Her Blood, His Madness

state, a place far from my Appalachia

, the only thing that quieted th

sickness, a darkness that stole his memorie

Matilda Thorne,

ur mountain, from men who wanted to

plasma, a part of mys

between me and Declan in his c

ife, these grand, cold rooms. My Grana, she came w

ndra Lowel

is voice different, softer tha

he silver in the Thorne dining roo

our community's genetic secrets years ago, Matilda ha

and the air in the Tho

y, then it wasn'

gering on my long, braided hair, th

th something bitter, "don't you think Elara's... presentati

y clouded, would look f

hen Cassie was near, and h

hed me, Declan standing beh

g her eyes, "we need to make some changes

es?" I

nd those clothes. They carry too many old energies, mountain superstition

"Unrefined. Ba

ng her, his

on business, a

eized th

a woman with sharp scis

ie announced to the staff

rk strands falling to the pol

all my twenty-five years. It w

lothes, stiff, modern thing

w a stranger, my powerlessnes

readable in his eyes, before Cassie touch

" Cassie purr

ty found a new

tigious medical research

dinner, Matilda now back but looking weary. "To highlight th

rt tig

rea. In the center, on a crude wooden

l, colorful blanket, one o

iefs. It will be an interactive display on how far medicine

, happy boy, wa

e shaking. "He's a ch

nal value? And it will show the Thornes are not afraid to conf

b aimed at me,

lan, who was agitated

ired. "Elara, perhaps for a short

ie. That's w

iam in a rough-spun tunic Cassie had

ered, trying to soothe him, my in

ing the blanket Grana had made, he

rp suits peered at him, some with

laining her "concept" wi

cured by a careless event worker, fell. The metal st

shock made him cry out and fall

h the crowd, sc

ia

crying, a red mark bl

m up, my hea

r!" I yelled, loo

e a mask of annoyance. "It's ju

!" I insisted, p

, Liam wailing in my arms

s were overwhelmed by a

, but the Thorne estate was isolated,

, my only thought w

down the long driveway, L

ed gasps, my legs burn

lerted by someone, perhaps Matild

the driv

arms, his eyes half-cl

ry," I begg

a blur of fear and whispered pra

a concussion and a rising fever. T

ing his small hand, until

. "What did you do to him, E

t! He neede

r mountain nonsense," Cassie snapped. "

uspicion, growled, "Folk remedies

ion, the need for specific medication to

lists. His mother's... traditional methods... often int

er, was because I had secretly given him some of Grana's her

rdered, his eyes wild. "She's p

lan, no! He nee

She tried to reason with him, but Cas

r," Cassie hissed to Declan, "unr

bade the doctors from administering the critical antibiotic

We wait. See if her...

d crucial

climbed. He

s were

d. Because Declan listened to h