Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
I woke to the clang of a bell. It rang out across the world, shattering the peace of my darkness, unapologetic and demanding. There is no slow waking. Only immediate awareness that comes from panic.
Instinct took over. I sat up in the bed abruptly, tired eyes scanning the room. In the seconds after I woke, I was disjointed and confused. Everything was unfamiliar. Even the bed that I was swaddled in. A bed…how the fuck did I end up here?
Soft sheets brushed my bare back, a feather-down duvet weighing down on me. My gaze snapped around as the toll of the bell chime continued. The first trial was over. Unless I’d missed the end and had just woken at the beginning of the second? My memory was hazy, but I had flashes of four witches cowering over me. My hand immediately reached for my side, drawing up the t-shirt to reveal bruised skin. But I found the pale freckled flesh unharmed.
I didn’t believe I’d dreamed up the attack. Everything had felt so real, even the scent of blood still lingered. And yet, the more I looked, there were no wounds to find. Which could’ve only meant one thing.
Someone had healed me.
Surrounding the bed were gauze-like sheets draped from the four-poster frame. It blurred the view beyond, all but the outline of a figure sat before a window. I expected to find a presence, as if they held all the answers I craved.
I searched my thoughts for the answers to my missed time. My head ached the more I strained. Then, the pain became intense and deep, like a worm burrowed into the far reaches of my mind. Like the bell, it came on so suddenly that it blinded me. I must’ve gasped as I clapped a palm over one eye, trying to stifle the migraine, because the person beyond the bed frame was suddenly poking their head through the gauzy curtains.
‘You’re awake,’ Romy said, drinking me in. Her brown curls had been pulled back off her face, revealing tired eyes, with heavy dark circles beneath proving she’d not slept.
I quickly remembered where we were. Through the pain I knew I was safe, in our room, within the castle housing the Witch Trials. Safe—was that the right word for being trapped in a cage? No. And yet, somehow, that was how I felt.
‘How long have I missed?’ I asked, squinting against the bright light of day spilling into the attic room. Driven by adrenaline, I threw the duvet off me, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. The suddenness made Romy jolt back.
‘My head is killing me,’ I moaned as I continued to inspect my bare chest, searching for signs of bruises or broken bones. Still, there was nothing. My skin was unmarked and plain, besides the line of old scars stretching between my left nipple and navel.
‘Give or take seven hours,’ Romy answered, chewing her lower lip off as she dove back into worried silence. She certainly looked at me as though she expected me to be in some terrible state. ‘As for your head, you can thank that air-witch for that. Nothing I can help with unfortunately. Wounds of the mind are more complicated than the body.’
Just the mention of the air-witch who’d dived into my mind sent a violent chill down my spine. My eyes snapped towards the door next. A cabinet had been pushed in front of it, barricading us inside. I quickly pieced together the puzzle of what I had missed. The last thing I remembered was Jordan, the air-witch, delving into my mind. Then there was Romy and Arwyn. I wouldn’t go so far as to say they saved me, but without them I hardly imagined I would be waking up in the bed this morning.
‘Don’t worry, I haven’t left your side since...’ Romy began, but I stopped her by standing, wobbling on my feet, then righting myself. ‘If you undo all my hard work, I’ll personally hurt you, Hector.’
Her threat, although one-hundred percent believable, didn’t register. ‘You should’ve woken me sooner. It isn’t safe out there.’
‘Well, actually, it is. He’s been outside that door all night,’ Romy said, leaning in. ‘Our own personal guard.’
It took a moment for her words to sink in. ‘Who has?’
Romy’s eyes widened as though she couldn’t believe I asked the question. ‘The spirit-witch you’ve managed to recruit. He didn’t say much, beside something about ‘re-paying debts.’ I offered for him to stay with us in the room, but he was adamant that he shouldn’t. After he helped bring you to bed, he placed himself outside the door, and hasn’t moved since.’
Arwyn. She was talking about Arwyn.
If I had the power to see through solid walls, I wondered what I would find. Was he slumped against the door, using it for leverage as exhaustion took over? Did he harbour dark shadows beneath his eyes like Romy? All in all, I didn’t like the fact that two people had given up their time to protect me—did they expect that I would owe them?
