Chapter Fifty-Six
The Caged
The day is still bright as we round the corner of the hallway and take the stairs. I chase after him as fast as I can, sweat beading on my neck and dripping down my back. Kassius opens the door to Enzo’s room without knocking. Scarlett is standing there crying and Enzo is glaring at her.
“What is it?” Enzo snaps, turning towards us.
“We are doing this.” Kassius snaps back before turning out of the room.
“Scar, are you alright?” I ask, stepping up to her. She shakes her head and pushes my hand away.
“I’m fine.” She mutters as she runs out of the room. The only sound we hear is her door slamming.
“Enzo, what is going on?” I ask. His face is red, his eyes bloodshot as if he, too, has been crying.
“It doesn’t matter.” He sighs and walks up to me. “Is this what you want?”
“I don’t think I have a choice. My eyes, they were black. I think I’m turning into him.”
“That isn’t going to happen.” He grabs my shoulders and forces me to look at him.
“I’m scared. He said it’s going to hurt.” I whimper, tears pricking my eyes.
“Come on!” Kassius yells from the hallway. I pull myself out of Enzo’s grasp and walk to my room. Nithe looks broken, defeated. He walks over to me and brushes hair out of my face.
“Is this what you want?” He asks, the same way Enzo does. I nod and lean forward to press my head against his chest. His hand comes up to tangle in my hair, holding me against him. “Alright. How do we do this?”
I wasn’t prepared for what came next. Kassius laid towels out on the bed, and I changed into a nightdress.
A medical bag was brought in, and needles were prepared.
I watched everyone move silently from my place sitting cross-legged on the bed.
Nithe was following Kassius around, concern and anger fighting for their place in his eyes.
Enzo sat silently off to the side, as if he was unsure what to do. I look over at him.
“What’s going on with you and Scarlett?” I ask, hoping to distract myself and him. He sighs and rubs his hands on his trousers before looking up at me.
“Emery mentioned to her that I have an old girlfriend back in Labisa. She was worried that when we left and returned, that I would also return to her.”
“Fleur?” I ask, and his eyes widen. “I heard you both talking while I was in the infirmary. You had a life oath with her?”
“We were in love. Had been for years. We pledged ourselves to one another, the only thing we could do as we weren’t old enough to marry. When we did, we both were inked. Swirls and feathers. It only happens to certain people.”
“What people?” I press.
“Soulmates.” He responds. I gasp and look over at Nithe. His arm shimmers in the sun, swirls around his already present black ink. Soulmates. That’s impossible. That can’t be right. There is no way. If I were to have a soulmate, wouldn’t it be Theo? It would have had to be Theo.
“What happened to your soulmate, Enzo?” I whisper, my eyes not leaving Nithe.
“She left me.” Kassius walks over, a handful of vials in one hand and a pot of something in another.
“Are we ready?” He asks as he sets everything down on the bed. I nod hesitantly. “Okay, lay back. I’m going to give you something to relax you and hopefully reduce pain.”
“No poppy root.” I say quickly.
“Elaenor, it is the only thing that will help during this.”
“Please, I can’t.” I shake my head and Nithe sits next to me.
“Hey, it’ll be alright. Nothing will happen to you. This is just to help you.” I whimper and look into his darkening eyes.
“You’re scared.” I whisper. He smiles softly and brushes a tear from my eye.
“Of course I’m scared.” He responds and leans forward, his lips pressing to my forehead. I nod and look back at Kassius.
“Alright.” I whisper. He steps forward, a syringe in one hand. I close my eyes and look away and he sticks it in my arm. Sharp pain is replaced by ice spreading through my veins, a feeling I know too well. I inhale slowly and open my eyes. Enzo steps up, his eyes full of concern and hesitance.
“What do I do?” He asks.
“Place your hands on her stomach.” Kass instructs and Enzo listens. His hands are shaking as they reach for me. I lean back, nestling in the cushions as I feel the poppy root spreading through my veins. “Close your eyes and feel.” I watch my brother’s face as his eyes close and his brows furrow.
“I can feel…a flutter.” He whispers. I start to feel this cold pressure on my stomach, this desire to take a deep breath. So I do, and I exhale with a rasp.
“Good. What else?” He scrunches his forehead further and then he smiles.
“It’s a boy.” He whispers and his eyes open. My pulse skips and I push his hands off of me, my limbs humming.
“Stop!” I cry out. “Stop.”
“Little witch—”
“I can’t do this. I can’t.” I shake my head.
“It’s okay.” Nithe shushes me as he pulls my weak body against his chest.
“Nora—” Kassius starts.
“No! She doesn’t want to do this. She said stop.” Nithe yells back and I hear Kass sigh. He’s right. I need to, but I can’t. It’s a boy. There is a boy in my stomach. A small child who isn’t at fault for what his father has done.
I have a son .
Nithe stayed with me while the poppy root worked its way out of my system. Every breath, every muscle twitch, made my heart race. It’s not the same. I keep reminding myself. This isn’t the same.
I lay on the bed, curled in a ball, while Nithe reads something next to me. My eyes stay fixed on the torch lit by the door, growing brighter by the minute as the sun sets .
I chickened out. I stopped what I should have allowed to happen. But I got scared. And then, I felt something else. I felt a sense of relief—of love—as I pictured the little boy I would have.
“Do you think less of me?” I whisper. Nithe drops his hands, the parchment crinkling on his lap.
“Of course not, little witch. I told you it was your choice.” He responds, his fingers brushing hair off my cheek. I tilt my head and look up at him.
“What if it kills me?” I say just as quietly. He smiles softly and tangles his fingers in my hair.
“I won’t let that happen.” He releases me and picks his parchment back up, diving into whatever it is he’s reading. I give into the exhaustion and let it lull me into a deep sleep.