I turn to her cell and take a step, but a splash of water pulls my attention away.
I glance down.
A tiny pool of water has gathered in a depression in the stone floor.
I realize in this moment that never, in all the times I’ve visited the castle, have I ever seen water. No water to drink, no water to bathe. Gabriel complains about it incessantly. He hates being dirty. Before being a prisoner, he didn’t last a week in the mountains. Unlike me. I could live in the woods for months, with not a soul in sight.
Balor unlocks the girl’s cell door and returns to his position at the bottom of the stairs, far out of sight.
I slip inside. The girl is huddled in the corner, her arms wrapped around her drawn-up knees. She’s sobbing and choking on air.
“Hey,” I say.
She’s trembling, barely coherent. If something happens to her, the witch might go back on our deal. I need the girl alive and well.
“Dorothy.”
She sucks in a breath. I place my hand on her arm, skin on skin. There’s a jolt of warmth, an unfamiliar feeling in my gut. I rarely have a reason to touch people unless it’s to provoke violence.
“Dorothy,” I try again.
Her breathing slows, shoulders trembling.
“Keep breathing,” I tell her and she straightens, eyes still closed as she sucks in a breath. Exhales. Inhales another. “Good.”
Her eyes pop open, red and watery.
“Are you okay?” I ask her, even though I’m not sure why I care.
“He’s been here three years.” She nods past me to Gabriel.
“I know.”
“You do?”
I give her a nod. “He’s my little brother.”
Her mouth drops open. I can feel her reading me and it makes my skin crawl.
“That’s why you dragged me here.” She swipes at her face, drying the tears. Her breathing has settled but she’s still trembling despite the heat of the dungeon. “You’re trying to get him out.”
“Damn,” Gabriel mutters. “She’s good.”
“Shut up,” I tell him.
“Maybe you’re not so heartless after all,” she says.
I turn back to her. “This isn’t about me.”
“Isn’t it?”
I stand up and put some distance between us. I don’t want to be near her. I can’t be near her.
“I need those slippers.”
Using the wall for support, the girl slowly stands and crosses her arms. I can hear the rustle of soft fabric, the huff of her breath. “You and everyone else.”
Who else?I almost ask, and then decide I don’t fucking care.
