Chapter 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
-brIDA-
“It’s time to wake, my beautiful girl.”
The words pulled me from the depths of my restless sleep, tethering me to a reality I couldn’t trust. I blinked groggily, the sting of unshed tears burning the corners of my eyes.
“Dad?” I whispered, my voice trembling as I searched for the source. And there he was, his face soft with an affection I hadn’t seen in what felt like years. The crinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened as he smiled down at me, the same way he had when I was a child.
“Hello, my darling.” His hands cupped my cheek, rough, calloused, but gentle.
Hands that had held mine through the markets of Escalia, guiding me with quiet strength as Mom lingered behind to chatter with the vendors.
Hands that had felt larger than life when I was little, hands that made me feel safe.
Until one day, that security had switched.
I had no longer reached for his hands, but he had reached for mine.
Darkness lingered on the edges of the world. Too early for this to be real, too vivid for it to be a dream.
“I thought it was time I came to see you,” he said, his voice warm and steady, a balm against the raw edges of my soul.
“But… I saw you not that long ago,” I murmured, though the memory felt fractured. “In Azmeer, before…” My throat tightened, the weight of everything unsaid lodged in my chest. “Before everything.” Before Addie. Before Alvar. The last connection to his wife. The man who saved him.
My vision blurred as tears welled, my father’s face becoming a soft haze. How could I tell him what I couldn’t even say to myself? That Addie was gone. That I’d failed her. That this prison felt like a punishment I deserved.
“It’s alright, sweetheart. I know.” His voice, steady as ever, broke through the tumult of my thoughts, but it only made the ache worse.
“How?” My voice was hollow, bitter. “You know because I know? Is that how dreams work?” I reached for his hand, clutching it tightly against my chest. His warmth felt real. Too real.
“I know more than you might think,” he said, his lips quirking into a faint smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes. “Some things I’m happy to share. Others… those stay between your mother and me.” He winked, the gesture so achingly familiar that it made me want to cry all over again.
I managed a weak smile, my heart twisting. “Is that so?” I swung my legs over the side of the bed, the cold floor biting against my bare feet. At the sink, I splashed water onto my face, letting the coolness chase away the remnants of sleep.
“It is,” he said from behind me, his tone soft. “I’m sorry about Addie. It’s a tragedy what happened to her. And it’s even worse that you were there to see it.”
My hands gripped the edges of the sink. Was that how I really felt? That witnessing it was the worst part? My stomach churned at the thought. It wasn’t about me. Focus, Brida. This isn’t about how I feel.
“I don’t understand any of this,” I admitted, my voice low as I turned back to him. “Thalius, Rai… None of it makes sense. And this place—this prison—time doesn’t work right here. It feels endless.”
He nodded, his expression grave. “From what I’ve gathered, time accelerates in these cells. A tool to make you cave in minutes, hours, even days, when barely any time has passed outside of these walls.”
“How do you know that?” The question spilled out before I could stop it, sharp and demanding. This was not information I possessed. Had I thought it at one time? Had Illerium mentioned time manipulation within the cells? Could the Court of Whispers bend time to their will?
He hesitated, his gaze dropping to the shimmering barrier that surrounded the room. “Because I’ve been here too, Brida. Longer than you have, I think.”
The floor dropped from under me, my chest constricting, my breaths shallow and quick. I could feel the cold sweat breaking out at the base of my spine. My hand flew to my heart, palm pressed into my ribs in a desperate attempt to slow my breathing.
“No.” The word was a desperate denial. “You’re in Escalia. You’re home. You’re safe. You can’t be here, he… he can’t have you too.”
The smile on my father’s face remained, despite the pain that now lined his face.
I stumbled toward him, gripping his arms like he might vanish at any second. “What happened? How did you get here?”
His face, once so steady, now flickered with the faintest trace of vulnerability.
“When I left you in Azmeer, I made my way to the Wind Walkers. They were supposed to escort me home. I met one of them, who said he would transport me. But when I opened my eyes, I was here. He said he’d been waiting for this moment for a long time. ”
“Who?” My voice cracked, desperation lacing every syllable. “Who said that? Do you know who it was?”
“I didn’t recognize him.” His brows knit together as he shook his head. “But he claimed to know me, and said it had been years since we’d last met.”
The pieces didn’t fit. They shattered and scattered around me, cutting deeper with every jagged edge. Marsh. It had to be him. His reach, his manipulation—it all came back to him.
“I’m sorry,” I choked out, my arms wrapping around my father as sobs tore through me. “I’m so sorry you’re here. I should’ve done more. I should’ve—”
He held me tight, his embrace the anchor I so desperately needed. “Don’t blame yourself, sweetheart. None of this is your fault.”
Except it was my fault. Marsh wanted… needed something from me. Would he free Dad if I gave it to him? What does he need?
When I pulled back, his face was no longer the kind, familiar one I’d woken to. Bruises marred his skin, and cuts lined his arms. My stomach twisted in horror.
“Gods, is this what they have been doing to you?” I tore up the sleeves of his shirt, examining his arms. Open wounds with the early onset of infection riddled his skin.
“Not they, my girl. Just him.”
Just him.
“I think I hear him coming, Brida. It’s time for me to go now.” Dad pulled me into a hug once more. “You must play the game, Brida. Placate him, do what you must. Get yourself out of this place and follow the light.”
How did he know of the light?
“Promise me you will not break. You do whatever it takes to free yourself from this place. Do you understand me?”
“Dad…” I had so much I wanted to say to him, in and amidst my confusion, and so little time.
Dad’s smile lingered. “Alvar said a great change was coming, Brida, and I knew he meant you.”
Somehow, as if our worlds had become one, I heard the dangling of keys as they were attempting to open the cell door to my father’s room.
“I’m coming for you.” I said.
“Wake now, Brida. Dawn awaits.”
My eyes snapped open, the morning light spilling into the room like a blazing fire. The dream lingered, its weight pressing against my chest, but one thing was clear.
A new Dawn was about to begin.