Page 93 of Valour

“Stop. Please!”

Septimus shook his head. “We have to get away from here.”

“Did you see her? The winged woman?”

“What? I only saw a…I don’t even know what that was. A man. What did he say to you?”

So, he hadn’t seen her. Only she had been able to. “STOP.” And when he didn’t, she eyed the snow. Hester braced herself and rolled off the sled.

“Orn!”

She scrambled to her feet, wincing. “Are you there? Please be there,” she called into the eddies of snow that whirled. The black clouds flashed above, lightning carving the sky.

“Hester! Where the Hell are you?” Septimus appeared, battling the snow and grasping her forearm. “We have to get away from here.”

“I have to know!”

And then lightning struck the ice mere feet away. Septimus flung himself over her, shielding her from the strike, but Hester pushed him away.

Her mother now stood before them. “We don’t have much time. I can only be here when you are in grave danger.”

So that was the link. But she had to know more. Wanted to know everything. “Why did you leave me?”

“They would have killed you, like they killed me. My mother and I hid you.”

“Hid me? From whom? Who killed you?”

But her mother was fading fast. “I do not want you to go seeking them, but they are similar to him.” She pointed towards where Orcus had been.

“Am I an aquiline?”

“Yes.” Her voice was everywhere and nowhere.

And then she was gone.

Hester screamed her rage into the blizzard. Septimus held onto her, holding her together as she broke.

“Who were you speaking to? I thought I saw a shape in the snow,” he said, tucking his thumb and forefinger under her chin and raising her face to his. “What is going on?”

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “She is my mother. She’s dead. Put your gun to my head.” She pulled his arm. “Do it.” She needed danger. Needed her to come back.

“What? No! Why would I⁠—”

“She said she can be here when I’m in grave danger. Put the gun to my head. Do it now.” She wrapped his hand around the pistol’s handle and raised it to her temple.

“Hester, this is insane.”

She looked all around, but the woman did not appear.

“Not grave enough,” Hester said to herself, tears still leaking and freezing on her cheeks. “I have to know more.”

“Maybe it’s for the best not to know more. Who was the man?”

“Orcus,” she whispered.

“What did he say to you?”

“He said he would give me everything I desired if I went with him, and he filled up my magic. He said he could find me because he felt my pain, and before he found me because of the magic.” She faltered, tripping over the words. “I have to use up the magic.” She looked up at him, her eyes wide. “Septimus! Make me angry.”