“You can't stop us.” Though he didn't want to hurt her, Hayden drew his dagger. “Let us pass.”
Nissa slowly shook her head. “I don’t want to fight you.”
“Then stand aside.”
“I cannot.” Her voice caught.
“Well, then. You give me no choice.”
He slowly set down the bag of food he was carrying, then loosened his cloak and let it fall to the ground. Behind him, Gracie let out a sound of protest.
“There is always a choice.” The witch stared at him, her gaze compelling. “You can return willingly.”
He felt a grim smile settle on his lips. “I don't think so.”
Taking advantage of the moment, he rushed forward. He’d planned to shoulder Nissa to the ground, tie her up and bundle her in her cloak, then leave her behind while he and Gracie continued their escape. He’d no doubt the witch would be able to free herself; he just wanted to slow her down enough to keep her from pursuit.
But to his surprise, Nissa whirled nimbly away from his attack. Using his momentum against him, she swept her leg out in a move designed to bring him down. He stumbled, but managed to keep his feet. Pivoting, he caught her arm. She grabbed his wrist, and for a moment they stood, face to face. The smell of roses and raspberries ticked his senses. Then she twisted away, breaking his grip, and moved back a pace.
“Not as simple as you thought,” she said tightly.
“Witch and warrior, both.” He shook his head, watching her warily.
He wouldn’t be able to defeat her with brute force, clearly. But it was still two against one. If Gracie could provide a distraction, he’d rush Nissa again, and this time he’d be prepared for her quick reactions.
“Be careful,” Gracie said.
He flicked his gaze to her, trying to provide reassurance, but, oddly, his limbs felt strangely heavy, his mind slow. With effort, he looked back at the witch. Nissa had her hands upraised and was sketching glowing sigils in the air.
“What are you doing?” he mumbled, his tongue thick behind his teeth.
“Binding you,” she said.
Grab her, he tried to shout to his sister, but all that came out was a strangled ngh.
Still, Gracie caught his intent. She stepped forward, and Nissa whirled, her hands aglow.
“Stay back,” she warned. “I can easily enchant both of you, but the after-effects of this spell aren’t pleasant. Spare yourself the pain.”
Hayden tried to frown, though his lips felt frozen to his face.
“Will he be all right?” Gracie shot him a worried look.
“Yes, though he won’t be able to do much for the next several days, while he recovers. Now, do I have your word that you’ll come willingly?” A blue spark shot from her fingertip and hovered, sizzling, in the air.
Gracie nodded. “Yes. I’ll return with you.”
“Good.” The witch swept her hands through the air, erasing the spark. “Then we shall go.”
She turned and headed back the way they’d come. Hayden tried to resist, but his body moved after hers, his feet not under his command. When he passed the bag of supplies he’d dropped, he couldn’t even bend and pick it up, though his fingers twitched with the effort.
Gracie caught the motion and scooped up the food as she followed him, bringing up the rear of their sorry procession.
By the time the oak tree came in sight, Hayden’s head was pounding fiercely and his limbs were filled with a painful prickling. As he stepped stiffly into the clearing, Nissa spoke a single word, and the compulsion over him lifted.
He swayed, exhaustion hammering down, and Gracie grabbed his elbow to steady him.
“Help your brother to his room,” Nissa said quietly. “And do not think to escape again. Neither I nor the Stone will allow it.”
* * *
It took the better part of three weeks for Hayden to regain control over his body. There was nothing worse than carrying something only to have it drop from suddenly nerveless fingers. Once, he missed a step coming out of his room, and tumbled inelegantly several feet down the staircase until he could catch himself on the vine-wound banister.
Nissa had ceased taking her suppers with them, but shortly after they’d returned, she warned them that the barrier in the woods had moved closer.
“It will paralyze you, if you try to cross it,” she said, a quiet weariness in her voice. “I’d hoped I could trust you, but you’ve proven otherwise.”
“You can trust me,” Gracie said softly, and Hayden shot her a narrow-eyed look.
No, we can’t, he’d thought at her, shaking his head slightly.
His sister ignored him.
“I’ll make sure Hayden behaves,” she continued.
Nissa sent him a quick look, and he tamped down the impulse to apologize. He had nothing to be sorry for. If anything, she should be the one to apologize for robbing him and Gracie of their freedom.
A year and a day. The end was growing closer by the month.
He didn’t know exactly when, or how, he and his sister would escape—but he vowed that somehow they would break free of the witch’s domain.