Page 44 of Cages and Crowns
Someone who was close to me.
“Alright.” I respond hesitantly, before pulling the cloak tighter around me and limping after Nithe.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The Caged
We are all silent as we make the trek through the woods. They are dense, blocking most of the sunlight. While I spent a lot of time in the Chatisian woods, my time in Noterra didn’t include a lot of exploring. But these woods, they feel…haunted. I feel this presence pushing down on me, making it hard to take a deep breath. Something is burrowing into my skin, begging to break through and take over. Neither of them acts as if anything is amiss, but I feel it. I feelhim.
Nithe stays quite a bit ahead, saying that his magical ears can hear better than we can. Enzo started by walking behind me but has decided to stay directly next to me. I can feel his warmth and my sweaty hands ache to push him away, to keep distance. But I keep telling myself they are here to protect me.
But didn’t Tobias say the same thing?
“Can I ask you something?” My voice is quiet, an underlying fear of talking too loud keeps me from raising it. Who knows who is out here, lurking behind the crowded tree trunks.
“Of course.”
“Nithe, is he a witch too?”
“No, he’s not.” He snorts as if the idea is comical.
“His eyes…and that weird glow. I remember a beast—I don’t know what I saw.”
“Nithe is—he’s not human. But neither are you and I.” His avoidance at answering the question just piques my interest even more.
My eyes fix on Nithe’s back, sweat soaking into his already dark tunic, making it nearly black. My bare feet constantly trip and slip on the forest floor, and I know I’ll have a few more cuts marring my body after this walk. My legs aren’t cold, though, which I appreciate, but every brush of the cloak and every strained step makes my leg cramp. I can feel the burnt flesh, feel the heat rippling off of it. I don’t know what they used to cauterize the wound, but I only hope they didn’t cause more damage. Though, that isn’t what’s making me nervous.
These woods just don’t feel safe.
“What areyou?” I ask, trying to distract myself.
“I am a seer, or a prophet as most say, but I am also a shifter.” My eyes widen and stop, memories flicking through my head one by one. Silky black feathers with a green sheen.
The pot of lip stain.
“A raven. You came to me as a raven.” He smiles, his eyes twinkling as he continues to walk.
“Yes, I did.” Shock barrels through me. I remember the lip stain, the way he looked at me. But I didn’t believe—Icouldn’tbelieve that was him.
“Can you only shift into a raven?” I start walking again, catching up to him quickly. “Or could you shift into something else?” I ask softly.
“I can shift into anything I can see. I have to know what something looks like in great detail prior, otherwise I can turn into something that lacks the ability to breathe, thus killing me.” He explains.
“Could you shift into a horse and make this journey quicker?” I ask. Nithe snorts up ahead and I fight the urge to smile in satisfaction.
“I could, but Nithe would break my back if he tried to mount me.” He replies, a laugh bubbling on his lips.
“There is no chance in hell I would try to mount you, brother.” I snort this time and Enzo gives me a sheepish grin.
“How you can even smile is beyond me, Elaenor.” The small twist of my lips melts away, and I look at the ground, fixating on my desire to not slice my feet up any more than they already are.
I don’t comment.
I don’t respond.
I stay silent the rest of the walk.
There are a lot of ways I can look at my life. I can feel sad about the childhood that was ruined. I can feel broken by the husband who thought torture was a good outlet for his rage. I can remember every moment he touched me, both with love and with anger. I can think about how I don’t want to be alive, how my only goal and desire in life right now is to watch the light fade from Tobias’s eyes.
