Behind them, Declan rose quietly and picked up his sword.
They released Grandpa from the shed and headed into the Wood, Jack padding ahead, a lithe, feline shadow, then she and Georgie with a look of intense concentration on his face, then Declan, and finally Grandfather, snarling and mumbling to himself.
They came to a large clearing, where last year Donovan's trailer had burned to the ground, nearly setting the entire Wood on fire.
Georgie sighed and spread his arms.
A minute passed. Then another. Sweat beaded on Georgie's forehead.
A rustle troubled the bushes. The branches bent, releasing a small raccoon into the open. A bird swooped down and landed on the right. A litter of young kittens scampered into the open, followed by an old three-legged black Lab. Several squirrels emerged, scuttling . . . A puppy with an oddly shaped head . . . They came and came, dozens of mangled, broken creatures, repaired by Georgie's will. They came to their master and sat in a semicircle around them.
Rose drew a sharp breath. So many. Oh, dear God, so very many. It's a wonder he's alive at all.
Georgie approached Grandfather sitting in the grass and hugged him.
"It's time to leave," he said.
The creature who used to be Cletus looked at him with rheumy eyes. "Will I see you again?"
Georgie shook his head. "No."
Grandfather hung his head. "I'm tired," he said.
Georgie rested his hand on Grandfather's shoulder and looked at the wall of creatures.
"Wait!" Grandma's voice rang.
Rose turned. ElEonore stood behind them on the path. She swallowed and slowly walked past them. Grandfather saw her. Tears swelled in his eyes. ElEonore stood by him, and he hugged her legs. She patted his matted hair.
"Okay," she said, her voice trembling. "You can do it now." Georgie's lips shaped one quiet word. "Bye."
A faint sound emanated from the semicircle as if the undead who couldn't breathe exhaled in unison.
The creatures dropped to the ground. Grandpa toppled forward softly. A sweet sickening reek of decaying flesh filled the clearing. Rose gagged. The beasts melted, their ruptured carcasses leaking fluids into the ground. Another moment, and they decomposed down to their bones.
By ElEonore's feet, Grandfather had become dust. She emptied one of the herb pouches she carried in her pockets and gently scooped some of the powder into it.
Georgie swayed. Before Rose could reach him, Declan picked him up. "Is that all?" he asked.
Georgie nodded.
The four of them turned and headed back to the house.
"Rose?" Georgie raised his head from Declan's shoulder.
"Yes?"
"I'd like to be George from now on," he said.
"Okay," she said. "That will be fine, George."
He nodded and said, "I'm hungry."
Chapter 20
ROSE sat on the porch, a cup of tea in her hand. Inside, George ate like he hadn't eaten in years, and Grandma was overjoyed to pile more food into his and Jack's dishes.
The screen door opened, and quiet steps approached her. Declan sat next to her on the steps.
For a long minute they said nothing, then she leaned to him and brushed his cheek with her lips. "Thank you for saving my brother."
She pulled away before he could touch her.
"You don't seem happy," he said.
"I am. It's just . . ." She ducked her head. "I've lived with this fear for so long. He started raising things when he was six. He's ten now. For four years, I watched him fade. I know that it hampered his growth. He probably never will be as tall or strong as he should've been."
"Children are resilient," Declan said. "Given the right diet and exercise, he'll hold his own."
"I've tried to help him," she told him. "I've done everything I could think of. Once Grandma and I put him to sleep for ten days, hoping that all of his creatures would die. But they just kept on sucking the life out of him. This will sound so terrible, but I'd convinced myself he couldn't be helped. I think that's the only way I could deal with it. I never stopped hoping and trying, but deep down I sort of came to terms with knowing that one day he would just burn down, like a candle." She covered her face. "You saved him. You saved Georgie. I'm so grateful. I don't want you to think that I take it lightly. It's just that I don't even know what to say. I'm scared to believe it. I should've tried harder . . . I should be thrilled, but I'm just so . . . lost. Stunned."
"Like a runner whose race had been cut short," Declan said.
"Yes. It's selfish and terrible of me, and I'm ashamed of it. I don't know why I'm even telling you this."
He pulled her to him, wrapping his massive arm around her back. She pushed away.
"Let me hold you," he said. "I won't 'maul' you. You need it. Just sit with me."
There was a quiet strength in the way he held her, and she drew on it, wrapped up in his warmth and the scent of his skin. She'd never had anyone to lean on, not like this. He made her feel so safe that she was afraid to let go, terrified that she would break into tears if she did.
"I felt that way when Casshorn rescued William," he said. "And felt like scum for it. I was sure nothing good would come of it. I knew it then, but what could I say? No, Will, take the death instead?"
"Why did Casshorn do it?" she asked.
"Me. I think he was planning the beginnings of this insanity back then. Casshorn is older than me by three decades. He's well trained and he's dangerous and skilled, but he always lacked the perseverance and discipline necessary to truly master a weapon. In his best moments, he's brilliant, but it will do him no good in a direct fight. If we cross blades, I'll cut him down. He's well aware of it. He wanted William to use against me. William's deadly with any blade, especially knives."
"But William is your friend."
There was a tiny pause. "After William was released, I met him at one of the formal dinners His Grace gave. He came as Casshorn's adopted son. He wouldn't speak to me."
Rose glanced at his face. "I'm so sorry. Did you ever find out why?"
"No. I don't know if he was angry because I failed to secure his release or if it was something Casshorn told him about me. The next thing I knew, both of them were gone. You spoke to him. What did he say?"
"He mostly tried to get me to go out with him. The last time he spoke, he told me he wanted me because the boys and I were together. He said he never had a family and always wanted one, and we fit the bill."
"Well, he'll have to do without," Declan said with the warmth of a glacier. "You're mine, and he can't have you."