Chapter 15
When Carwyn finally flung open her eyes, she sat up and immediately slapped her hand over her jaw and neck. The flare of her open wounds was gone, and left behind were the thinnest, perhaps barely visible, scars.
So I didn’t imagine it. Her shoulders slumped. I really saw his face.
She didn’t know how to cope with that without breaking apart. She also didn’t know what to make of why he’d healed her. Does he know what I’ve been doing? He couldn’t. He would have stopped her otherwise.
She looked down. He’ll have questions. How could she answer them without outright lying? I’m surprised he didn’t berate me with them last night. Honestly, she was even more surprised to wake in her bedding and not on the floor of some cold cell to be locked away forever.
She’d have to figure out what his assumptions were and plan from there. Was there anything in his lair that could strike her in such a way? She tried to think of something but came up short.
I have to face him. Now, even. The anxiety was too intense to put off. Already it knotted her insides until she thought she would vomit.
She threw her fur blanket to the side, only to pause. Next to the bed lay a folded garment, this one a muted blue and less intricate. It looked like a simple outing dress for a peasant. On top of it was a pair of leather slippers.
More gifts? she asked herself, tilting her head.
Like last time, there was a shallow bowl filled with water, but it was accompanied by another that was filled with small mixed berries.
Carwyn’s hands trembled as she reached out for the fruit and placed the bowl in her lap to nibble a few. She was starving. And by the lack of ache in her eyes, she figured she’d finally slept properly for the first time in days. She had no idea of the hour, but it must be after midday.
Once she emptied the bowl, she swapped it for the water and drank, thankful for both; they helped to settle her lead stomach. She eyed the dress still soaking in the water, and the clean one next to it, then down at the garment he’d given her.
She wanted to wear the blue one. It looked warm and comfortable.
She’d longed to take the yellow one as well, but she hadn’t known if it was a good idea to accept such things from him.
He might decide he wanted them back in rage, and she could only imagine what would happen if she was wearing one at the time – no need to invite further conflict.
Her own clothing felt safer; it was hers.
So she threw on her pale-green dress that had long sleeves that required buttoning near her wrists. However, she decided to take the slippers, as it would be nice to be out of her boots for a while, even if he took them back and forced her to walk around barefoot.
She didn’t think he’d be so callous, so cruel, but she didn’t truly know him or how a dragon would react. Apparently they were emotional creatures. Yes, wise and intelligent, but they were creatures who easily lashed out when wronged.
When she was dressed, she poked her head out of her arched entryway. “K-Kier?”
She received no answer. He mustn’t be with his sister then.
She swallowed thickly as she walked down the tunnel, heading towards the only spot she thought he’d be. Her new shoes tapped against the ground, echoing softly against the stone as she cautiously headed deeper into his mountain lair.
The distinct flipping of a page resonated from around the bend of the cold tunnel, informing her she’d been right.
The side of a black wing was the first thing she saw amongst the books, before the rest of his back came into view.
Like she thought, he was sorting, and her features twisted at how much he’d done.
There was barely anything left.
He must have worked through the night after he healed my face. At this rate, he’d be done by the end of the day.
All her hopes were dashed.
He’d likely check on her at night in the future from now on, giving her no freedom to dream walk into Selene’s mind. Unless a spellbook containing what she needed turned up in the last of the unorganized piles, she was trapped.
She knew the moment he sensed her by his wings twitching and pulling in tight. Her heart squeezed as she fisted the skirt of her dress.
“How did you rest?” Kier asked, never turning to her as he placed a book down to his right on a neat, somehow balanced, stack.
“Well.”
“Good,” he stated, his voice deep and curt. He obtained a new one to check its contents. “Did you eat?”
Her fingers tightened until the tips of them were abraded by the coarse material. “Yes.”
“Good.”
She expected a barrage of questions. She received none.
A pregnant silence swelled between them, cold and distant, and each second was torturous.
Carwyn braved it. “A-about last night. About seeing your human face–”
His head snapped to the side so he could gaze at her through one ruby eye. “What are you talking about?”
Her brows shot together. “When you put ointment on my wounds...”
