She turns away to unbutton the top of her shift. Keeping a hand across her chest, she bares her back and rests her forehead against the stone wall.
Stepping forward, Jeston stares down at the pale gray of her skin. For a moment, I think he’ll change his mind. But then the cane whips through the air, cracking off Braith’s back, painting an angry red stripe across her unblemished skin.
Tears blur my vision as I watch him hit her again and again.
After the fourth strike, the cane clatters to the ground. Jeston reaches for Braith’s arm but hesitates before letting his hand and head fall.
“That was only four,” she whispers in a watery voice against the stones.
The reverent way he brushes her hair back from her face is like something out of a storybook. “I’ll tell him I lost count.”
Perhaps Braith’s affection isn’t entirely unrequited. Although, in light of what has happened tonight, I’m not sure if this has brought them closer or driven a wedge between them. Only time will tell.
When Jeston says my name, the warmth in his tone has evaporated. “It’s your turn.”
I take Braith’s place facing the wall and let my towel slip to my waist, exposing my back.
“Fucking hell,” Jeston breathes. “What happened to you?”
As if I’d tell him a thing. “Get on with it.”
The first crack brings tears to my eyes. The second leaves my legs wobbling. The third makes them give out. The fourth tears across the others. Blackness claws at the edge of my vision, haunted with memories from the darkest day of my life. The pain. Stars, there is so much pain.
I try to fight against it, but it’s impossible to win when there is no breath in your lungs and anguish swallows you whole. Iknow I’m not in the human realm. I know it, and yet amidst the blackness, I can see those men stealing a part of me that can never be replaced.
“My wings,” I sob, tears dripping hot and wet like the blood down my back. “I can’t feel my wings.”
Voices call my name, but I’m all alone, writhing in agony.
They’re gone. They’re really gone.
“I can’t feel my wings!” My voice cracks. Breaks. Shatters.
Darkness comes for me…
And there is nothing I can do to stop it.
Forty-Two
SENAN
I stareup at the ceiling, woken by terrible nightmares. They’re getting worse, and I don’t know if it’s the poison or the fact that my time with Allette is running out.
In two weeks, I’ll be on my way to Nimbiss.
How will I survive without her?
You won’t survive. If Jeston doesn’t come through with the antidote, I won’t have to worry about any of it. I would’ve suggested leaving this cursed castle the moment she came back into my life, but without that antidote, I’m paralyzed.
What will happen to Allette when I’m gone? She has a means of earning a wage now, but how long will she be happy working here? What if they lay off workers and she is one of the unlucky ones to get sacked? She will need somewhere else to stay. A backup. A choice.
Unlike the last time, I need to ensure that my girl is provided for whether I’m around or not. That starts with reclaiming her aunt’s tower. She’ll require funds to maintain the place as well.
With my mind on fire, I roll out of bed and cross to my desk to make a list of all the things I need to do come morning.
First, I’ll meet with the registrar to have the title from the tower transferred to Allette. There will likely be some fee involved and back taxes to be paid.
The current resident will need to be contacted so that he and his staff have time to vacate the premises.