Chapter 63: Healing and Hiding Anna POV

As I entered Elara’s small cabin’s dimly lit common room, I heard her say, “You’re up early,” coming from the kitchen. Herbs and a bitter substance brewing over the fire filled the air.

“I couldn’t sleep,” I said, pulling my arms together to protect myself from the morning cold. My eyes shot to the tiny bedroom where Lucas was lying under sedation. Since Elara had given him her mixture the previous evening, he had not moved.

Elara narrowed her piercing eyes at me as she moved away from the stove. “I can understand that. Compared to most, you’re hauling more.” She pointed to the fireside seat. “Take a seat. I’ll prepare a warm dish for you.”

Feeling the pressure of my thoughts, I paused. I pulled a blanket tightly around my shoulders and slipped into the chair, but the fire’s tempting warmth won.

Elara moved with the accuracy of someone who has spent too much time alone—effective, no effort lost. A mug of hot liquid with a strange earthy scent was brought to me.

“What is it?” I questioned, looking into the murky depths.

She said clearly, “Something to steady your nerves,” as she sat across from me. It was clear from her intense gaze that she wasn’t merely discussing the drink.

The harsh taste covered my mouth as I carefully took a sip. “How do you manage to live here by yourself? Doesn’t it get... isolating?”

A little smile barely made it to her eyes as her lips quirked. “Loneliness is safer than betrayal,” she said, imitating the bitterness of the drink in her voice. “I have no one to answer to out here. And I have no one to answer to.”

Her words caused the room to sag with their weight. The mug in my hands, its warmth soaking into my fingers, caught my attention. “But you helped us,” I grumbled. “Why?”

Elara’s face became serious. “I’ve seen that mark before.”

The mug almost slipped out of my hands as my head snapped up. “What?”

Her eyes were fixed on mine as she leaned forward. “Obviously not on you. However, a young dog with a mark similar to yours existed years ago. Like you and your friend, they came to me in a desperate and chased state.”

“What happened to them?” My voice could hardly be heard over the roaring fire as I spoke.

Elara’s eyes trembled as a shadow moved across her face. “They didn’t make it through. Anna, the mark draws danger. Power is its signal, and power always draws the wrong kind of attention.”

Despite the drink, my throat was dry, so I swallowed hard. “What does it signify? Why does this mark mean so much?”

Elara relaxed, her face unreadable. “The mark is ancient, tied to prophecies and powers most of us can’t begin to understand.”

Her comments confirmed the cautions I had previously heard from Lucas and the forest elder. “And you believe I’m... dangerous?”

A tiny bit of softness showed in Elara’s eyes. “I think you’re enmeshed in something much greater than yourself. The decisions you make will determine whether you are dangerous or not.”

With the weight of her words pressing down on me, I turned my head away. My gaze wandered to the door of the bedroom where Lucas was lying. I saw a flash of his strained and pallid face, his determination, his insistence that he was keeping me safe.

I mumbled, more to myself than to Elara, “He told me he’s here to help.”

“And you don’t believe him?” Inquisitive but not rude, she asked.

My fingers clenched on the mug as I paused. “I’m at a loss for what to believe. I start to have my doubts every time I believe I can trust him.”

Before she spoke, Elara looked at me for a long time. “Trust is brittle, particularly when uncertainty and fear impair your judgment. But trust me when I say that deeds speak louder than words. Pay attention to his deeds rather than his words.”

The meaning of her words hung in the air. Slowly, as the knot in my chest tightened, I nodded.

The day flew by with little action. While I watched closely over Lucas, who was breathing steady but shallowly, Elara worked on more herbal medicines. The weight of unsaid words hung in the air, and the silence between us felt both comforting and oppressive.

I was sitting by Lucas’s bedside as evening fell, my eyes following the contours of his face. Even when he was sleeping, his brow was slightly wrinkled, as though he were involved in combat in his dreams.

“Why are you doing this?” My voice was almost heard when I whispered. “Why risk so much for someone like me?”

He, of course, did not reply. Even though he was asleep, his presence seemed to demand my attention.

I was startled to hear Elara say, “You’re awake,” and I turned to see her standing at the doorway. The room was filled with a strong odor as she held a little bowl of something steaming.

She put the bowl down on the little table and commented, “I wasn’t sure what to expect when you arrived. But I can see it now—there’s more between you and him than you’re willing to admit.”

I shook my head and my cheeks turned red. “That isn’t the case. He’s merely helping me.”

With a knowing expression in her eyes, Elara arched an eyebrow. “If you say so.”

She started to go away but stopped in the doorway. “Anna, keep in mind what I said. Observe what he does. They will provide you with all the information you require.”

Long after she had left the room, her words continued to echo in my head as I nodded.

As night passed, the cabin became quiet save for Lucas’s steady breathing and the crackle of the fire. I sat looking out into the darkness from the window.

In my head, Elara’s words kept playing over and over. The mark. The forecast. The choices I needed to make.

Lucas, too.

I turned to face him again, the gentle firelight illuminating his features. He had put everything on the line to keep me safe, despite all of his flaws and my uncertainties.

However, why?

I couldn’t stop the question from burning in my head. And as the evening went on, I became aware that I might not be prepared for the reaction.

A log moved in the hearth as the fire crackled. The wind howled outside, bringing with it the tiniest hint of danger.

As fatigue finally overtook me, I drew the blanket tighter around myself and closed my eyes. However, the concerns remained even while I slept, their weight bearing down on me like an impenetrable shadow.

I also sensed the subtle rumblings of something else, something much more terrible than doubt, hiding in the shadows.

The cabin seemed to hold its breath, anticipating the approaching storm, and the air was heavy with suffocating suspense.