Page 31 of Wraithwound

“Do you still have family there?” Riley asked.

Laney shook her head. “By my eleventh birthday, my family was gone. My mother died first and then my sister. Father held out the longest, but he never recovered after he caught a case of bittenfrost. I was taken in by friends of my family, but I was a burden they hadn’t planned for and couldn’t keep. One spring, the village rescued a convoy of vendors from Enora that were stalled due to the storms. They shared their food and wares and told many stories. That’s how I learned about the maidens. I begged them to take me along and they agreed, so long as I worked to earn my keep. Through it all, I can say that this cell is more comfortable than life in the Bleakstones.”

Silence fell over the women after that. Lena couldn’t imagine growing up there. A place so frigid many nicknamed the only village there Fisc Point, for all you’d find if you wandered into the highest part of the Slate Mountain Range, was frost, ice, snow and corpses. And despite it all, Laney had come to Enora to help.

Each one of these women had come to help, to contribute something good to the world. They didn’t sit around waiting for someone else to help or fix what had broken in Reimar. They’d heard about an organization working to fix things and joined, even if it had ended up being a cult.

Lena, on the other hand, had abandoned her calling and shut the entire world out when things got too hard. She wasn’t the only person who had lost her family, who had suffered, and yet, she couldn’t see beyond her own pain.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned back to the door because, unlike Laney’s family, her brother’s soul was still alive within her, and if she could stop the turn, she might be able to figure out a way to get him out. To set him free.

“Have you tried pulling on it?” Riley’s voice yanked Lena from her thoughts. When she looked over, Riley motioned with her chin at the latch. “I’ve heard stories about half wraiths developing inexplicable strength.”

Lena considered for a moment and then gave the door a big tug. Nothing happened. Lena sighed, feeling the panic return. One look at the window behind her, and the panic intensified. The sky was beginning to lighten.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

The sky brightened slowly, the sun creeping up from the horizon until it greeted the land fully. Vince had not returned. Lena didn’t know whether to be relieved or worried. Was it possible that something else had gone wrong? That instead he’d decided to go after Ahgrie and Jessa too?

Her thoughts were starting to spiral when Riley asked Camille, “How do you know Vince?”

“My story is not so different than yours,” she said to Riley. “My lodging companion disappeared. When I reported it to the Head Maiden, she assured me she’d talk to the High Priest about it. I know now she never did. Not long after, I was assigned to clean the barracks, where I met Vince. One night, he tried to follow me back to my room. I managed to hide in one of the passageways, but he’d seen where I was staying. I can only assume he was the one who went through my things, including a letter I had written to my father asking him to come get me. The next day, I was assigned to the ceremony, and Vince was sent out on patrol.”

Lena thought that fit well enough with what she knew about him and shuddered at the thought of what he might do when he returned. The sudden prickling sensation at her chest sent a jolt of adrenaline through her. When she heard the jangle of keys and the faint click of a lock, Lena retreated to a dark corner in her cell and repositioned the rope over her wrists. It took her a moment to realize that the other women hadn’t heard it.

With one last glance at the women in the cell across from her, Lena closed her eyes and leaned her head into the corner, pretending to be asleep. If her eyes were still glowing, she would never make it out of this cell. She knew the door of the adjacent cell had swung open by the ominous screech.

“What have we here?” said the voice. “Three trays but four strays.”

Lena heard what she could only guess were trays of food clattering onto the ground.

“Who is that?” the guard demanded. His footsteps thudded on the packed dirt floor, which likely meant he was making his way further into their cell. “You three, I know about.” The footsteps paused, and then she heard the blow land. Lena did her best not to flinch. “I know this bitch won’t say a word, but how about you, Maiden Laney?”

“I’ll tell you. Just don’t hit her!” Camille shouted.

A heartbeat passed and then another. The silence stretched on. Camille had been the most hesitant about Lena, and now she had the perfect opportunity to make sure they could be rid of her. It would take one word, and the guard would kill her and take her head, right here in this cell.

“We don’t know who she is, except that Vince brought her in last night,” Camille said.

“And?” the guard said.

“That’s all we know,” Riley said before Camille could reply.

Lena was not prepared for the second blow, this one landing harder than the first.

“I think I’ll just ask her myself,” the man said. The undeniable sound of steel vacating its sheath carried across the space to Lena. “And when I’m done with her, I’ll come back in here.”

The jingle of keys set Lena’s heart racing. Another click of a lock and the squeak of rusty hinges announced his approach. Lena tensed, cold realization dousing her.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Laney said, her voice closer than it’d been before. The footsteps paused.

“I promise I’ll make it enjoyable for her,” the guard said, amusement lacing his tone.

Two more footsteps sounded in front of her. She would have no choice then. The minute she opened her eyes, he’d be able to tell she was actively turning. She’d have to hope the wraith would take over but also that she could regain control after.

“Touch her and your skin will fall off,” Laney said, voice steady. A disturbance in the air suggested the guard had whirled in Laney’s direction.