Chapter56: The Poison in the Jar

*Leo* I wake to the hush of dawn and the cool damp of dew clinging to my fur. For a moment, I can’t recall where I am. Then I see the valley stretched around me, lush and unreal. The tower shines quiet and unmoving in the pale gold of early morning. The wind here carries no scent of danger, only water lilies, damp moss, and that same strange sweetness. Lavender and honey. My ears twitch. A rustle, soft but certain, stirs the ferns nearby. I lift my head, my nose twitching, senses sharpening. A woman steps into the clearing. She’s tall and thin, wrapped in a dark green cloak that brushes the grass as she moves. Her presence feels... sinister. I can smell the wolfsbane in her pouch. She’s barefoot but walks like she owns the earth beneath her, and I crouch lower behind a bramble, barely daring to breathe. She stops below the tower and lifts her head. “Let down your hair,” she calls, her voice melodic and strange, tinged with a lilt I can’t place. There’s a moment of silence. Then, imposs