Page 30 of Wraithwound

“Riley, look,” Camille said.

When Lena looked up, the moon had shifted, illuminating her in her cell. She gritted her teeth against the pain as the rope cut further into her wrists, but she didn’t stop until the fibers were saturated with the brown goop and her own blood. Finally, she slipped one hand through, and then the other. Letting the rope fall to the floor, Lena sat back against the cell, letting her head rest against the wall.

The three women across the way sat very still, eyes trained on her. It was Riley who spoke first, “What now?”

“I find a way out,” Lena said, scanning the supplies she’d laid out on the floor before her. While the goop that covered her hands, wrists, and forearms would help to heal the broken skin, she had to clean the wounds and make sure none of the rough fibers were imbedded in the exposed flesh. The task was familiar, comforting somehow despite the pain.

When she was done, she took in the details of the cell. There was a small, barred window set high on the back wall. Perhaps there was a way to get the cell door unlocked or hinges she could dislodge. She examined the lock and tested the integrity of the door. It didn’t budge.

Despite her best efforts, she’d still ended up in a cage. She had managed to get her bindings off, yes, but she had no idea how she was supposed to get out of the cell. Lena placed her hands on the bars. The bars that would surely keep her from saving her brother.

She wished she had never come to Enora. It was true that she’d learned about a possible cure, but it was a shot in the dark. She couldn’t even be sure the plant existed. The only thing she was sure about was that she’d failed everyone in her life, and she would likely fail Henry too.

“Don’t do that,” Riley said, approaching the wall between them. “The minute you go down that path, you’re done.”

She gave Lena a knowing look, and Lena was surprised to see no fear in her brown eyes. Lena breathed in deeply, taking a moment to reel herself back in.

“You’ve been here longer than they have,” Lena stated.

Riley nodded.

“How long?”

“Four days,” she said.

Lena thought.

“Suspected of defying the High Priest?” she asked.

Riley’s eyebrows shot up.

“I overheard Vince at the gate,” Lena admitted.

“Ah,” Riley said, leaning against the door of her own cell. “Well, they’re not wrong.”

Two heads snapped in their direction at this.

“Riley, what are you talking about?” Laney said standing, although she didn’t approach.

“I didn’t come here to appeal to the moon,” Riley said.

Laney’s face seemed to pale further, her eyes wide. Camille on the other hand just took in the information, not seeming surprised at all.

“In the end, I think I asked one too many questions about the missing maidens,” Riley said. She looked angry, furious, actually.

“Are you some kind of spy?” Laney asked.

“So many have gone missing, and no one seems to be doing anything about it. Unfortunately, I didn’t learn much.”

“I didn’t know.” Laney admitted. “Why did you take the vows, Camille?” Laney asked, hurt flashing in her eyes. “You said you didn’t volunteer for the Moon Bathing . . . ”

“I thought if I joined the maidens, and we were successful, so many of my patients would stop dying. But saying that from a darkened cell sounds pretty foolish,” Camille said.

“I’m from Pirn Point, so it doesn’t sound foolish to me,” Laney said. Both Riley and Camille gaped at Laney, even Lena turned to look at her.

“How did you manage to survive the cold?” Camille asked.

Laney settled against the wall at her back. “I don’t know. There were many nights I wasn’t sure I’d see morning, but on particularly cold days, I remember having vivid dreams of warm places I’d never seen before, and I think somehow that helped.”