My hands moved over my chest, continuing to search for proof I’d even been attacked. ‘Did he…?’ The idea of Arwyn’s warm hands touching me sent an unwanted brush of shivers across my skin. ‘Fix me?’
I’d seen him wield balls of blue fire, so clearly his gift had something to do with flame conjuration. But I still couldn’t explain why my body was healed. Unless it was a caveat of the Witch Trials, healing the contestants that survived a trial. But that just seemed pointless when the end goal was killing all but one of the witches who didn’t withdraw first.
‘Oh, no, he isn’t taking the credit for that too.’
I looked to Romy, catching the irritation in her tone. She gazed at me knowingly, her brow lifting as if expecting me to work something out. When I didn’t she released a sigh. ‘It’s me, Hector. The healing is all me.’
Clearly, from the way I looked back at Romy, she was expecting my disbelief. She waved a hand before her, mocked a bow, and straightened with a winning smile.
‘But your Gift is—’ I didn’t know what to say.
‘My Gift isn’t all melting and decay. That’s just the side of it which my uncle preferred. Believe it or not, I can speed up the healing process as well as reverse it.’ There was clear pride in her gaze. Even as she revealed this part of herself, I watched Romy straighten her spine and jut her chin out. The more I spent time with her, the less it took to convince myself that having her as an ally was worth it.
The fact that I was even still alive was proof of that.
‘Then consider the credit given to you,’ I said, testing my legs as I stood. Beside the pain in my head, my body was otherwise unmarked. ‘Thanks. How bad was the damage?’
‘Four broken ribs, excessive bruising, concussion—all of which should be sorted. I’m not going to lie, for a moment I didn’t know if I helped or simply buried the damage. Jonathan has spent years training the aggressive side of my power, so that this part of it is…lacking, for better terms.’
I rolled my shoulders back, cracking my neck as I stretched it from side to side. Just hearing Romy mention her father made a wave of sickness crash within my stomach again. There would never be a good moment to bring up what I’d discovered about him, so now would do, I guessed.
I told myself that if we really wanted to work together, it would have to be without secrets between us. Or at least without her secrets. Mine could stay buried for as long as possible.
‘Here.’ Romy reached for the bedside table, took something from it, then held out a bundle of black material to me. Taking it from her, I quickly discovered it was another long-sleeve black top. I put it on, feeling a far-off ache in my muscles, but nothing a long run wouldn’t have caused. ‘I did what I could to get the blood out.’
‘For fear of sounding too repetitive, just imagine that I thank you for everything kind you do for me now on.’
‘Is it so hard just to say it every time?’ Her smile was so genuine that her eyes nearly closed. ‘Anyway, we’re a team.’
Romy had had the chance to kill me when I was at my most vulnerable. Despite my trepidation, I truly believed that she was the most honest version of herself. Trust was still a new concept to me, but I was willing to test the waters. Dip a toe in, so to say. If Romy had wanted me dead, all she would have had to do was slit my throat in my sleep. Instead, she’d healed me.
‘A coven,’ I corrected, which only made her smile brighter. ‘Or the beginnings of one.’
‘Yes,’ Romy clapped, turning back to the seat beside the window. A small book was left on the cushion, which she swept up before she took her seat. With her legs curled up, she opened the pages, withdrew the ribbon bookmark, and continued reading. ‘But next time you go wondering off alone, please let me know. I had no idea where you went. Then, when the fighting began, I came back to the room expecting to find you. You don’t seem like the partying type, so I just thought you would have snuck back here.’
My attention swept back to the barricaded door, more importantly to the man who apparently stood guard outside. ‘I saw you speaking with someone. Jaz. I had the… displeasure of bumping into her as well.’
Romy looked over her book, her expression souring. ‘Yes, Jaz Sinclair. If the term wicked witch belonged to anyone, it would be her.’
‘You know her then?’ I got that impression from the ease with which Romy spoke about her.
‘ Know isn’t the word I’d use to explain it. She’s part of the White Tower’s guard-in-training program. Star pupil. My father adores her—in fact, I’m sure that he’s wished I was more brutal like Jaz on more than three occasions. Her power-set is unique, and if not for the fact that even the idea of bunking with her for weeks, making my own skin literally melt off, she would’ve been a smart choice.’
‘Well, I consider myself lucky she declined our invitation.’
