Warped (Maurissa Guibord)

to her. Not to mention the directions of the Norn. Find the first. Return the seven .
    "Ah, yes. I forgot. You believe only in accidents," Will said softly. "Like falling." His face was still and watchful. His eyes traveled to her neck and he leaned closer, until his lips brushed the hollow of her throat. "I believe falling is considered a sort of accident."
    Tessa turned away slightly. She could feel her heart pounding. It felt like an impatient fist, pounding on a table for what it wanted. She finally knew what she wanted, with a sureness that ached. She wanted the impossible.
    She looked around, trying to break the spell of Will's nearness. She would have loved to just lie down in the safety of his arms and forget everything. But she needed to get her bearings. And figure out what to do.
    "Is this place like your home?" she asked. "Like Hartescross?"
    "Yes." Will turned his gaze away from her and scanned the forest with an uncertain expression. "I mean to say--I'm not sure. The witch has made it appear so. It looks much like our northern woods, but I don't recognize any of these paths. I'd been wandering for hours. Until I saw you."
    "Hours?" Tessa repeated, puzzled.
    "Yes. But you are here now, and with me. It is all I need, mistress." Will got up, brushed himself off and held out a hand to her. He hoisted her to her feet. "We should go. There's a storm coming. It's not wise to linger."
    "No."
    "What?" asked Will, looking at her with surprise.
    "It hasn't been hours," Tessa replied. "It's been two days since Gray Lily took you from the alley." Time must be completely out of whack, she realized. Then, with the thought of time passing, Tessa felt a spasm of fear. She only had until the full moon. How much time did she have left?
    "Will, I have to get home," she said quickly. "My father--" She stopped and swallowed. She clasped her shaking hands together.
    "What is it?" Will searched her face, putting an arm around her. "Tell me."
    She didn't want to say the words. She still didn't want to admit it could be real. But she had to. "My father is very sick," she said slowly. "He's dying."
    "Gray Lily?" Will asked.
    "No," Tessa answered. Panic swept over her. She had screwed everything up. Her conversation with Gray Lily had revealed nothing useful. She had no idea how to get the lost threads back. And now she was trapped in the tapestry herself. Trapped and useless--for who knew how long, maybe forever--while her father--
    Tessa broke away from Will and spun, searching. Everywhere she looked, dense tangles of greenery blocked her view. All the lost threads must be here, somewhere. But first she had to find the key.
    Think .
    "Will," she said. She turned to him. "Remember when we read from the Texo Vita ? In one of her entries, Gray Lily said something about a key. Do you know what she meant? Think back and try to remember, from the first time she stole your thread."
    "No," Will replied with a shrug. "There was no key."
    "It might look like something different. Like a piece of wood."
    Will shook his head, with no flicker of recognition. "No. She did not carry such a thing." His face stilled, became thoughtful. "But I do remember something from the first time. She had something in her hand." He looked up. "A small yellow stone."
    "A stone," Tessa repeated dubiously. She shut her eyes and tried to picture Gray Lily as she had seen her in the alley. She didn't remember the old woman holding any stone when she pulled Will's thread. And it didn't fit at all with what the Norn had told her. How could a stone have anything to do with that tree Igdrazul, or whatever it was called? Could the Norn be wrong?
    "Is this key the means by which we can escape the tapestry?" Will asked.
    Tessa's eyes flew open. "I--I think so," she answered.
    "I hope so."
    How could she tell him the rest? In order for her father to live, the stolen threads, including his thread, had to be returned to the Norn. There was no way she could explain it. She didn't understand it herself. And she didn't want to give him any more reasons to doubt her. She would find a way to fix this.
    Tessa looked around. "I'm sure Gray Lily will be coming after us. After you. She wants to turn you back into the unicorn."
    Will's eyes darkened. "Of course. That's the only way she can get her youth back." He glanced up at the sky and frowned. "We'd best leave this place. Everything seems different. There was never a storm here before. It bodes ill."
    "Somehow I'm not surprised,"