Wayward Favor || ONC 2024

Chapter 16: The Missing Bride

A heavy fog settles over the dark landscape like a damp, woolen blanket. I shiver, clutching my brother's jacket tighter around me. My inner elbow aches. The cotton bandages wrapped around it restrict my movements. Orion had not misspoken; it hurt when he took our blood. I shudder at the memory, and the cold fog isn't helping the pervasive chill invading my body. 

The timid sun turns the horizon grey and pink as we leave the Northwood Estate in Jack's carriage. We don't have time to return May if we have any hope of getting back before anyone realizes we're missing. I fear we might have already been discovered. I bounce my heels anxiously, detangling my hair as Magnus mutters to Jack – I think he's coercing his friend into looking after May. Jack finally relents and nods, then rests his face against the side of the carriage, pouting. 

I follow Jack's example and close my eyes for a moment. I wake to Magnus's hand shaking my shoulder. "We're here," he murmurs. 

Lennette is asleep. Her head rests on Magnus's thigh and her muddy boots are on Jack's lap. Magnus drags her into his arms. The girl mumbles under her breath but does not wake. There's a light click as the carriage driver opens the door for us. Fog eddies inside, twisting around my legs and slithering over my feet. 

May bolts for the open door. I make a grab for her fuzzy hindquarters, but I'm a hair too slow. I end up with a handful of black fluff as May leaps into the fog. "May! Heel!" I shout as she vanishes between misty rosebushes. 

Of course, May chooses to be obstinate at the most inconvenient of times. I groan in annoyance. The strange jitteriness I developed at Orion's wore off after my nap, leaving me more exhausted than before, but at least my headache subsided. 

I drop out of the carriage and everything is sore from my ankles to my jaw. Magnus lifts Lennette in his arms, carrying her like a princess struck down with a sleeping curse. He stumbles out of the carriage as his foot misses the step hidden in the tide of fog. The girl's arm flops as he readjusts her in his grip. 

Jack leans out of the carriage. "Sorry about the dog. I wasn't expecting her to bolt like that. I'll be back around midday for the celebration, unless there is something more you need of me?" Jack asks, a tired edge to his voice. He yawns and scratches at his scalp with one hand, putting his mussed hair into further disarray. He must be terrified, thinking we're about to ask him to chase Mayhem through the morning fog. 

"Go get some rest, my friend," Magnus says and Jack nods in relief, shutting the door. The reins rattle and the horses' breath huffs into the air. We watch the carriage until it's swallowed by the fog bank. 

The thick air muffles May's distant barks and Magnus grunts. "How are we going to explain the stupid wolfdog? I thought she was trained? She's not very obedient." Magnus steps sideways so Lennette's dangling legs don't bump into a rosebush. 

"She always follows orders unless..." I groan. "Unless Celine is involved. She must have caught her scent. She's trying to find her. If questions are asked, we can act as surprised as everyone else. This is not the first time May chased Celine to an unlikely location." 

"I'm sure the dog's presence will raise no questions whatsoever, and everything will be fine, and our plan will work perfectly," Magnus rants through clenched teeth. He's a single misstep away from a complete meltdown. I'll join him. I'm tempted to roll into a ball on the ground, scream, and tear my hair out at the roots. 

"We need to get you back to your room without anyone noticing. A scandal is the last thing we need right now," he says. "We'll enter through the back door and I'll borrow the housekeeper's master keys to our locked rooms. I'll approach your father privately with our plan to break the curse before breakfast."