‘No, we declined hers ,’ Romy corrected, echoing Jaz’s statement from last night. ‘I don’t trust her.’
Trust. There it was again.
‘Anyway, it wasn’t all bad. Since you came home last night with a man following you.’ Her eyes flicked to the closed door, more importantly to the man beyond it.
‘I wouldn’t get too excited.’
‘Hard not to,’ she said aloud, before mouthing the next words. ‘He’s hot.’
My cheeks warmed at her statement. I could’ve tried to refute her comment, but there was no point lying. Arwyn was, in fact, hot. More so, he was the type of sexy that made men hate him, and women want him.
Unlucky boy that I was, I felt both.
‘I left you last night because I thought it was a good opportunity to scope out the castle. Trust me, if I knew the first trial was going to start, let alone it being the Culling, I would have stayed close. It won’t happen again.’
She peered at me over the edge of the book. ‘Find anything interesting?’
Her question was teasing. As were her brown eyes, narrowed in my direction.
I swallowed hard. ‘I found someone… interesting, but that someone is not our next coven member.’
Romy sat up straight, suddenly the book no longer being her point of interest. She mouthed something, head jolting towards the door. I was sure her lips formed the words ‘go talk to him’.
I shook my head, unsure why a flush of warmth crept over my cheeks. ‘As he told you, he was re-paying debts .’
‘You were away from me for an hour at most. What could you have possibly done to entrap him in a promise like that?’
‘Saved his life,’ I said. But then that didn’t make sense. Because he’d already stopped a witch from killing me, so technically his debt was already paid when I saved him. And yet he came back.
Then there was the knowledge of clues that Arwyn had exposed, but I added that to the growing list of things I had to bring up with Romy.
Romy was right, I needed to speak with Arwyn.
To thank him, perhaps. Maybe just to look into those bright eyes again. It was only partly because they were ridiculously beautiful, but more because of the way he looked at me. I hadn’t been able to place the emotion behind his gaze, which made me wary. If Arwyn was the Witch Hunter, then dealing with him now would save me a lot of bother.
But if he was a Witch Hunter, why would he bother saving you?
I couldn’t even blame Caym for the dispute my inner voice was engaged in. My familiar’s presence was still quiet—too quiet.
‘I’ll be right back,’ I said to Romy who giggled behind the pages of her book.
‘Trust me, I’m not going anywhere. And not for the reasons you think. If you hear noise inside the room, I promise it isn’t me pressing my ear against the door to overhear you both.’
I couldn’t hold back my short chuckle. ‘I admire your honesty.’
With a flick of my hand, my Gift pushed the cabinet away from the door with a horrific screech. Never had I been so nervous to face someone. But there was a silent aura about Arwyn which both excited me and put me on edge. Anyway, there was no saying he was still outside the door. The thought alone made disappointment rear its ugly head within me.
The key was in the lock, so all it took was two turns and a push for the door to open. It revealed a quiet castle. Beyond was mostly shadow, broken apart by the streams of daylight spilling in from the large window ahead of me. I wondered what the castle would look like now that the Culling had come to an end. How many witches had died? How empty would the chalkboard have been? And their bodies, would they be left to rot, or had Hekate used her power to deal with them? So many questions, and still my focus was on searching the darkness for him .
It turned out that Arwyn found me before I found him.
‘You’re alive,’ Arwyn said, nonchalantly. He was leant against the wall, half bathed in shadow and half exposed by the daylight. As I imagined, there was shadows beneath his eyes, but all it did was increase his allure.
‘I am,’ I replied, finding myself lost for words. Was there a reason this man had whittled me down to a voiceless mess? Besides the fact he was sexy as sin?
‘Good.’
My fickle heart skipped a beat. Even in a deadly arena, if faced with an attractive man, I couldn’t help but fall back into my flirtatious nature. It took iron self-restraint and digging my nails into my palm, to stop myself from saying something stupid.
‘Is it?’
Clearly something I said was funny, because Arwyn dropped my gaze and smiled to himself. Before he could make some joke about my inability to form a sentence, I did what I did best and used sarcasm as my weapon.
‘I came out to thank you for standing guard for me. I’m sure there was more important matters to attend to on your first night during the Witch Trials, but I am extremely thankful I trumped your plans.’
