Chapter 15—The Poison

"Shhh." Jesse held out his right arm. Aimée and Daniel stopped walking. "Listen," he whispered. "No more barking. Let's keep going in that direction, but no mumbling." He arched an eyebrow toward Daniel.

They padded from tree to tree, hiding behind wide trunks while peeking ahead. Once deep inside the dense grove, they spotted a fire pit about fifty feet away. It was encircled by a rough stone wall, similar to an abandoned farm wall one might find in the middle of the woods.

Inside the pit a bonfire roared, so hot they could feel it from where they were hiding. Wood crackled and sputtered, sending large, hot sparks into the air. The witch danced before the fire, her arms high and moving as if she were directing an orchestra. The flames rose higher and higher in response to their maestro's command. She's mad, Jesse thought.

Then he saw Juliette kneeling close to the fire and still as a statue. Her face was red from the heat, and tears flowed down her cheeks. She held Le Nez by the collar. The wolfhound stood protectively in front of the witch and dangerously close to Juliette. It seemed poised to attack should anyone come near. Nevertheless Aimée started to run toward her twin. But before she could get far, Jesse pulled her back.

"But what can we do for Juliette?" Aimée cried, terrified that either the witch or the hound would attack her sister.

"I'm going to go demand her release," Jesse whispered. "I don't see any other way. And ask for the crystals back. If the answer's no, I'll release the vapors. We seem to be immune, and that'll give us time to look."

"What about Juliette and the d-dog?" Daniel asked in a loud whisper. "They're right in the vapor trail."

"They'll probably fall asleep." Although the hound had fallen asleep in his dream, Jesse thought the vapor might cause something worse. The bottle did say poison, after all.

Just then Le Nez grabbed Juliette's shorts and tugged her toward the wolfhound. His tail wagged like it always did when he wanted to turn people into friends. Jesse blinked.

"Look at Le Nez," he said. "I don't believe there's a threat, or he wouldn't be acting so friendly. I'm going in." He moved out from behind the tree, leaving his pack behind. But not the poison.

"Non, arrêtes...wait," Daniel croaked, but before he could say another word, Jesse was marching toward the fire, the witch, and the wolfhound.

Sensing him, the witch swung around, reached out, and hissed his name. "Jesse's here." Her dagger-like fingernails seemed to grow toward him, and her rotten breath made him gag.

"How brave he is—and how pleasant it is to have visitors." Her voice sizzled with menace. Jesse moved closer. As he did, the wolfhound's lips curled up to reveal more teeth. Jesse stopped and glanced at Le Nez.

The little dog remained unfazed, his tail fanning the ground. He acted like he was at a cookout rather than in a dangerous standoff. The witch walked toward Juliette, which sparked a rush of adrenaline in Jesse. Instinctively, he raised the poison bottle and held it up like a cross before vampires. In response, the wolfhound raced to Juliette and snatched her ponytail in its fangs. Juliette's head tilted back and she screamed while letting go of Le Nez, who ran back and forth wagging his tail and barking as if insisting on a truce.

Jesse stood, perplexed, trying to unravel this contradiction. The hound and the witch were threatening Juliette. Yet Le Nez wasn't defending her; he wanted them to be friends. It didn't make sense. Didn't the little dog know the witch and the hound could annihilate them?

Maybe it was up to Jesse to save everyone; he had the poison and could release it in an instant. Just pull off the stopper, he told himself. But would it merely put them to sleep? That had been the dream, but maybe the wolfhound died later. He had no way of knowing because he had woken up. Jesse thought his head might blow up from thinking so hard.

He focused on his choices: release the poison, grab Juliette, and run from the fumes. As in the dream, the vapor would head right to the supernatural creatures. This would give them time to get away. But the witch and the wolfhound might die. She seemed evil and the wolfhound fierce, but could he kill them?

There had to be another option. He continued to hold up the poison. No one moved. It was like a movie on pause. After what seemed to be a long time, Jesse realized he could never kill unless he was being attacked. The hound wasn't hurting Juliette. It was merely holding her to keep her from running away. Although to listen to her scream, you'd think she was being tortured, Jesse thought. And Le Nez, instead of defending Juliette, was acting like he was at a picnic. The little dog knew something important.

Jesse was feeling stronger by the minute, and a new power surged through his body like a heat wave. He knew what to do, and with all eyes watching, set the bottle down.

"This is poison and I was going to use it against you," he said. "Instead I ask you, please release my cousin." The witch stared at him and then motioned to the hound. It let go of Juliette but stayed close to her and her screams turned into quiet sobs.

The witch smiled and her voice softened. "Mais oui ,mon ami. I see you now come in peace and in good faith. Oui, I will act on your request."

She turned to the hound and commanded, "Zana, desist."

In an instant, the frightening scene was transformed. The wolfhound stopped growling and began to wag its tail. Its ears went from low and flat to high and perky above a much different face—one with a grin, or as much of a grin as a wolfhound could muster. Then it sidled up to Juliette as if to caress her. Juliette's mouth dropped open, and with a hiccup she stood and backed away. Confused, she wiped her eyes and glared at the witch.

Aimée and Daniel ran toward Juliette but stopped right before reaching her. The witch had turned into a blurry mass and then, like a computerized animation, morphed into a woman. The wicked witch was gone. Juliette's hiccups turned into giggles. "Mon Dieu," she said over and over, as the wolfhound also changed—into a smiling girl with red hair all the way down to her waist.