Blood Moon (Silver Moon, #3) - By Rebecca A. Rogers Page 0,31

been arguing back and forth regarding my newfound theory. We’ve done our best to keep our voices to a minimum, since the house isn’t very large and Francine shares the space. But the longer we bicker, the more inflated our voices become. I’m afraid Francine might hear too much and tell Fiona. If that happens, if Fiona learns that we’re after the witches in town, then, without a doubt, all hell will break loose.

“I have an idea,” I say, sitting up for the first time today. Twisting to my right so I can face Ben, I add, “We need to find Lavenia’s cottage and do some serious surveillance work. Then we can narrow down the possibility of who Lavenia is, and we’ll know she’s the wolf.”

Ben rises up on his elbows. “And what if they’re all werewolves? We’ve hunted more than one at the same time.”

“Correction.” I hold one finger up in the air. “We’ve only seen two, and that was the first night. So Lavenia might be one, and then we’ll find out who the other is. My guess? It’s Maggie.”

Ben falls back on the bed and groans. “Not this shit again. Why are you so convinced it’s her?”

“Why are you so convinced it’s not her?” I lift one eyebrow defiantly as I cross my arms.

He shakes his head as he gazes up at the ceiling. “Fine. We’ll check out Lavenia’s place, but we have to be discreet about it. They can’t know we’re on to them. If they catch us, there’s no telling what they’ll do.”

“Torture us, probably.”

Ben and I hastily dress in our period clothing, say a farewell to Francine, who still won’t acknowledge our presence, and head out the front door for what might be our most daring mission yet. Remembering what Ulric told us about the herb witch’s cottage situated on the outskirts of town, near the edge of the dark forest, Ben and I begin our long trek to find the exact location. Briefly, I consider asking the local patrons if they can point us in the right direction, but that might come off as suspicious. Not to worry, though; we’ll find it, if it’s the last thing we do.

Ben and I pass the spot where we crash-landed only a few days ago. Already, everything has changed. We’re no longer the object of gawkers, and we now have attire that allows us to blend in. All of our luck is attributed to Fiona. Without her, we might still be sleeping in that dusty, foul-smelling barn.

There are only a couple of roads in and out of Colchester. The one we came from leads toward Fiona’s, and out of town, and the one we’re traveling on now will take us toward Daciana’s residence. Several insignificant dirt paths branch off of the main highway, and my estimate is that one of them goes directly to the herb witch’s dwelling. Now, all we must do is find the correct one . . .

“We need to hone in on the scent,” says Ben. “Do you recall what they smelled like last night?”

I nod.

“Then think of that, keep it in mind; it’s what we’ll use to guide us.”

Grabbing his arm as he begins walking, I say, “That woman we saw in the woods, the berry picker, she told us her cottage wasn’t far from that exact location. What if she was Lavenia, or, at least, one of the women who works with Lavenia?”

“Okaaay,” Ben drawls, “we’ll start there.”

Not surprisingly, we find a cottage near the spot where we ran from the wolf. Smoke billows from a chimney, dried herbs hang from the windowsills, and two dogs playfully wrestle each other next to the house. Ben and I duck low and dart for the cover of trees.

“We’ll have to climb,” Ben says, glancing up at the hundreds of branches above our heads.

“You’re joking.”

Grim-faced, he says, “No, I’m not. We need to hide out, and right now, that’s the best place to do it. We’ll have a great view, and nobody will think to look up. So, let’s scale these trees before someone catches us.”

“Oh, my God. I can’t believe I’m actually doing this in a dress and heels. This won’t be easy.”

“I’m right behind you, Princess.” He hoists me toward the nearest branch and I begin ascending, not really sure how far I should climb. I guess I’ll continue until the limbs thin out and are unable to hold my weight.

As promised, Ben is directly underneath me. I firmly clutch each