Marie moved closer to me. “What could be lost if you don’t do this?”
“Briseis,” Karter said softly, his voice trembling. “What are you gonna do?”
I removed one of my earrings and held it against my index finger until the skin broke. I held my hand over the Absyrtus Heart and squeezed my finger. A single drop of blood fell onto it.
The veiny surface of the plant expanded slightly, like it was being pushed out from the inside. I jumped back, my heart racing. Karter gasped. Marie’s mouth fell open as she backed away.
“It moved,” I said.
“No shit,” said Karter.
The plant shifted again. Karter hit the stairs, taking them two at a time.
“Karter! Wait!” I screamed.
I scrambled up the stairs behind him. He was heading out the door as the crimson brush turned to face him, its blooms opening and taking aim, preparing to shower him with its deadly powder. I threw myself between him and the plant and caught a plume of rust-colored poison right in the face.
Ice-cold numbness stole my breath. Something brushed past me as my vision blurred. I staggered back, my ankle twisting painfully as I slipped on the slick green moss. A thick tendril of Devil’s Pet wrapped itself around my arms and legs, keeping me from tumbling down the steps. It righted me and I raced out into the Poison Garden.
Karter stood, eyes wide, chest heaving on the other side of the moon gate. Marie stood next to him, shaking her head. She’d pulled him to safety, probably with enough strength and speed to make him think he was losing it.
“Great,” I said to myself. Now I was going to have to tell him secrets that weren’t mine to share, and I didn’t know where to start. I closed the hidden door, locking it. A dull ache throbbed in my right ankle. I hobbled over to Karter.
“Are you hurt?” I asked. I didn’t see any cuts or scrapes, but I couldn’t tell if the shock on his face was from almost being poisoned to death or if he was trying to process all the highly weird shit he’d just seen.
“What—what was that?” Karter asked. “Did you see that?”
My sock suddenly felt too tight. My ankle was swelling. “I gotta get home. I think my ankle is broken.”
Marie was immediately at my side, taking my entire weight as she slipped her hand around my waist.
“I—I think I need to lie down,” said Karter. “Something’s not right.”
My heart cartwheeled in my chest. “Did you touch something? Were you holding your breath?”
“He’s not poisoned,” Marie said. “I made sure he didn’t touch anything. Me, on the other hand . . .” A ragged cut lay open on her upper forearm. A lacework of veins, black as the night sky, traced a path up her arm.
I grabbed her hand. “Oh no.”
“It’s fine,” she said. “I’ll be okay.”
Karter glanced at me, sweat beading on his forehead, his mouth stuck in a hard line. He shook himself from his panic-induced stupor. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”
With Marie practically carrying me, we left the garden and I locked the outer gate. The darkness was complete and stifling as Karter led the way home, lighting the path ahead of us with his phone. I kept putting my foot down to at least keep up the illusion that Marie was only assisting me, not effortlessly taking my entire weight, but each attempt sent a bolt of pain straight through the side of my leg. I winced.
“If you keep trying to ‘help’ me, I’m gonna lift you up so high you can’t touch the ground at all,” Marie said.
“Like you did me?” Karter asked, glancing over his shoulder. “We not gon’ talk about that? You think I didn’t notice that you scooped me up like it was nothin’? Like I don’t see Bri’s feet dangling off the ground this whole time we’ve been walkin’? I’m a grown—almost grown—man—”
“I could’ve left your ass there,” Marie snapped. “And if I had, your skin would be peeling away from your bones and your throat would be closed up.”
Karter’s entire demeanor changed. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. “I—I’m sorry. I just—How did you do that? Who are you?”
Marie said nothing.
“I don’t think we should tell anybody about what we saw,” I said. “Not the Heart, not Marie’s abilities, none of it. Not right now.”