“In human form? I don’t remember doing that,” he answered definitively, dropping his gaze down to her body with a frown. Only to roll his eyes as he looked forward and away from her. “Still unappreciative of my gifts, I see.”
Her hands slowly unclenched her skirt as strain ebbed out of her. Is he... pretending I didn’t see him? Was it to allow her to still have the potential of her freedom should Selene decide it? Truly?
Within a matter of seconds, all her panic dissipated, only to be replaced by confusion. Why? Why would he do such a thing for her? Does he finally understand I don’t... deserve any of this? Have we finally befriended each other enough?
Had she been frightened for reasons that had been dwindling and she’d just never known? His behaviour over the last few days had changed rapidly, but she’d been terrified of snagging onto that hope because she didn’t understand the innermost workings of a dragon’s mind.
Was it enough to garner her freedom... and his forgiveness for seeing what no human or witch was allowed to?
That was the most important gift he’d given her.
Now she wished she’d worn the new dress, but she did hike up the skirt of this one to show a foot. “I-I’m wearing the shoes,” she offered, smiling weakly as she presented the slipper.
He glanced back, and the mar of his frown softened. “Excellent. Finally she sees sense.” Her shoulders had loosened in relief during their conversation, only to tense up again when he snapped shut the book he was holding with a definitive boom. “However, we do have much to discuss.”
Carwyn swallowed thickly. Okay, so he was forgiving what she’d seen but probably not what he’d witnessed. I still haven’t come up with a convincing lie. She quickly pondered how she could deviate to buy some time to pull one out of the ether or distract from the incident entirely.
Rather than finally greeting her, Kier continued on with sorting.
“Considering certain activities involving you going for late-night strolls through my sister’s mind, you likely have some semblance of understanding of what has happened to her.”
All the warmth bled out of her, draining from the top of her head to her feet to pool as a puddle of loss. Oh gods. So he does know.
“You can imagine why a dragoness, who you may have learned is rather proud, may be inclined for no one to know of such secrets,” he stated plainly. “And why I haven’t sought the aid of my kind, who all gossip and talk amongst their nosey selves.”
“I-I...” Carwyn licked her lips, only to bite down on the lower one sharply. “She won’t let me see.”
“Of course not,” he stated with a sigh. “Which brings me to a question. Can she understand what’s happening around her?”
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think she quite understands that she’s safe yet.” She lowered her head. “I think she’s aware of whatever has happened to her. She won’t let me near the memory.”
Carwyn could only imagine how they’d tortured her, although she didn’t understand why they’d do it in her human form.
Unless Kier was the one who’d forced her into that form for ease of care.
She didn’t see any evidence of her scales being ripped from her, as such things would reflect on her human skin without healing intervention.
His shoulders fell and his wings drooped.
“I see... I’ve been hoping...” He was quiet for a moment, taking in what she’d said and how discomforting it was.
“Would you be able to remove those memories if she does awaken? I laid a contraceptive charm upon her – which, might I add, felt very wrong to put on my own sister – but I worry for what she might have experienced.”
A chill crept down her spine. Understanding dawned, her belly filling with nausea before it grew tight, and bile tried to climb her throat.
“What... did you just say?” she rasped, her heart squeezing. “Rituals such as this... they are...”
It’d been unheard of for a witch to take a dragon for such a reason.
“Yes, I know,” he answered solemnly, an undertone of disgust and anger simmering beneath his words.
“Much has changed after the destruction of Strolguil.” He glanced over his shoulder at her, gauging her stark expression and shocked gape.
“It appears your family isn’t aware of this.
Selene is not the first. Our assumption is that they fear the WitchSlayer’s offspring and want their own, or hunger for that power for themselves, since the Vast is no longer around to stop them.
He was selfish. He wouldn’t have allowed anyone else to obtain such a creature. ”
“How...” Carwyn swallowed down the nausea and trepidation. “How many have been taken?”
“Five, that we know of. Other than Selene, all have been males, and we believe it’s because they can breed many of your kind.
We are unsure if any female witches were successful in obtaining what they sought, then possibly went into hiding before we eradicated the rest of their covens.
There are tracking dragons currently out seeking that possibility as we speak. ”