The Second Attempt

Selith ground the paste, mixing Victoria’s blood with the herbs until it formed a thick, dark substance. Then she added something else—a small piece of the corpse plant, crushed into powder. The smell that rose from the mixture was foul, almost overwhelming, and Victoria had to step back to avoid gagging.

She wondered how Sophia had been able to keep down anything that had been created with the corpse plant. She hated the smell, and she was certain the taste wasn’t any better… though she had made sure Sophia kept it down.

Selith rushed back to the spot where she had placed the jar. She scooped up the paste and poured it over the jar, covering it completely.

The thick, dark substance coated the glass.

The jar stopped shaking.

Seconds passed.

Then minutes.

The chamber fell silent, the only sound the ragged breathing of the two women.

Finally, Selith exhaled, a long, shaky breath that seemed to drain the tension from her hunched frame. She turned to Victoria, her milky eyes filled with something Victoria had never seen in them before.

Uncertainty.

“What’s going on?” Victoria demanded. “Tell me what’s happening.”

Selith was quiet for a moment, her gaze fixed on the jar. Then she spoke, her voice low and grave.

“The girl is trying to break free of the binding curse.”

Victoria’s eyes widened.

“But how is that possible?”

Selith shook her head slowly.

“Are you very certain that this girl doesn’t remember everything?” she asked instead.

The chamber fell silent after Selith’s question.

Victoria stared at her, her eyes wide, her mind racing. The words hung in the air between them, heavy and accusing.

“No,” Victoria said finally, her voice sharp and dismissive. “There’s no way the girl would remember. I trained her. I know her. She always fights things that hurt her. She forgets. That’s what she does. It’s how she survives.”

Selith remained silent, her eyes fixed on Victoria.

“She taught herself to forget,” Victoria continued, her voice growing more heated. “I am sure of it. Every time something was too much, every time the pain became unbearable, she buried it. She locked it away. That’s who she is. That’s who I made her become.”

She began pacing again, her bare feet slapping against the cold stone floor.

“She’s not supposed to remember. It’s not possible. Even when I spoke with her the last time, there was no sign that she remembered. She was the same as always—confused, uncertain, desperate for my approval. She didn’t know who she was. She didn’t know what had happened to her. She didn’t remember anything.”

She stopped, turning to face Selith.

“So how is it possible that she could remember within just a few days? It doesn’t make sense.”

Selith was quiet for a long moment, her gaze dropping to the jar. The paste she had poured over it had hardened, forming a dark, crusty shell that covered the crack.

“That’s true,” she said finally. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Victoria continued pacing, her mind churning. She knew who Sophia was. She knew Sophia very well. She had groomed the girl, after all. She had shaped her from when she was young, breaking her down and rebuilding her into something useful, something manageable, something that would never, ever betray her.

And besides, it was over. The girl had not broken through. The binding was still intact. The jar was sealed.

While Victoria paced the length of the floor, Selith had to admit to herself that she was very curious about who it was that was helping the girl break through the curse… the binding.

“I’ll try to reconnect you to your daughter, reinforcing the spell.”

—

Meanwhile, at the Nightshade Pack, the shrine outside the pack was filled with tension.

The air was thick with the scent of incense and herbs, and the flickering light of dozens of candles cast dancing shadows across the stone walls. Madam Tyler stood at the center of the shrine, her arms raised, her voice rising and falling in an ancient chant. The others joined her, their voices weaving together into a tapestry of sound that seemed to vibrate through the very stones.

Noctis had just shifted back.

Orion was on his knees, heaving in pain. His body trembled with the effort of the ritual, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He clutched at his chest, his fingers digging into the fabric of his tunic as if he could physically tear the pain out of himself.

Sophia was still stuck. Her body was still, her eyes closed, her face pale. She did not move. She did not open her eyes. It was as if she had been frozen in place, trapped somewhere between consciousness and oblivion.

Madam Tyler approached Orion, her steps careful and measured. The others continued chanting, their voices steady and unwavering.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice low.

Orion shook his head, his jaw tight. “My head feels like it’s about to burst,” he said, his voice strained. “And my chest aches badly.”

Madam Tyler’s brow furrowed. “Should we stop?”

Orion shook his head again, more forcefully this time. “No. We’ll try again.”

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to steady himself.

“And the goddess better help out,” he added, his voice rough, “because if anything happens to Shorty, I’ll find every means to destroy her.”

Madam Tyler’s eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she asked, “Can your wolf keep up?”

Orion closed his eyes, reaching out to Noctis.

’Can you do this?’ he asked silently. ’Can you keep going?’

Noctis’s voice came back strained but resolute.

*I will try again. If we don’t do this, Sophia will be trapped like she is now. We must try again.*

Orion nodded slowly, then turned to Madam Tyler.

“I’m going to try again.”

Madam Tyler studied him for a moment, then nodded. She walked back to her position, her voice rising as the chant increased in intensity. This time, she began calling on the goddess directly, her words weaving through the air like threads of light.

Orion took a deep breath, steadying himself.

Then he closed his eyes and let go.

Bones cracked and reshaped. Fur sprouted across his skin. His senses exploded outward as Noctis took over, his massive form filling the space where Orion had been once again.