Chapter 171: Helen Can’t Find Henry (2)
I watched as the two of them searched around for someone I knew exactly where he was, maybe. The way they were searching, like they were looking for a rodent in the floorboards, was actually a bit exciting to watch. I felt a small spark of power for the first time since I arrived here.
I sat on the middle of the stairs, resting my chin in my hands and observing them as they scrambled.
"Where could he have gone? He was in his room the last time I saw him. He was right there," Helen said. Her voice was thin and worried, the composure she usually held while slitting my wrists completely gone.
"I thought you chained him or something. Why would you let him roam free in a place like this?" Yuki said. She was clearly frustrated, her boots stumps sharply against the floor as they checked room after room, slamming doors and looking behind curtains.
"I used to keep him bound, but then he got better. He called me mother after such a long time, Yuki. I couldn’t help myself. I felt like I had my boy back. I set him free and started bringing him back to his room on his own," Helen replied, her hands shaking as she pulled back a heavy tapestry.
Even the maid they hired was helping now. She was checking under the furniture, lifting the edges of rugs as if a grown boy would be hiding under cushions like a lost remote.
"Why don’t you just cast some kind of location spell to track him down?" Yuki suggested, her voice sharp with impatience.
"I’ve tried that. I’ve tried three times already, but I can’t locate him at all. It’s like he’s vanished. He’s been cloaked," Helen said, her face turning pale.
That’s right. He was cloaked by me.
I had been watching Helen every morning with wide eyes, memorizing every move she made. The herbs she used for the daily tea were ones I recognized instantly from the jars in Uncle PP’s shop back home. She made me drink them every 24 hours. That was how she cloaked me, making my scent and my presence untraceable to anyone on the outside, including Princess.
Those same ingredients were sitting right there in the kitchen. Earlier, I pretended I wanted to make something for myself while the maid was busy scrubbing the counters. I mixed them together, crushed the leaves with a heavy spoon until the oils came out, and told Henry to drink it as part of our game.
And surprisingly, he did. He drank every drop without a single question.
After they grew tired of the frantic searching, Yuki finally noticed me sitting on the staircase, watching them with a calm she didn’t expect.
"What did you do?" she asked, stopping at the bottom of the stairs and staring up at me.
"Are you talking to me?" I said. I pointed at my own chest, pretending I didn’t have a clue what she meant.
She folded her arms over her chest, her expression turning deadly serious.
"Yes, Faye. I’m talking to you. What did you do to Henry? That boy hasn’t gone missing for years. He doesn’t know how to hide like this. So where is he?"
"If I tell you where he is, will you let me go?" I asked. I didn’t even bother hiding the fact that I knew exactly where he was.
"Where is my son? Tell me right now!" Helen demanded. Her voice was desperate and shaking, the mask of the calm witch completely shattered.
"We’re just playing a little game of hide and seek, Helen. And it’s my turn to seek him out. Only I know where to find his secret spot," I said.
I would have followed Henry outside myself, but for some reason, it felt like Helen had put a physical spell on me. I couldn’t go beyond the entrance door. Every time I tried to follow him past the threshold, my legs wouldn’t move, like they were made of lead.
"So you actually think hiding Henry is going to set you free from this house?" Yuki said, a small, mocking laugh escaping her.
"Yes. I noticed Helen gives her son his medicine every single day without fail. She never misses a dose. So I think it’s almost time for his medicine. I really wonder what will happen to his poor heart if he doesn’t take it on time," I said. I glanced over at Helen, watching her eyes widen. Also Henry told me that, it made sense why she still wants my blood.
"Where is my son?" Helen said again, fully in mother mode now. The witch was gone; only the desperate parent remained.
"Like I said, I know where he is. He told me his secret spot when we were playing earlier. I can take you right to him," I said. I hoped they’d believe me, even though all he really told me was for me to seek him.
"You are not leaving this house, girl. Not for a second. Henry is not important anyway. He’ll turn up," Yuki said. She sat back on the cushion, crossing her legs as if none of this mattered to her at all.
Helen turned sharply toward her, her eyes flashing with a sudden, dark fire.
"My son is the only important person to me in this world. We have to find him, Yuki. He could be dying," she cried.
"Sorry, Helen, but the moon wolf is the most important person in this room right now. She’s just playing with us, trying to get a reaction. Henry will come back the second he realizes no one is looking for him anymore," Yuki said. She was completely dismissive, looking at her nails as if she were bored.
"The only reason she’s even here is to heal my son! That was the deal! He hasn’t taken his medicine today and his heart could fail at any moment. I need to find him, and she is coming with me right now to find him," Helen said, pointing a finger at me.
"And what makes you think I’ll allow that to happen?" Yuki snapped, standing up again.
"Yuki, I am the reason you even found her in the first place. Without me, you wouldn’t even know she existed. My son comes first. He comes before your revenge and before your plans. My son is everything," Helen said. She turned to me and gestured toward the door. "Come on, wolf. Let’s go."
I stood up from the stairs immediately, my heart hammering against my ribs, ready to follow Helen out that door. But Yuki moved with a blur of speed and stood right between us, blocking the way.
"I call the shots in this house, Helen. You’re the help. You better not test me right now," she warned, her claws beginning to slide out.
Helen didn’t respond with words. Her face went cold, as smooth as stone.
She began chanting something under her breath, a low, rhythmic sound that made the air in the room vibrate. She raised her hands toward Yuki, her fingers twitching in the air.
In an instant, there was a loud, sickening crack. Yuki’s neck snapped to the side at an impossible angle, and she dropped to the ground like a doll with its strings cut. She didn’t even have time to scream.
Helen looked down at her crumpled body coldly, her breathing heavy.
"If you don’t want to see the true wrath of a mother, you better hope my son is still safe when we find him."
