And her name is…

I was right, the next day Nyx is upset with me for pushing myself too hard. She demanded I had a hot bath and then she spent hours trying to correct the damage I did to her progress. I often feel like a senior project for her, like if she can fix me she can fix anyone. It’s not because of anything she’s said, only due to her dedication in piecing me together. She all but demanded I go on bed rest and I only walk around when there’s a clear purpose.

Each meal she comes to gather me from my room and checks on my healing. We still go for ourwalks outside, only because my magic demands energy. I went from being starved to basically a vegetarian as far as my magic is concerned, and I look forward to Kheliq’s party when I can feast.

The day after I gave Tiago my blood, he did as I asked and didn’t bring it up. He just threw my cutlery away, along with his own, and ate alongside me with his hands. This act, that he did every meal with me, would solidify him as someone I could feel safe with. Combined with the fact that he forced himself to leave my room with just my word after drinking my blood, Tiago was moving firmly into my ‘friend’ category.

It was a couple of days before Helion returned to the house and the gap was honestly nice. It gave me time to rest and relax. If I’m being truthful with myself though, I almost asked Tiago to take me to his house so Pretta could redo my hair. She always managed my hair the best and with my health returning it seemed like it was growing faster. I’ve considered cutting it, reinstating how it was before this all started, but there is a job to do and the length changes my appearance. Besides, I think I’m evolving. Maybe it’s time to prove I’m more than they assume.

-

I’ve been enjoying my reprieve from meeting the people in Helion’s court. I’ve seen Triennia once since the party and it was a nice visit. We’re supposed to be leaving soon for the trip to Kheliq’s for his party. Therearemagics that allow people, people who aren’t like Tiago, to travel quickly but they are location based. You need to use designated areas to be able to access those magical expressways. My mom’s people were more attuned to this magic running in the earth, and she had bragged about being able to access it from almost anywhere. Her people were few but they were, or are, among the strongest. They didn’t need to go to the points where these magical pathways converged.

These convergent points are generally watched, all the largest ones had cities formed around them, but no court would leave themselves so open to be near one. The location Kheliq picked for his court would require several jumps through these expressway to get even remotely close, but we were faking the entire trip. Helion would have his most trusted men travel with his carriage, take a single convergent point to the other side of the mountains, and then finish the trip without magic. Meanwhile, we would be at Ignacio’s, planning I assume, and meet up with them at a designated point to travel the last few days with them to the court.

I’ve never wished so much that I could travel like my mom could.

That was one thing she couldn’t train me on. She had picked Darlenton because it ran near none of these magic pathways. After her escape she had used her skill to hop across the continent of the Sioga and to the top of the mountain that divides it from the human lands. She had hiked the whole way down in a gown and walked until she happened onto some people, who gave her a lift to Welles, a smaller town than Darlenton and a five day trip away. She only stopped in the town she did because during her layover she met the love of her life, and couldn’t bare to leave.

I’m staring out the window, thinking about my mom with a book in my hand. I haven’t really been reading it for probably an hour by now. The snow is steadily falling outside and it makes me smile. My mom loved the winter, and when I asked why she always said ‘no gardening’. I couldn’t help but laugh at that becauseIwas always the one to do the gardeningonce I figured out my power. I would go around draining the weeds until they were dry husks so they would pull out easily. It was a win-win for me and the garden.

A knock on my door pulls me from the memory and I get up to answer it. Helion has come to collect me from my room for dinner and offers me his arm. I’m wearing a dress, something I only do when he’s here because he likes them.

“You look lovely today,” he says and smiles.

He says that every day. “Thank you, and you look quite dashing,” I return, straightening his collar on my side like it was crooked to begin with.

He begins leading me down the hallways like he has every day that he’s been here, for every meal he’s been here for, since we started this game. My dress swishes around over my feet and I walk on my toes. Even after everything Nyx has done, my feet still hate to wear shoes, heals especially,but I keep getting a new pair whenever Helion buys me a new gown. No one has noticed yet and I don’t plan on telling them.

“You remember Noryth?” He asks me as we round the corner to go down the stairs.

“I rememberhearingof Noryth,” I correct and he chuckles.

“Yes of course. Well he’s here today with his brother. They’ll be joining us for dinner and staying until we leave. Kheliq sent the brother to come escort us to the party after hearing about you through the grapevine. He wants to ‘be sure the to-be Queen arrives safely’, which honestly I take offensively. As if I’d let something touch you.”

I’m laughing, though slightly stunned by his words, and eager to see which guard betrayed their king to get me far away from him. But my eagerness quickly dies when I remember the things they could know that I haven’t told everyone here yet. I can’t exactly kill them without cause, and from what I’ve been told he’s well trusted here since he started feeding North information.

