Page 38 of Wraithwound

Lena felt her eyes grow round as she imagined Ada breaking into the castle dungeon. The questions burst forth from her in rapid succession: “Does this mean you’re not . . . human? Do you have special abilities?”

“I know you must have a lot of questions, but this is important,” Eduard said.

“Any idea what kind of wraith did that?” Ada asked, changing the subject.

Lena shook her head. She didn’t remember anything about the attack.

“We can only hope it was a weaker type of wraith. Those are easier to fight.”

“And if it isn’t?” Lena asked.

She had begun to suspect that wasn’t the case.

“Then you’ll have some decisions to make. We know very little about wraiths, but the powerful ones seem to have the capacity to consume many souls. Some have even shown the ability to influence or at least sense others.”

The darkness inside her seemed to stir, and Lena thought back to her interactions with Laney. Eduard noticed Lena’s discomfort and moved on, pointing to the flower.

“If you’re going to take this yourself, you must ingest it. That will end your life. If you are to use it for someone else, you’ll have to crush the bud in your palm and rub it onto the affected area. It is important to understand that you must rub it deeply into every cut or scrape made by a wraith. If you miss any part of the injury, the healing will not be complete. Be advised that it will be very painful for you. On SecaTerr, the flower is used differently.”

“Will it burn?” Lena asked curiously, the healer inside her perked at this knowledge.

“It will cut your flesh. The petals are comprised of tiny pieces of ore akin to metal. The slivers of ore, while sharp, are hollow inside and will draw the essence of the wraith into them. Once they’re full, they will turn to ash, and you can brush them away.”

“Have you used it before?” she asked them.

“We have. That’s how we learned of its limitations here,” Ada said.

Lena wanted to ask them a hundred more questions. She couldn’t believe Eduard was not from Eteris. She’d treated some of his aches and pains, and there was nothing about him that made him seem other. Eduard stood and cut both buds from the vine. The plant turned brown and withered before her eyes.

Eduard glanced at it. “It usually goes dormant after the buds are cut, but I have a feeling this will be the last time it blooms.” He wrapped each one in black linen cloth and set them gently in a tin. Turning, he extended the tin to Lena.

“I don’t need both of them. One will do if I have to ingest it, won’t it?” she asked. Lena only hoped she’d be able to ingest the bud before the wraith fully took over because if she didn’t⁠—

“Take them both. You never know what you might need an extra for.”

“Thank you both so much,” she said, reaching for the tin.

Ada wrapped her arms around Lena, which made her flinch; she didn’t want to get too close, but after a moment, she softened in Ada’s arms.

In the time they’d been outside, the sun had set fully, and Lena knew it was time to go. She would give anything to be able to stay, surrounded by the comfort and familiarity of the meadow, the garden that had grounded her, and the people who made it possible.

She was reluctant to spend another night alone in the woods, remembering how the Overgrown Forest had come alive at night. Lena reminded herself there was only one cursed forest in Reimar, and she didn’t have to go near the Twisted Forest, also knowns as the Drowning Woods, on the way to The Whispers.

Despite those fears, the chance of hurting Ada and Eduard was enough to set her feet moving. She made to grab her pack when Ada brushed her hand away.

“You’re not leaving now, night has fallen. Stay,” she said.

“I can’t thank you enough for your help today, but I can’t stay,” she said.

Ada stared at Lena for a moment and seemed to realize she wouldn’t change her mind.

“Where will you go?” she asked instead as she exchanged a concerned look with Eduard.

“I’m off to the Whispers. I met a young woman when I was in Enora who told me some seek assistance there if they’ve been infected.”

Ada and Eduard didn’t seem taken aback by Lena’s admission.

“You’ve heard the same then?”