Chapter 53

She reached out with one hand to grip hold of mine, and I felt cold blood pool in my palm even as she gripped my fingers feebly.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be alright,” she promised me, but her voice was growing weaker with every word she spoke, and the iron scent was only growing stronger.

Her face was so pale it was as though all the blood had been leeched out of her and the black bags under her eyes were more than a little concerning.

“Who did this to you?” I asked again, determined not to be treated like a child.

“Witches.” The answer didn’t come from Grandma Joan’s lips. Instead, it came from the top of the basement stairs where my mother had appeared. She took the steps two at a time, her feet seeming to be caught on air as she descended in a matter of seconds.

“Is that true?” I asked, turning my full attention back to Grandma Joan, whose hand had tightened around mine at the mention of her attackers.