Chapter Forty-Six
The Caged
I don’t know where anything stands. My new marriage. My mental stability. Everything is strange and foreign, and nothing fails to make me feel broken.
Like an outsider.
After our argument, Nithe left. I heard him in the library with Erik, Enzo, and Emery. The three E’s I’m going to call them now, since they seem to all be joined at the hip. I fall asleep quickly for once, a luxury I never knew.
The air is damp, humid, as I stare at the trees.
They are packed in tight, but they look different, foreign.
Instead of thick pine trees, the ones in front of me are tall with thin trunks that seem to stretch into the sky.
A thick canopy of leaves spreads out at the very top of those trunks, blanketing the woods in a dark shadow.
These trees feel…alive.
I spin around, the moss beneath my feet soft. I take a few steps and I don’t feel a single thing stabbing into my bare feet. It’s as if the woods were made so that you could be close to the ground.
Close to the magic that brewed underneath.
A giggle escapes my lips as I continue to spin, my thin dress twirling around me. My icy hair falls in front of my face, and I brush it back as I stop. Something rustles behind me, and I turn, expecting a person, but that’s not what is behind me.
A beautiful feline of some sort with silky tan fur dotted with black rosettes, prowls through the trees.
Its eyes are a deep green, almost as dark as the trees.
Its body is long and sleek, its paws big—nearly the size of my head.
The animal steps in between the tree trunks, its rounded head low as it gets close.
Fear should be consuming my mind, adrenaline pumping through my veins, but it isn’t.
I know that the creature in front of me isn’t a threat.
“Hello,” I say softly and slowly fall to my knees. Its nose gets close enough that I feel its breath on my cheek, and I close my eyes. I smile as whiskers tickle my face, as it smells me, as it figures out who I am.
Silence blankets the woods, and a low growl vibrates through the air. I hesitantly open my eyes to see the feline is no longer there.
In its place is a white wolf, huge and daunting. It’s standing over me, drool dripping out of its open mouth as it bares its teeth at me. I fall back on my arms as it leans down, close enough to bite.
“Please don’t hurt me.” I whisper, staring into its white eyes. They soften for just a second before the beast lunges.
It’s quiet when I wake. The moon is still high, keeping the room bright enough with its silver glow.
I sit up, expecting to see Nithe on the couch, asleep, but he’s not there.
I sigh as I slip out from under the thin sheet, my feet meeting the warm floor. I pad over to the bathing room and splash water on my face. I glance up into the mirror and groan. My skin is pale, lifeless .
Nothing new.
I step back into the bedroom and slip a dressing gown over my shorts and tunic.
The hallway is dark, the torches burned out, but I make my way over to the sitting room on the upper floor, but as I near the small room, I find that it’s empty.
I frown as I turn back to the hallway. I almost give up, questioning why I am even looking for him while heading back to the room, but I hear a small laugh.
A giggle. It’s coming from the room across from mine.
The one belonging to Emery.
I tiptoe over to her door and press my ear up against it. I hear the laugh again and then the sound of something falling over. It’s quiet for a second before I hear another voice.
“Just this once.” A deep, smooth voice echoes throughout my head.
“Shh.” She shushes him and then I can hear shoes hitting the floor. “Hurry up.” She whispers and then it’s quiet. My hand flies to my mouth and I step back.
Nithe.
He’s in there with Emery? My heart skips a beat and I step back again, my shoulder blades slam into one of the paintings hanging on the wall, causing a loud noise. I spin around and try to make it back through my door before Emery’s opens, but I don’t.
“Elaenor?” His voice is soft, silken and I freeze.
My nails dig into my palms, and I turn back around.
He’s shirtless, his hair mussed, his feet bare.
All of that was enough to tell me what was happening, but it’s his swollen lips my eyes are fixed on.
“What are you doing up?” His voice is quiet, but accusatory.
As if I was the one doing something wrong.
But it wasn’t me.
It was him.
“I couldn’t sleep.” I whisper, my eyes finally meeting his. They are lowered, his brows pinched.
“Little witch…” He steps forward and I turn around, heading back to the ro om.
“Good night, Nithe.” I say, cursing how hoarse my voice sounds. I close the door behind me, flicking the newly replaced lock back into place.
I don’t know why. I don’t understand it, but tears pool in my eyes. I hastily wipe them away as they treacherously stream down my cheeks.
“Gods.” I whimper as I let the pain invade my senses. Why? Why her? And why do I care? It’s been two days since we wed, but it’s not like I am offering him anything. He should be able to get it elsewhere.
I cross the room and crouch through the open window, stepping onto the balcony. The night is warm, the air still and thick. I collapse against the glass windowpane and allow the tears to fall freely.
My eyes fix on the stars, and I feel the thrum of electricity before my vision turns white along the edges.
“Just breathe. Let it out.” I whisper to myself as I let the excess power, the aether that is reacting to my emotions, funnel out of me, sinking into the stone floor.
“Let me in.” His voice is quiet, saddened and muffled by the door. I don’t move. I watch as the aether rolls off of me in waves, getting dimmer and dimmer as my heart slows. It only takes seconds before it stops, and the thrum of electricity is gone. “Please.”
I don’t move from my place on the balcony, and before long, his soft knocking is gone.
I don’t know how long I stay out there, how many hours have passed, but I don’t enter the room again until the sun has crested the hills.
The second the sun rose; I was out of the room and in the training ring.
I kicked and punched the air, over and over, until I worked up a sweat and tears poured down my cheeks. I continued over and over, repeating what Enzo taught me the day before.
I won’t be helpless.
I won’t be weak .
I will be somebody worth something.
I scream as I punch the air again, before slamming my hands over my face, trying to stop the tears.
