the very least she could put some more distance between herself and her quarreling captors. Each step was precise, calculated to make as little noise as possible. It was an art she'd mastered as a little girl to swipe lemon bars from the pantry after her bedtime. The danger of getting caught had seemed just as real to her then, but she knew the consequences this night would be far more deadly.
Three agonizing steps later, she felt something solid behind her. Her fingers touched wood. She stole a quick glance backward. The rear wall of the barn stood behind her. Now if she could just edge along it until she came to a door, she could make her escape.
Icy fingers clamped around her neck. Victoria felt herself lifted off her feet and pinned against the wall. Her chest heaved as her lungs worked to pull air past the powerful grip. It wouldn't come. She dug her nails under the fingers, trying to pry them away. Blue flames burned mere inches from her face. They left streaks across her vision as her eyes rolled frantically, searching for help that would never come. Already her arms grew heavy, even as her lungs screamed in agony.
"Enough, demon."
The voice was quiet, reaching out to her across what seemed like miles of darkness. Death released its hold on her throat, and she fell. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she lay on one side and breathed in ragged gasps.
After a few minutes, her head slowed its sickening spinning. Looking up, she saw the two sets of eyes peering down at her.
"We mean you no harm," the woman said.
"What do you want?" Victoria asked. "Please, just tell me what you want."
The blue eyes moved forward, and she cowered against the wall, covering her head with her arms.
"Peace!" Steel lined the woman's voice. "You are not to move or speak until we have finished, demon. Do you understand?" Silence. "Good." Turning back to the huddled woman, the woman's voice spoke in gentler tones. "Please, do not fear. My friend is hot with anger, and it makes him act like a fool. I will not let him harm you."
As the woman spoke, Victoria's limbs slowly unwrapped themselves. She looked up at the uncanny eyes floating above her. "Please."
"I must know why you came here," the woman said. "Why did you visit the woman hunter?"
"To ask for her help," Victoria said in a small voice.
"Why do you seek help?"
"My parents. They died. Monsters killed them. I was told Cora could help me."
"What monsters?"
"I don't know." With each word, Victoria relaxed more. It felt so good to tell this woman the truth. "They were large and black, like shadows. Their eyes were yellow. They scared our horse and drove us into the river."
The woman did not speak for a moment. The silence crawled up Victoria's legs. Had she said something wrong? She was only telling this woman what she wanted to know. If she really meant what she said, she would call off her friend and let her go. Victoria just had to keep cooperating.
"I do not know your monsters," the woman said at last. "Why should the woman hunter? Is there no man in your country who knows?"
"One did. Does. A professor named James. He told me to come find Cora."
At the mention of James, the blue eyes grew bright. Tendrils of fear coiled around Victoria's chest, and her neck ached at the memory of those cruel fingers. She braced herself for another attack, but he remained where he was. Victoria looked back at the woman with new admiration.
"You see?" she said. "He will not hurt you again."
"Thank you," Victoria whispered with a grateful smile.
"So this...professor told you to come to the woman hunter?" the woman asked. Victoria nodded. "What did he tell you of her?"
"She is strong. She kills monsters." Her vision blurred. "But he was wrong. She refused to help me. She doesn't hunt monsters anymore, so she can't help me." She wiped at tears with the back of her hand.
The woman leaned in close. "What did you say? She does not hunt?"
"Not anymore," Victoria said. "She said she stopped. She wants to live in peace. She won't help me." A small sob escaped her lips.
Silence again. Victoria looked up. The red eyes had vanished, but the woman's presence lingered nearby, strong and sinister. The man's blue gaze still floated in the shadows, though it no longer looked her way. Victoria wrapped her arms around herself.