Page 34 of Of Shadows and Blood

Though my brain cannot remember an injury, it feels like my body does. The aches, the exhaustion, the unfamiliar nature. What Cedric showed me two nights ago confirmed I am not human. I’ve accepted this. In fact, I have accepted this faster than I imagined I would. Something drastic happened to me and my mind has been permanently altered.

“Someone hurt me,” I whisper as I try to tamper down the shaking feeling. My body seems to react to this, my hands tremor. The body remembers.

“The body remembers,” Avonde repeats my thought.

“Is there a way forward?” Cedric cuts in. His focus is on the future, not the present. Somehow, I find it in me to not blame him.

Yully uncrosses his legs and places the cushion back on the sofa before standing. “We have yet to fully find an answer for her malady, whatever it may be. We are faced with the complexity of magic now. Curse, spell, injury, it could be many things and it could also not be many things.”

“How long will that take?” Cedric begins pacing the small length of the room. The king wants answers. Every scenario and outcome rushes through my mind. It could be years. How long can we wait? It’s already been two.

“We have some theories but we need to consult with our other sects, such as the Silent Sect, who may have more experience. The texts are decentralized so this will take time and research,” Yully replies before slipping out of the cottage with a friendly wave.

“I know this is not news that may be comprehensible, and you may have more questions, but for now, we will work with you daily to try to bring back your strength – physically and mentally.” Grenn smiles.

“How can I help?” Cedric asks. I roll my eyes because I don’t want to entertain his version of help.

“Your –” Grenn clears his throat – “your relationship is entirely up to you two. If you choose to… well, it’s up to you.” I don’t think that was exactly what Cedric was referring to but he seems to accept Grenn’s answer.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I say clenching my jaw. Grenn smirks to the side and gathers his notes.

The remaining cess stand and prepare to depart the cottage. “We’ll start tomorrow with lessons,” Avonde says before leaving.

Percy, who remained mostly silent, pauses at the door, looking Cedric and I over. “My colleague is right. You two can decide about your status but as a healer and spiritualist, I cannot leave without saying that the powers above and below are stronger than we think. And there is nothing more powerful than being with familiars. Friends, family, lovers.”

They exit, shutting the door softly behind them. Cedric releases a long sigh, wiping his hands on his pants. He turns slightly to me, as if to say something, but thinks better of it and heads for the door as well.

“Just for the record,” he finally says, back still turned to me, “you are not a prisoner. It may not be clear, and I am sorry for that, but I want what is best for you wholly.” He faces me now and a hint of sadness clouds his eyes.

“And I am to trust you?”

“That is entirely your decision to make.”

An hour after the inspection, I decide this is the time to begin exploring my non-prisoner status.

The changing air hits me and I take a few moments to breathe it in. With the sun a little higher in the sky it feels odd that the grounds are silent as night.

In front of me is a wide hill that slopes up towards the castle. I begin my trek up it, scanning the tree line to my right that extends from the cottage. Once I make it to the top, I get the sight of the entire castle for the first time. The grandness of it is unexplainable, the years it would have taken to construct such a massive entity.

The next thing that crosses my mind is that I am alone.

Completely.

I would have imagined Lee or a guard being positioned outside the cottage, but I see no one across the yard. Cedric must trust that I won’t run.

Elivienne wouldn’t. But I sure as hell will.

Adrenaline fires up my heart as my mind races, bringing my attention to the east wing of the castle. Just around that is the back entrance where Lee picked me up last night. My breathing picks up and I grab my skirts, sprinting across the green vastness towards the stone edifice. The sleek black boots were an excellent choice as I can’t imagine making the journey in silk slippers.

Another excellent choice was to pocket a jeweled dagger I found next to the fireplace’s wood basket. The handle is worn, the gems various organic colors. Emeralds, rubies, canary diamonds all set in the roughly smelted golden handle. It looks like the first piece a blacksmith would create but the care in placing each stone makes me believe this was a personal piece. The actual blade, though, is perfectly balanced and honed. The thing was small enough to slide in the calf of my left boot.

Heart racing, I keep snapping my head from left to right, afraid someone will see me and it will be all over. I run faster, aiming for the back corner of the wing. When I make it to the corner, I pause to catch my breath, surprisingly not that winded but my body aches in so many places. Pressing my back against the stone, I slide across it, peeking into windows. A few empty, heavily decorated rooms pass by. One of the windows is shaded, so I ignore it, still checking behind my back.

The sound of swords clashing startles me. My spine presses tighter against the castle, hitching my breath.

Slowly, I inch closer and poke my head out. A paved courtyard is surrounded with racks of weapons, straw dummies and dirt fighting rings. In the center of the yard a woman is wielding a sword longer than I imagined one of those could be. With her back to me, she flips the weapon around in her hand, loosening her neck. The opponent is a man, his build larger and huskier than hers.

In an instant, she strikes. Her sword juts forward, just barely missing the man’s midsection as he bends around the blade. She spins, going low to hit his feet. He counters this by jumping over her, landing directly on the flat of the blade before the woman can stand up. She yells, losing her balance and the weapon. Her opponent quickly wraps his arm around her neck, pulling her up with him and turning the two of them to face my direction.