Chapter 7 #2
“Let’s clear some things up,” she continued, “because you seem to be confused about your place here.” She tilted her head, eyes flicking over me, sizing me up like a predator would its prey.
“You may be chosen, but your being here was not my choice. If it were up to me, you’d still be rotting back in that little primitive village.
Rowan may think that your behavior is entertaining, cute…
” She let the words settle, and I felt my stomach tighten at her tone.
“But I find it to be concerning. You are a risk to everything that we are doing.”
I swallowed back down the acid creeping up my throat.
I lifted my chin. “I am a risk,” I warned. “And yet, here I am.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“There are some things,” she murmured, “not even I get a choice in.”
Before I could push further, the sound of someone clearing their throat caught both of our attention.
We turned to find Rowan standing with his hands in his pockets, deceptively relaxed. His face was expressionless, but then he flicked his gaze toward Renata. Something unspoken passed between them. A silent conversation that I wasn’t privy to, but one that made Renata’s posture stiffen.
She exhaled sharply and stepped back, brushing past me as she walked away.
“Making friends with everyone I see,” Rowan teased, and his jaw flexed. I felt the unease in his tone slither against my skin.
“That wasn’t my fault.”
“I thought you promised to be silent for the night,” he scolded.
I sneered. “I bit my tongue well enough. Trust me.”
Rowan let out a hard sigh and pulled a knife from his pocket. My stomach twisted at the sight of it, and my pulse skipped.
The knife flashed.
This was it.
My throat seized. I closed my eyes and braced for the blade—but it never came.
Instead, the pressure at my wrists gave way, and the rope slumped into the dirt. I stared at my red, raw skin, and for a moment, I almost sobbed at the ache of freedom.
“Don’t make me regret that,” he cautioned.
“Thank you,” I whispered in astonishment.
Rowan gasped. “She has manners!”
“I am polite to those who deserve kindness. Veilers are not on that list.”
“Yet, you thanked me?”
“Don’t mistake my words as kind, Veiler. This banter we have going on—it’s not cordial. The hatred I have for you runs so deep that you could save my life tenfold, and I would still happily stake a blade into your heart. You’re nothing but a monster to me, and you always will be,” I vowed.
He needed to hear my words and let them sink in. I hoped it hurt, although I doubt it did. He was a Veiler, and Veilers were known for their apathy and ruthlessness.
“Then why didn’t you?” His expression was blank, and his tone flat.
“Didn’t what?”
“Stake a blade into my heart. You had a chance. I gave it to you.”
I furrowed my brow. “That was a moment of weakness, and you gave me nothing of the sort.”
“It takes only one moment to strike.”
I opened my mouth to retort, but my stomach spoke for me. An earsplitting gurgle issued from it, then emptiness pierced me. I folded over and clutched my stomach. My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and I refused to look at Rowan.
“Hungry?”
“Obviously.” I rolled my eyes.
“Stay here.”
He was gone for less than a minute, and when he returned, he was holding two bowls.
“Here,” he said, handing me a bowl. I looked inside and moved the spoon around. There was broth, chunks of carrots and cabbage, and some sort of meat.
“More stew, how wonderful,” I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm. “What’s the protein this time?”
“Rat.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Rat stew. The vegetables depend on whether local villages will trade, and the protein depends on hunting availability.”
“I’m not going to eat this.”
“That’s fine. You can starve.” His words were final and devoid of any emotion. He moved to grab the bowl from my hands, and I pulled away from him. “Seems tastier now, doesn’t it?” he remarked smugly.
When I didn’t reply to his comment, he continued.
“You’re welcome, you know, for feeding you. Some captors aren’t as generous.”
“So you acknowledge that you’re my captor?”
“I never said I wasn’t. I just insinuated that you weren’t entirely opposed to being taken. Which is true.”
“I didn’t wish to leave my life behind. I had little choice in the matter, given the situation.”
I sipped the broth and savored its gamy taste. It was better than nothing, and anything to sate my stomach was welcome right now.
I moved to sit on the same large rock as before, and Rowan sat on another beside it. We ate in silence. My mind wandered to other things while I struggled to chew the tough meat.
“What happened to the boy whose clothes I wear?” I asked hesitantly.
“He caught a fever a few weeks back and went quickly. He didn’t suffer.”
“Good.”
“The road is not for the weak. In fact, I suspect more will fall by the time we reach our destination.” He shoveled a spoonful of the stew into his mouth.
“Where are we going? I know it’s not the capital; that’s in the southwest.” I had been paying at least some attention to the direction we traveled.
“Somewhere you will need all your energy. Now eat.”
I finished my stew and set my bowl aside. The Sky was dark now, and my eyelids were heavy with sleep. I yawned and rubbed my eyes. Rowan put his bowl down as well and stood. He gestured for me to stand as well, and I tentatively did as he requested.
I followed him to the outside of one of the larger tents. He untied the entrance, and I peered inside, glancing at a few of the culled huddled underneath blankets.
“This is your tent. Sleep. You will need it.”
I stepped inside, too tired to criticize my accommodations.
I picked up a wool blanket instead. It was slightly scratchy, but I knew it would keep me from freezing in the night.
Just the thought of sleep had me nodding off while standing.
I plopped onto the Ground and curled up into a corner, letting my eyes drift shut.
“Mavis,” Rowan spoke quietly, and I squinted at him. “There will be a guard outside this tent all night. Don’t try anything.”
With that, he fastened the entrance shut and left.
I didn’t have it in me to respond, so I let sleep take me instead.