Marek’s firm grip on my arm doesn’t release until I’m in the room.
The one he has brought me to is unfamiliar, likely in the servants quarters. The fawn brown curtains have already been drawn, the room relying on just one full light to chase away the shadows. A single cot bed is pushed up against the far wall, dressed in plain white linen sheets, next to a sturdy bedside table.
That’s it. And a pair of chairs.
As night has fallen, Marek has left me with guards outside my door, not telling me much about what he intends to do from now.At this point, I'm incessantly pacing through the room, checking to find the window is locked - it's not as if it would be worth it to escape now anyway, not with the guards swarming the grounds. I need information to go back with anyway, otherwise this black eye isn't going to be worth it.But how am I going to get information when I'm stuck in here?"
Tonight, my door isn't locked, and no one is guarding it.Which means sinful ideas have crept mercilessly into my mind, all of which seem to lead back to me leaving here. Vaia told me that tomorrow morning I will be allowed to leave, which is an opportunity I plan on taking without much protest.But I have a bad feeling about the sudden lack of guards outside of my room. Either Vaia truly doesn't see me as a threat, or she does plan on actually letting me go tomorrow. It's going to mean she will come at me with all the more force when she finds out I betrayed her trust.
Tonight, my door isn't locked, and no one is guarding it.Which means sinful ideas have crept mercilessly into my mind, all of which seem to lead back to me leaving here. Vaia told me that tomorrow morning I will be allowed to leave, which is an opportunity I plan on taking without much protest.But I have a bad feeling about the sudden lack of guards outside of my room. Either Vaia truly doesn't see me as a threat, or she does plan on actually letting me go tomorrow. It's going to mean she will come at me with all the more force when she finds out I betrayed her trust.
Tonight, my door isn't locked, and no one is guarding it.Which means sinful ideas have crept mercilessly into my mind, all of which seem to lead back to me leaving here. Vaia told me that tomorrow morning I will be allowed to leave, which is an opportunity I plan on taking without much protest.But I have a bad feeling about the sudden lack of guards outside of my room. Either Vaia truly doesn't see me as a threat, or she does plan on actually letting me go tomorrow. It's going to mean she will come at me with all the more force when she finds out I betrayed her trust.
Even with Tai by my side at almost every waking moment of my day, I still can’t escape the lingering thoughts that haunt me.Today I sit out in the garden on a little wooden bench, staring out across the formal lawn, bordered by the forest. As sheltered as this place is, I still get a flutter of nervousness at the idea that Vaia and her rebels could storm in here at any moment. Since leaving their stronghold a week ago, I haven’t spent a moment each day not thinking about them.I’ve been thinking about Vaia and her plan to have me drink from the Forbidden River. I would surely die, or worse, become some horrifying Tani. And I’ve been thinking about Marek as well, about whether he was truthful when he told me he still cares abo
I don’t remember falling unconscious, so when I wake, shrouded in darkness, I’m seized with panic.Something woke me. I’m in the infirmary, the shadows of nearby empty beds telling me that. The window near my bed allows creamy beams of moonlight to flood in, alighting the area so I can see the dried blood on my skin and on the sheets.Attempting to sit up, I wince, a harsh feeling rattling on the inside of my head, my vision erupting with bright colours and spots of black. A sharp pain in my stomach causes me to lay back down, my hands resting on the tender spot as I breathe the pain, trying not to let it overcome me. I’ve lost a lot of blood. I’m not even sure I should be alive right now.
The moment the morning sun hits my skin, I feel immediately better.Tai and I walk hand in hand through the formal lawn, and into the forest. The silence between us is comfortable, even if I can sense that Tai has a lot to say to me. We continue our walk through an unfamiliar part of the woods, before we emerge from the thickness of the trees and into a field, a stream running right through the centre of it. I nearly have to pause to look around, surprised a place like this exists out here, in the Jade Province."You know all the most beautiful places around here,” I whisper, the suns gentle rays warming my cheeks, the slight breeze that weaves t
Time feels as though it’s passing at a strange rate.Over the past few weeks, I haven’t had anymore bleeding. I’ve spent every night being walked to my room by Tai, who would linger at the door frame, ensuring my safety, then return in the morning. The healers still have no idea how I’ve managed to escape death, and I’ve avoided sharing how with Tai. He’s got enough on his plate recently, he doesn’t need this as well.I lean against the window sill in my room, noting the gloomy weather outside. Low cloud lingers across the top of the forest, crawling through the foliage toward the estate. Somewhere in the distance, Vaia and Marek are living their lives oblivious to what is happening with me.