Kristie Cook - Genesis

Andronika’s brows furrowed. “No. It’s just water. How do you know I’m sad?”

“I can feel it around you. I can see it in your eyes. Here.” Eris held the water skin out. “Just try it.”

Andronika took the water skin, but didn’t immediately drink from it. She held it under her nose and sniffed. Jordan silently congratulated himself for insisting Eris add something to improve the smell and flavor.

“What’s in it?” his niece asked.

Eris listed a few herbs that Andronika would know were harmless.

“And it will make the sadness leave?”

“Yes, dear. You will see the world differently. Better.”

Andronika hesitated. Jordan’s heart pounded against his ribs and his body tensed with the anticipation. If she reacted as Deimos did, soon Andronika would change permanently and be his forever. He would defeat his sister and prove how right he’d always been. He grinned with this thought, glad to be rid of that sickening feeling of guilt. After what felt like fifty moon cycles, Andronika finally drank the potion. Jordan stopped breathing as he and Eris both watched the girl. And waited.

But nothing happened.

Andronika smiled appreciatively at Eris and handed the water skin back to the witch. Then she stood and returned to her gathering. She should be writhing in pain and collapsing with the effects! It took every bit of control Jordan possessed to stay behind the trees, out of his niece’s sight. Rage built within him, turning his vision red. What went wrong? He debated whether to attack the girl first or the witch who had apparently made a mistake. A big mistake. Or had she tried to fool him? His chest heaved. A growl rumbled in his throat. He couldn’t stand it a second longer. He wanted to kill the stupid witch.

But just as he thought to make the move, Andronika collapsed.

He and Eris rushed to her side. She lay on the ground, her eyes rolled back in her head. Eris placed her hand over the girl’s lids and closed them.

“Is she dead?” Jordan demanded. That would be worse than the potion not working. At least if she were alive, they could try again. He placed his finger against the girl’s neck and felt a faint beating. He blew out the breath he’d been holding and rocked back on his heels. “Is it working?”

Eris stared at the girl, not answering at first. She held her hands over the girl’s heart and moved them along her body without actually touching her. Then she looked up at Jordan, her dark eyes filled with bewilderment.

“I don’t know. I can feel the magick running through her veins, but I can’t feel any effects from it.” She tapped a finger against her lips. “She’s more human than you or Deimos. It might take longer.”

“Does she need more potion?”

“More would kill her. Her signs are already faint.”

Jordan nodded. They both sat back and waited and watched Andronika sleep. And waited. And watched. As the sun slid across the sky and behind the trees, Jordan grew concerned. If Andronika didn’t return home soon, Cassandra might come looking for her. She couldn’t find him here, but they couldn’t abandon the unconscious girl, either. Cassandra could mix a concoction to try to revive her daughter and possibly ruin the potion’s effects. He opened his mouth to tell Eris they needed to move her, but then the girl’s body stirred. Jordan flashed, appearing a hundred paces away, and watched.

Andronika’s eyes fluttered open. She looked at Eris at first with confusion and then with recognition. Eris helped her sit up.

“How do you feel?” Eris asked.

The girl seemed to consider the question. “Well, I guess. Not much different, though. Wait … I suppose the sadness has lifted. I don’t feel so heavy.”

“Is that all?”

Andronika rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck. “I feel like I slept for days. How long did I?”

“Just the afternoon.”

Andronika looked around. Eris and Jordan both studied her carefully, watching for any indication the girl gave of improved hearing or sight.

“The sky is darkening. I better return to Mother,” she said, rising to her feet. “Thank you for sharing your drink. I think it’s working.”

The girl skipped off and Jordan and Eris just watched, their mouths open. By the time Jordan thought to react, she was already disappearing inside the shelter. An angry roar started building in his core, pushing its way upward. He let it out when Eris appeared by his side. She jumped back several feet.

“Calm down,” she snapped.

“Calm down?” Jordan echoed, his voice like ice. He flashed right in front of her and grabbed her by the throat. “Calm down? What did you do, woman? You ruined the potion!”

Pain pulsed through Jordan’s hand and Eris’s spell forced him to release her. She held a hand up, threatening him.

“Yes, calm down. I could still feel the magick within her. Just give it time.”

Jordan snarled at her. “What did you do to the potion? How did you change it?”

“Nothing, except add the lavender and vanilla for flavor. That wouldn’t change the effects.”

Jordan crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “You think it will work?”

“If it doesn’t, it’s not because of the potion. It’s because of the girl. She might be too human.”

Jordan rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger for a long, silent moment. “Then we wait and we watch. When she starts showing signs, we must get to her before her mother does.”

Jordan couldn’t wait long. His army needed attention. The new recruits lacked control over their bloodlust and would betray them all if he didn’t act. The Daemoni wouldn’t have the numbers to overtake humanity for a few human generations, and if they exposed themselves too early, the humans would fight back. He would lose all the progress he’d made. So he left Eris to keep an eye on the girl.

After several weeks, Eris returned, appearing at his side as he watched a pack of werewolves train.

“It’s not working,” she said, avoiding any preliminaries.

Jordan snarled, the sound muffled by the growling and snapping of teeth from the fight pit. The revelation wasn’t a surprise to him—after all this time he’d come to accept the girl’s human weakness—but it still angered him to hear it pronounced. He had another plan, though.

“How much potion is left?” he asked.

“Enough for two.”

“Take it all and go to Cassandra.”

Eris sucked in a breath. “We agreed she might be too old. It could—”

“She’s the last chance we have. If it doesn’t work, give both her and the girl the rest. Even if it kills them.”

At this, a wicked glint shone in Eris’s eyes as her lips turned up in a smile. “If that’s what you want.”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I want.” Jordan looked back at the fight pit where two wolves tore at each other with long fangs and claws. One of the wolves grabbed the other with its mouth, clamping its teeth on its throat, drawing blood. Excitement surged through Jordan’s body. “And I want to watch. Fetch me when you’re ready.”

Two days later, Jordan crouched in the woods again as Eris greeted Andronika in the field of flowers.

“Hello, again,” Andronika said with a smile on her face.

“Hello, sweet one. I see you feel much better.”

“I do. Your juice worked!” The girl studied the older woman’s face, biting her lower lip, as if wanting to ask something but not having the courage to do it. Then she finally blurt it out. “Do you have any more? I’d like Mother to try it. She really needs it. She’s so sad, sadder than even I was, and I’ve failed to make her better.”

Eris smiled and so did Jordan. The girl couldn’t have made it any easier.