting directions from the boys of Neverland. None of them seemed remotely sad to see us go, so they were eager to send us on our way. I only hoped we could make it there before the pixies caught us. And then there would be the matter of Spirit Shadow.
I had no clue how I was going to cut away this nettle weed without him noticing us. My vision had been clear that I was to free my brothers before killing him, but maybe it could be the other way around? I’d worry about that when we got there.
We walked through the jungle, as dark and foreboding as it was the day before, shadows hovering under the canopies, their glowing red eyes always watching.
“They’re mostly harmless,” Driscoll said. “They don’t hurt you unless you try to leave. Or threaten their master.”
Spirit Shadow.
Leoni turned to me. “So how exactly are you going to do this? Nettle weed is thick, thorny, poisonous. I can’t even imagine trying to knit sweaters from its stalks.”
“I’m prepared.”
I didn’t owe her any explanations. I knew what needed to be done, and I would do it.
We ducked under a low-hanging vine that stretched between two towering trees.
“How can you be prepared?” Leoni asked. “Have you ever pricked your finger on nettle weed? Have you ever experienced its poison? How are you going to do this with swollen, aching hands?”
I bristled, hating the logic behind her words.
Driscoll bobbed his head back and forth. “Shorty’s got a point. How are you going to keep knitting while getting continuously poked by the thorns? It’s not like you can avoid it.”
I shot him a glare and he pressed his lips together.
“That’s the sacrifice,”I signed. “That is what is required to break the curse. Someone has to pay the price for this magic. That someone will be me.”
Leoni’s blue eyes flashed with sympathy. “And how are you going to find the time and place to do this? We’re stuck on this island with pixies searching for us. Soon they’ll alert their master if we haven’t been found. So he’ll be looking for us too. How long does it take to knit seven sweaters?”
I bit my lip. So I hadn’t entirely thought this plan through. But I saw my future. I saw myself knitting these sweaters and setting my brothers free. I didn’t have to know exactly how I was going to do it. Just that I was. That knowledge alone would give me the strength to carry on.
“It’s not my job to lay out the plan for you. You two are the ones who decided to follow me.”
“Did she just tell you to fuck off?” Driscoll asked. “She does that sometimes.”
Leoni rolled her eyes and forged ahead through the thick jungle. I stepped over a bejeweled bracelet, wondering what powers it held, what might happen if I slipped it over my wrist. I forced myself to look ahead and stop wondering about the magical items spread around the shadow court. I wasn’t here for them, and none of these items would break the curse. I knew what I had to do, and now I just needed to do it.
Hourslater we came upon the castle. Tall stone walls surrounded what looked like an abandoned village. Through the iron bars of the gate, houses dotted the terrain, all of them with broken windows and doors and caved-in roofs. The tree line of the jungle stretched right up to the walls. Shadows lurked under the tree’s canopies, but the sun shone down onto the village and castle, keeping the shadows away. Maybe Spirit Shadow only summoned them at night.
We approached the closed gates.
Driscoll scratched his head through his curly hair. “Lochlan told us he and Mal climbed those walls to try and investigate the castle, but whenever they got to the top, the shadows would swarm them and wouldn’t allow them through.”
I frowned, looking up at the shadows hanging under the palm tree fronds, staring at us. Goosebumps prickled along my arms.
“Well, can you use your earth magic to part the trees?” Leoni asked. “You know, save all of our asses again?”
Driscoll planted his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes. “Once a hero, always a hero.”
I had a feeling he enjoyed playing hero based on the small smirk quirking his lips—and based on what I knew of him.