“Oh?” I return instead. “Well I’m interested to see if I know them.”

We descend the stairs and my bare feet touch the cold tile of the entry way in a way that always reminds me of my cell at first. But it’s tile, it’s different.

As we’re walking to the dining room the door behind us opens and I don’t turn toward it. Helion does though and that stalls both of us from entering the dining room which, to me, makes no sense. Everyone he would want to talk to would be at dinner, so why can’t we just go sit down and wait for them to follow.

“Oh Noryth!” Helion calls as he turns his head with my arm still wrapped around his. “There you are, this is…”

I plaster on a smile and turn, and see a man with hair of a deep purple that’s fades to a lilac half pulled into a small bun. His dark, nearly black, eyes meet mine and a heat rises into my face. I can feel my eyes burning brightly and I know they’re going to learn a new thing or two about me regardless of who his brother is.

“You!” I’m nearly growling but he has the nerve to have a shit eating grin on his face.

“Me?” He smirks but the second I’m running at him the smile fades.

I lay a punch into the side of his face before someone grabs me around the middle and pulls me back.

“What the fuck?!” Noryth growls, glaring at me.

“You’ve made my list stranger!” I return and watch with glee as he pales. “That’s right you son of a bitch! I’ll fucking kill you!”

I’m not even trying to use my magic, just flailing in the arms that hold me, trying to connect my limbs with any part of this man that I can.

“Wuw wuw, hold on fighter. What’s going on here?” It’s Tiago talking in my ear and that makes sense because he’s the only one that would dare try to hold me back.

“Five years ago I tried my first escape. This fucker knocks me off the fucking wall and then drops me five meters!” I’m seething, my vision is starting to go red and it’s now an effort not hurt Tiago as he’s restraining me. “Five more years of torture because of YOU!”

I can feel my glammer slipping more as I avoid taking Tiago’s energy and start draining the grout from the floor, my magic begging forsomething, even if it hurts me. I’ve started to let myself feel again, and my emotions are a weakness I’d forgotten about. In all my years there my glammer had never slipped, and I always kept a firm hold on that part of me. Kheliq couldn’t have it, and now my eyes are glowing for sure, like they are pulling the colour from my dress to shine brighter.He deserves to die. Everything around me is in danger and the only thing that can save this house is to succumb to the blood lust of killing Noryth.

“Let me go!” I demand and I feel Tiago hold me tighter.

“I can’t do that fighter. You can’t kill him.” He sounds sympathetic but I don’t care.

“I can if you let me go! I’ll tear him to shreds!” I snarl through grit teeth.

The next voice I hear is Ignacio. “Theodosine, calm down.”

I unwillingly start to do just that, and I can feel myself losing the will to fight despite my anger still lingering. I can’t see straight with the war in my head between how I feel and the command I’ve been given. I feel increasingly sick and sag in Tiago’s arms. It’s a lost cause. I’ve tried fighting his words enough times to know eventually I won’t be able to.

“I think I’ll be sick,” I mutter, now only upright because Tiago is holding me up.

Noryth is rubbing his cheek and I can see it turning a dark blue. “Well, if you’re holding a grudge with me this long, I can’t wait to see how you greet my brother.” His voice is thick with sarcasm but I’m still trying to fight the words.

Never without a fight.

“What did you do to her!?” The voice is familiar but I can’t see who it is.

I’ve used up a lot of energy siphoning from the floor and my dress instead of the people. I should stop fighting the command and accept that, if I’m not willing to kill everyone else here, I can’t kill Noryth. I should. But the image of him dead brings me so much joy.

“She’s fighting my affinity,” Ignacio says. “Theodosine, please don’t hurt yourself like this.” That comment only makes me want to struggle more.

This doesn’t hurt.

I feel someone’s hand on my face and get a smell like a cherished book bound in leather. “Are you alright, little mouse?”

I stop fighting Ignacio’s command and start rubbing at my eyes and shaking my head.

No way. Absolutely not. Not possible.

My eyes move into focus all at once and his face is barely the length of my forearm away. I shriek and jump up onto Tiago, who catches me out of reflex but stills once he has like he doesn’t know what to do with me.

I’m embarrassed for both of us really, and step down from his arms carefully, revealing that I wasn’t wearing shoes. Helion is standing near to us and notices, giving me a cheeky smile that says he will reprimand me later. I’m biting my tongue to keep from scoffing at him, but also to keep from growling again.

Now that my feet are on the ground my mind starts spinning and I shove away from Tiago and storm into the dinning room. I know they’re all following me, but I’ve given the rest of the house enough of a show and I’m not about to continue that. I make my way to a back, easily defendable corner by the window that I know I can jump out if I need to and try to breathe.