The door shuts and I turn to see Emery walking in. Her hair is in one long plait down her back, her face blank and emotionless. I fight the irritation I feel at her presence. But I know it’s not her fault. I told Nithe it was just in name. I told him that’s all I wanted.
So why do I feel so betrayed?
She is dressed in what looks like training leathers and boots.
Sleek black leather coats her skin in tight shafts, a laced corset across her ribs that houses a couple daggers.
She has leather cuffs around her forearms laced with leather cord and part of me wonders if it’s stained with dragonink like Theo’s?
Or would it be wyvosink?
She looks good, her outfit radiating power, and I made a mental note to ask for clothes like that. Not that I even knew who to ask.
“What are you doing?” She asks, an amused smirk on her face.
“Trying to learn how to defend myself.” I spit, my arms crossing over my chest.
“I hate to break it to you, cousin, but your tiny fists are ineffectual.” She says, her voice just as perky as her perfect face.
“Enzo already said as much.” I snap.
“You need to train with weapons.” She says after a few moments of silent glaring on my part.
“What if I don’t have weapons?” I counter.
“Then you use magic?” She says as if I’m stupid. I grit my teeth and take a deep breath.
“What if I don’t have that?”
“Well, then you better hope someone is around to help you.” She says with a snort.
“I don’t want to need help, Emery. I want to be able to defend myself!”
“Then learn how to not get caught!” She replies just as loud and stares at me, her hands on her hips, before she unsheathes a dagger I didn’t even see on her thigh and climbs onto the platform. She holds it out to me, and I hesitantly take it, the hilt cold in my palm.
“Try to attack me.” I raise an eyebrow and she smiles, all former irritation gone. “Get all of your unjustified anger out on me. You won’t hurt me.”
“Unjustified?” I snap. “He’s my—”
“He’s your nothing! You made that clear!” She yells, getting in my face. I scream before taking a step forward and throwing my arm through the air, attempting to slice her arm. She spins out of the way and ends up behind me. She kicks my wrist and I drop the dagger.
“Hey!” I yell, spinning around and grabbing my throbbing wrist.
“Pick it up.” I sigh and bend down to grab the dagger, she lunges for me, throwing her arm around my neck and slamming us both to the ground, with her on my back, knocking the breath from my lungs.
“Get free.” I scratch at her arms, not even reaching her skin through the thick leather. I kick out, but she moves her legs.
“I can’t.” I snap, relaxing against her.
“Then don’t get caught.” She lets me go and my head hits the mat.
“It’s not that easy.” She points at the dagger.
“Pick it up.”
“No, you’ll just grab me.” I mutter, climbing to my feet.
“No, I won’t. Pick it up.” I stare at her and then quickly snatch the blade. “Again.” I lunge at her, and she steps out of the way.
Again and again and again. I am left sweating by the time Enzo walks in.
“What am I interrupting?” He smirks as he jumps onto the platform.
“She needs to learn evasion and weaponry, not combat.” She snaps.
“I know that.” He says defensively. I glance in between both of them, and I can feel the anger radiating off of them in waves.
My eyes widen at realization that they are probably having a Scarlett caused stand-off.
I bite my lip to keep from smiling. Seems I’m not the only one annoyed that Emery is sleeping with their…
something. I don’t know what Nithe is to me.
“I need food.” I say, stepping out from between them and ungracefully jumping off the platform.
They are still silently staring at each other when I leave the room and shut the door behind me. I let a small smile sit on my lips as I walk down the long hallway. By time I turn down the hallway that holds the council room, my smile falters.
Voices carry out. Voices filled with irritation and disdain. I step up to the doorway, glancing in. Kassius and Davenport are staring at each other, their eyes hardened.
“What’s going on?” I ask as I step into the room. Davenport takes one look at me and scoffs.
“Nothing of your concern, princess .” I flinch at the insult to my status but catch Kassius glaring at him.
“Does it have to do with Tobias?” Kassius sighs before turning to me.
“He’s filled the woods with these creatures ,” his face pinches in disgust. “Worse than the ones you saw in the lake.” I almost forgot about that failed attempt to flee. I don’t even think I’ve fully processed that Nithe is a dragon, or a wyvos as he called it.
“What can we do about them?” I ask, stepping up to the table. I glance at the map and see rose shaped pieces scattered around the board. A single white rose piece, like the one Tobias had for me, sits at the center of Rakushia. “Is that me?” I point at it.
“Yes.” I lean over and pick it up.
“Can we change it?”
“Change it?” Davenport sneers.
“I am no longer a Rosenthal, thanks to you, so yes. Change it.”
“To what?” Kassius asks softly.
“Anything but that.” I set the piece back down, glancing at the countries on the other side of the sea. Places like Ovobia, and Dorin, Khailes. All countries I have never even heard of.
Countries I now rule over.
“Anything else, princess ?”
“I would like to know what is going on with the war. Where are our armies, how many men do we have, what are our chances of survival? All of it.” I strengthen my voice, trying to sound as regal as possible.
“Why?” He spits.
“I am the queen, am I not?” I tilt my head.
“In title only.”
“No, that wasn’t our deal.” I lean forward, my hands on the table.
“You are merely a figurehead. The armies you ask about? They are mine . All of this is mine.” He snaps, gesturing to the entire map. I bite my tongue. How am I supposed to assert dominance if I don’t even want this?
“You said I could be involved.” I say through gritted teeth.
“You can be involved by giving our troops something to look at.”
“Dav!” Kassius interrupts, but I swallow the fury down, letting it fade.
“Fine.” I mutter before turning out of the room and heading back to my chambers. There is no reason to fight, no reason to complain.
I didn’t want this.
I don’t want this.
Right?