‘You’re welcome?’ Arwyn stepped in closer, completely exposing himself in the light.
There was one thing seeing him in the dark, and another to have him completely visible before me. I discovered his buzzed hair was not actually black, but a very dark brown.
‘See anything you like, Hector?’
I shook my head, blinking like I had grit in my eye. ‘Sorry. I’m a bit slow this morning. I blame having my head kicked in over and over. It does wonder for a person’s focus.’
‘Are you always so sarcastic?’
I swallowed, loud enough for Arwyn to notice. His cerulean eyes dropped to my throat for a brief moment. Choosing to ignore him, for my own sanity, I brushed his question off with a reply that would bring an end to this conversation. ‘So, thanks again for last night. Romy, my friend…’
‘I know who Romy is.’
‘Of course you do,’ I said, flustered. ‘Well, Romy said you only stayed because you felt like you owed me. Something about re-paying debts, and I can tell you are a man like me, who doesn’t like them. So consider our slate clean.’
‘We have a slate?’
Fuck my life.
‘You tell me. I didn’t know we were dancing to this tune until I just woke up. I guess that’s because you have some hero complex and don’t like being saved. Which you’re welcome for, by the way. So, now we’re even, and you’re welcome to go.’
His mouth screwed up as he nodded. I could practically see the cogs turn in his mind. ‘And here I was thinking you came out to extend the same offer of joining your coven. Romy was rather persistent. In fact, she thought that was something you already asked me. I had to say no.’
‘Sorry to disappoint,’ I snapped, far too quickly. ‘But I don’t do covens.’
His sharp brows rose into his hairline. ‘Clearly.’
Shivers rushed across my arms, making the tips of my fingers numb. I flexed my hands at my sides, hoping to encourage the blood flow. Arwyn clearly noticed, his eyes tracking the motion. Was there anything he didn’t see?
A shuffle sounded beyond the door to the room. Romy was clearly listening, just as she said she would be. And my comment was nothing but a slap in the face to the person who just healed me. ‘I mean with you. Romy is?—’
‘That’s ok. You don’t need to explain yourself to me . Plus I wasn’t expecting any miracles.’ Arwyn tipped his head towards me like some old-fashioned gentleman. Then he turned on his heel, moving back towards the same staircase I’d stopped him falling to his death from.
I contemplated calling after him. I almost stopped myself completely until he took the first step down the staircase, I proved that I’d lost all control on my better judgement.
‘Arwyn?’
He paused, slowly turning back to face me. An expectant smile proved he had just won some silent competition with himself. Hell, I would’ve liked to whip that grin clear off his face. ‘Yes, Hector?’
‘Good luck,’ I said with as much mustered confidence as I could. ‘Next trial, may the best one come out on top.’
‘Oh,’ Arwyn’s smile intensified, mischief glowing in his cobalt eyes. ‘I intend to.’
I turned around quickly, not wanting him to see the infuriating power he had over me. When I walked back into the bedroom, Romy jolted away from the door, eyes wide like I had caught her in some criminal act.
‘Hells below, the tension there was so thick I don’t think an athame would cut it,’ Romy said, eyes trailing me as I moved for the bed.
‘I don’t know what you mean,’ I replied, trying to steel my expression.
‘You and Arwyn.’
I wrinkled my nose. ‘There is no me and Arwyn.’
Romy rolled her eyes. ‘Of course not. Anyway, forget him. We should really plan for the next trial. It could be weeks away, or days. Maybe hours. I think the best thing we could do is…’
‘Do you know your father is working with the Witch Hunters?’ I interrupted, silencing Romy before she could continue.
‘Excuse me?’
I studied her reaction. The way her ever-present smile dropped, and her eyes went from warm and inviting to cold. Romy might be a sunshine personality, but in that moment, I was reminded that her rays could burn.
‘Romy. If we are really to trust each other, we’re going to need to be very honest with one another. So I’ll ask you again. Are you aware that your father is currently in cahoots with Tomin Hopkin? Do you know that he has helped, somehow, with sneaking a Witch Hunter into the Witch Trials and plans for them to win?’
There was a lot you could tell about a person when putting them on the spot. And from the emotion across Romy’s face, I knew the answer almost immediately.