Imagining Frost

(15) Hailstone

            "I think she's about to pass out. She's in shock," Julia said, supporting my back so that I wouldn't fall backwards on the log.

            "I can't believe I followed him." I got slightly choked up on tears, finding it hard to breathe normally. I couldn't go back to my house. It was being raided by those... shadows. I couldn't go anywhere.  I pictured my mom and dad finally getting home after being trapped at a resort, finding the remains of our home from those...things. And even if the Gypsies weren't at the house, she wouldn't find me and then my parents would think I was dead.

             "My grandmother...she read my stories about them, I know about the....the Gypsies," I admitted, keeping my eyes down.

            Aaraign stared at me for the longest time. "Do you know how to get to your house from here?"

            That was when the realization hit me, and once again, I dropped my eyes to the ground in front of me, playing with the snow flake necklace at my neck. "I....I don't remember where I live..."

            "She's still under its influence, Julia. I don't want to sound cruel, but she's compromising our job every second she's in our campsite," Aaraign suddenly said, gripping the snowflake necklace in my hand and analyzing it. He tugged hard on its chain, jerking me forward.

            Julia prevented me from falling off the log, glaring at Aaraign. "What the heck was that?!" she bellowed, then, realizing she had shouted, lowered her voice significantly. "You could have hurt her!"

            Aaraign brushed her off, bringing a knife to the chain and trying to cut it free from my neck. "It's the necklace, it's magical. I knew from the moment I saw it something was off about it, and not being able to break it from her neck confirms my beliefs. There's something supernatural about it. He's marked her through it, and now she's forgotten where she lives because the creature is probably trying to get to us through her. She won't even meet my eyes. It still has control over her mind, if we don't give her something soon she'll try and kill us."

            Julia went slightly pale. "Impossible, outside magic can't get within our campsite...."

            "This type of magic is powerful, I can tell. If it tried...maybe this thing could breach the fairy dust. We can't take any chances, I've never felt so much magic in one necklace."

            "Aaraign, this girl is as pale as a sheet she's so scared, and you're only scaring her more." Julia shook her head, starting towards me."She's within our barriers. Not one Gypsy, or supernatural creature, for that matter, has walked within these barriers for weeks, and you know as well as I do that there had been creatures that had many opportunities to try--"

            "This could be the first. Stay away from her for now. We need something to definitely break the link. That thing could make this girl rip your throat out or mine in a heartbeat." Abruptly, Aaraign's eyes lit up. "Wait, Jules... The magic... This could be the one of the Gypsy's that we've been looking for. One of the wonderers."

            "You really think so?" Julia fished through a bag and took out a bottle, handing it to me. "Drink this, hon. Drink it fast. It'll break the link the Gypsy has over you."

            "For good?"

            She snorted. "Do you think I'm some sort of amateur? This concoction will tear that Gypsy from your mind and body in an instant. Fair warning: it tastes like grass and then the aftertaste is very bitter."