Page 29 of Wraithwound

“They’re in the city. Looking for you,” Lena said.

“Is this some sort of trick? Some ability you’ve developed since you started turning?”

“They helped me, and in turn, I helped them. In the market. James tried to buy a restricted sedative from one of the Commander’s vendors, but I managed to interrupt the sale.”

“What a fool! Who were they trying to sedate?” Camille asked.

“A guard that frequents one of the taverns,” Lena said.

“If they wanted to sedate a guard, they could have just bought some⁠—”

“—bly root,” they finished together.

Camille sat up straighter. “Are you a healer?” she asked in disbelief.

“Yes. Well, I was,” Lena said.

Laney seemed to wince at that while Camille’s face turned somber.

“You seem like a nice person, and I’m grateful you helped my family, but I still don’t think it’s a good idea to set you free.” She looked over at Riley, whose once curious face now resembled Camille’s, serious and closed off. Laney’s gaze fell to the floor.

“What’s your plan then? Surely you don’t expect things will turn out well for any of you after Vince returns,” Lena said.

Laney looked up at that.

“Maybe we’re just being punished for something that went wrong during the ceremony, and they’ll be back to release us later?” she ventured.

“Laney, ceremonial maidens never return. And they’re not the only ones to go missing,” Riley said gently.

Laney began to cry. Lena didn’t mean to stare, but there was something about her that drew Lena’s attention. She tilted her head, trying to figure out what it could be.

“Don’t look at her like that,” Riley snapped.

“Like what?” Lena asked, taken aback.

“Like she’s prey,” Riley said.

Is that what she had been doing? Lena felt a chill shoot up her spine.

“That’s not. I wasn’t —” Lena started, but she couldn’t finish her sentence.

The truth was she was changing, whether she wanted to acknowledge it or not. She shook her head, a sinking feeling settling in her gut. This wasn’t working. These women would never trust her.

It was nothing short of a Goddess-blessed miracle that Vince hadn’t thought to check for what she carried. He’d only cared about the power and recognition he’d gain from presenting her to the Commander. But she had no intention of being in this cell when Vince returned.

Feeling like she was finally free of the sedative’s effects, Lena twisted her wrists against the rope as she thought. Medicine, bandages, cleaning cloths, salves, a few live specimens, my mother’s diary, Henry’s effects, a spare set of clothes . . .

She managed minimal movement due to how tight the bindings were, but desperation aided her attempt. Her wrists were already sore. The three women in the other cell were engaged in quiet conversation amongst each other. Good.

If only she’d thought to retrieve her herb knife from the forest floor. Buying a weapon at the market hadn’t been an option, and she’d likely cut herself if she had a knife . . . At least then she might be able to slide the rope⁠—

Carefully, Lena stood, ignoring the new aches and pains in her body, and worked her pack around. It had been secured underneath her cloak. After some awkward shuffling, she managed to obtain access to it. Lena slowly sank to the floor, settling on her heels. She could sense the eyes of the others on her, but she didn’t care. Perhaps it was better they feared her; it decreased the chance they would interfere with her plan.

Lena felt around in her pack, careful to monitor the items to avoid losing any, until her fingers located a small metal tin. Setting it gently on the packed dirt floor, she worked her fingers around the lid and pulled it off. The reek of the goop slowly filled the space, but Lena couldn’t even be bothered to scrunch her nose at it. Taking the tin into her palms, she lifted her wrists and turned it over. The cool, gelatinous substance dripped down between her wrists. When she was certain the tin was empty, she let it fall to the ground and began working the goop into the ropes.

“Ugh! What is that?” Laney asked from across the room.

Lena ignored her and kept working, knowing it would take time for the substance to soak into the fibers and soften them. She twisted and pulled at the rope, ignoring the pain.