No one said anything else the rest of the way.
Twenty Two
THE GOD’S VILLA
THE VILLA WAScozy—wouldhave even been homey, were it not for the unfortunate circumstances.
The architecture was simpler than the rest of Rimemere, but deep green shrubs, vines and trees covered the area surrounding it, making nature the luxury. It also successfully concealed the building’s true greatness until their carriage crawled closer.
The road to the Villa consisted of withering labyrinths through the forest, making Sol lose her sense of direction every time she tried to regain it.
Defeated, she perched an elbow on the carriage window for most of the way and watched the branches zoom by, the endless expanse of foliage somewhat comforting. It reminded Sol slightly of home. With each bump on the road, Sol felt increasingly helpless. Her first bold move as the Heiress, and it was the wrong one.
She peered at Cas.
Although he tried to hide it, he drifted in and out of sleep, same as Jonah. Phil fell completely asleep maybe ten minutes into the journey, leaving Sol alone with her thoughts. All three of them finally slept, letting Sol truly look at them.
Jonah was handsome, in a boyish sort of way that reminded her of Leo. Phil’s presence had awakened instincts she didn't even know she had, of needing him to be safe and cared for.
Maternal instincts, she supposed.
Cas wore his usual black tactical suit, though the sleeves were pushed to his forearms and the usual high neckline was slightly open. His head rested against the side of the carriage door, his dark hair falling in waves to his chin. Sol frowned at the remnants of cuts and bruises along his neck, lesions still lingering on his forearms. Even his tattoo, vibrant as the night sky, had dark shadows around it from where the bruises struggled to heal.
She didn’t know much about the effects of copper on the Wielder, only that it suppressed magic, from what she was able to gather through snips of conversations. She wondered if Wielders had other abilities, such as faster healing or those other things species from folklore possessed.
By the look of his wounds, it was unlikely.
Sol wished she had brought her satchel, packed with salves from Yavenharrow, and Leo’s dagger, but none of them were allowed any additional belongings.
When she looked up, she found Cas watching her. Clearing her throat and trying to downplay the blush washing over her face, she gestured to his arms. “Do they hurt?”
Do they hurt? Really?
She held her breath, wanting to toss herself out of the carriage window from embarrassment.
Cas merely shrugged. “Not really. I’m used to it.”
“What happened, Cas? After we were separated that day?” Sol couldn't help the curiosity over his absence. He had only been gone three days, and it had apparently not been out of the ordinary for him.
He faced forward, silent for so long Sol figured he wouldn’t answer. He eventually sighed. “Semmena wondered what to do with me. Kept me in the throne room while he and his kingsmen went over punishments out loud.”
“For killing that man at the wall?”
Cas nodded. “After hours of that, and the occasional punch if I would speak, they sent me to the dungeons. I lost track of time for a while until they took me out to whip me. Then I woke up in that cage and, well, you know the rest.”
Somewhere along the story, Jonah and Phil woke, both watching Cas with furrowed brows.
Softly, Phil said, “Semmena is a coward.”
The Shadow Guider smiled. “I knew you looked smart, Phil.”
Sol hadn't gone through many instances that required comforting strangers, or at least anyone outside her immediate circle. For them, she typically remained by their side until they felt better, or held them while providing words of comfort. But both of those seemed too intimate for Cas, especially since they had been back and forth, and she was unsure where they stood.
So, she gave him a small smile. “I’m glad it’s over.”
He turned back to look out the window. “It’s never over.”
It hadn't been too cold in the center of Rimemere, but here on the outskirts, closer to the water, the air was jarring.
