Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Briar
I remained by the windows overlooking a kingdom with rolling, mostly brown hills. Here and there, some patches of green grass still strove to survive. Rosebushes also peppered the landscape.
The sight of the bushes made my stomach turn, but I couldn’t look away. My mother had done this because of me; she all but eradicated the shifters because I fell in love with one, and he with me.
And now, there was no way he could experience anything other than hate for me. He’d been tortured for years because of me, cursed, and lost everything he’d ever known. All those he’d ever loved were nothing more than wilting rosebushes.
Yes, there were problems between him and his father because he expected more from Seth, but he still loved the man, and while he’d been willing to leave Wildwood behind for me, he’d never wanted this to happen.
He must have been shattered when he finally escaped the harem only to return to this devastation.
The small creature in my pocket poked its head out before gripping the coat with its front paws and pulling itself free.
“It looks like you’re locked in here with me,” I said as it scampered around the room, sniffing the air and exploring its surroundings.
“I’m sorry about that. I’ll find a way to get you free. ”
Its head turned in my direction before it darted into the bathroom. I focused on the scenery again, but the sound of running water pulled my attention away from the windows.
Frowning, I crept toward the bathroom. I was certain water wasn’t running a few seconds ago. Had the creature somehow turned on the water?
“Hello,” I called.
Gripping the door, I pushed it a little open and stopped short when I discovered the small creature peeing in the bathtub. I chuckled nervously and relaxed when I realized this was the sound of the running water.
“I appreciate your cleanliness and that you didn’t pee in my pocket,” I told him.
His nose twitched in response. I’d have to clean the tub before I showered, but I much preferred him peeing in there than all over the room. I could ask one of the sprites to take him outside and turn him free, but I was scared they might tell Knox, and I didn’t know how he’d react to it.
And if I was honest with myself, I didn’t want to be here alone. The creature wasn’t much company, but at least he was something.
“Let me show you how the toilet works,” I told him.
If he was smart enough to pee in the shower, then he should be smart enough to use the toilet, especially when he had to shit. I pointed to the toilet seat and explained what to do, then flushed the toilet afterward. That was probably hoping for too much, but I might as well give it a try.
Before leaving the bathroom, I turned on the sink, and the creature scrambled out of the tub and up to the sink. He drank some water before scampering down and dashing out of the room.
I turned the tap off, ran some water in the tub, and left the room. The tiny animal was already on a pillow, sleeping soundly.
“Maybe you like it here,” I said.
Of course, he didn’t respond. I drifted back to the window as the mostly obscured sun sank behind the trees and the sky darkened further. Staring out at the vast fields helped me feel a little less locked in and less panicked.
Fisting my hands, I restrained myself from beating on the door and begging to be let out. It had never worked for my mother, and it wouldn’t work for Knox. I would not humiliate myself by begging for anything, no matter how much I wanted to scream.
A knock on the door turned me toward it before the lock clicked, and the small creature jumped up from where it was sleeping and scampered under the pillow. A second later, the door opened and Bertie, along with two other sprites, entered the room.
Knox must not be concerned about me escaping if he’d left me with three sprites. While I was certain I could rush past them and run, I was also sure I’d never make it out of the large walls surrounding the castle, and definitely not past the dragon.
Besides, I didn’t have the energy to try right now. Maybe tomorrow, but tonight I was too tired to do anything more than stand there and stare.
I had no idea what would become of me. I didn’t think Knox would kill me outright, but he also wouldn’t keep me around once he finished with me.
Would he toss me outside the walls for the shadow dragon? I hated to admit it, but that was a possibility.
I had no idea how he proposed to make me tell a truth I’d already told him, but I suspected life here wasn’t going to be any better than the one I left behind. It might be worse.
Bertie set the tray of food she carried on the table next to the stuffed armchair before the windows. The scent of roasted meat, gravy, potatoes, and fresh vegetables made my stomach grumble, but my throat closed at the idea of putting anything in my mouth.
When the other sprites arrived, they had bundles of clothes in their arms, and there were far more than the three I originally saw. More entered with armloads of clothes, soaps, shampoos, and other toiletries.
At least, if I was going to be imprisoned in a tower again, this one was much nicer than the last one. My mother’s tower had only four small windows, nothing lived within the walls, and while I wasn’t sure what book lay on the table beside the bed, at least there was something for me to read.
My mother, knowing how much I loved books, had made sure to keep them from me after finding me with Seth. As much as I missed reading and hated the way I was ostracized, I far preferred the stares and whispers to that tower room of nothing.
The sprites put all the garments into the wardrobe and floated out again. Their wings created a whispering in the air.
“Thank you,” I said to Bertie when she started to retreat.
Fully prepared for her not to reply, just as my mother’s servants never spoke to me, I turned to stare out the window again.
“Let us know if you need anything else,” she murmured. “We work with Knox and the others to keep as much of Wildwood alive as we can.”
“I’m sure he appreciates it.”
Her small snort drew my attention back to the pretty sprite. “I don’t think he appreciates much since the harem and the curse. Since… you.”
My teeth ground together at having to defend myself again. “I didn’t turn him in to my mother. I know that’s what he believes, and I’m assuming you all do too, but I didn’t tell her anything.”
Bertie flew closer to hover only a few feet away. “Perhaps you’re telling the truth, but even if you are, the damage is done. The boy I knew, the one who once ran through the woods and loved to play pranks on us too, is gone.”
“Believe me, I’ve come to rea… realize that.”
I cursed myself when my voice broke. Exhaustion and hunger were making me emotionally weak. I didn’t cry in front of others. I’d learned as a toddler that my mother wouldn’t tolerate crying or any sign of weakness.
And I wouldn’t tolerate it now. Steeling myself, I swallowed the unexpected lump in my throat as I met her beautiful blue eyes. Her gaze went beyond me to the dying land.
“Seth used to play with you in the woods?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“I thought sprites usually remained hidden from eternals.”
“We do.”
I waited for her to say more, but she didn’t. “He liked to play pranks?” I asked, hoping to get more from her.
“When he was a child.”
“Why did you reveal yourselves to him?”
She stared at me with unblinking eyes. “We have our reasons.”
Disappointment filled me; I’d hoped for more insight into Seth as a child, but she wouldn’t give it.
“Do you know anything about the curse?” she asked.
“I didn’t know it existed until today. I don’t know how to break it, and I’m not sure it can be broken. My mother is a very hateful woman who is also exceptionally powerful. She doesn’t make mistakes or have weaknesses.”
“Everyone has weaknesses.”
“If she does, I’ve never found them.”
“You’re a weakness to her.”