Into the Glades by Laura Sebastian

Author:Laura Sebastian [Sebastian, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2022-10-25T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Larkin ran toward the bank as fast as her feet would carry her, Cordelia beside her. When Zephyr and Dash came into sight, a scream rose up in her throat—they were crouched beside the water, mere inches from a marsh-maid, whose mouth was open and singing. The boys leaned toward her, and though Larkin couldn’t see their faces, she knew they were once more hypnotized by the voice.

She and Cordelia wouldn’t reach them in time, not as close as the boys were to the water, so without thinking, Larkin took a great gulp of air and let out a scream that pierced the air and sent a flock of white herons flying from the trees around them. She screamed so loud she hurt her own ears, her throat made raw with the force of it. She screamed, and a half second later, Cordelia screamed as well, their voices loud enough to disrupt the spell the marsh-maid was weaving on their brothers.

Zephyr turned toward them first, his eyes brightening when he saw them.

“Lark—” he began, but before he could finish, Larkin tackled him sideways, shoving his shoulders in the ground to keep him immobile.

“It’s not real, Zeph,” she told him. “Whatever she’s promising you isn’t real. Remember?”

“Ow!” she heard Dash cry out behind her as he too was tackled to the ground, by Cordelia.

Zephyr looked up at her, his brow furrowed. But his eyes weren’t glazed over, the way Dash’s had been when they crossed the river. Instead, he only looked confused.

“Yes,” he said slowly. He tried to shove her off him, but Larkin refused to budge. “Larkin, listen,” he said.

“No,” she snapped. “It’s all a lie, you know that.”

Zephyr shook his head. He reached up and grabbed her face in both of his hands. “Listen.”

He wasn’t entranced, Larkin realized. Not like Dash had been, not like she’d felt herself become, briefly, before she’d gotten hold of herself. He was as lucid as she was.

Larkin relaxed her grip on Zephyr’s shoulders, but only slightly, and did as he said. She listened.

The marsh-maid’s voice had the same haunting quality it had yesterday at the floating market, that strange note that worked its way beneath her skin, until Larkin could feel the melody in her bones, in her blood. It was just as wordless and enchanting, beautiful and awful and utterly inhuman. But it was different. The song didn’t offer her impossible promises, it didn’t whisper through her that her magic was there, just beneath the surface of the water, if only she reached for it. It didn’t beckon with shimmering fingers ready to grab.

Instead, the song wrapped around her like a pair of arms folding her into a hug. It rubbed soothing circles on her back. It made her eyes sting with tears that fell freely down her cheeks.

Larkin scrambled off her brother, hastily wiping the tears away, but it didn’t do any good—her tears kept flowing freely. She’d never cried like this, she thought, not even when her pet cat had died, or when she tried to use magic again and again only to fail and fail and fail.

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