Page 59 of Wraithwound

“I can’t,” she said.

“You’re not going to hurt me or anyone else here,” he said.

Lena saw the certainty in his eyes and took a steadying breath. The wraith was strong; she’d felt it when she let the wraith in on the plains. She could only hope the soulbound was stronger. Reluctantly, she stepped past the threshold. She hoped Henry could keep up his shield, at least until they could be on their way tomorrow.

“Where did you go just now?” he asked.

But Lena just shook her head. He seemed reluctant to let it go, still searching her face, but must have decided against pressing the matter because he nodded curtly and turned away.

Glancing around the room, she was surprised at how big the space was. There was a large bed in the center of the room with a plush beige area rug underneath making the expansive space feel luxurious, yet cozy. Off to the side was a separate bathing room with a large stone tub set in the center.

There was a massive fireplace opposite the bathing room flanked by two stone columns with intricate carvings etched into the stone. Cross walked to the oversized armchair in the corner by the fire and set his things down.

“You can have the bed,” he said, walking into the bathing chamber.

She drifted over to the bed, removing her cloak and tying up her hair. The relief from the heat was almost instant. She thought about lying on the bed but then reconsidered. She was filthy. No wonder Cross had requested the suite with the tub.

“I’m going to get some water for the bath. Will you be okay until I return?” he asked.

“Yes, thanks,” she replied.

Cross nodded once and stepped out. A few moments later, he returned with large buckets of water that he emptied into the tub.

“You can go first,” he said, walking over to the armchair. He reclined his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes. Lena took this as her sign.

Pulling the door to the washroom closed, she felt her muscles relax a bit. Lena peeled the filthy clothes from her body and let them fall to the floor. The cuts all over her body ached, and she had to will her body to move. Placing one foot into the tub, she gasped softly. The water was cool, not hot, not even warm. Lena sunk under the cool water, relishing the feel of it on her skin. She ran her hands through it. The slight numbness would take a while to get used to. She figured she was lucky she still had the use of her hands at all after using the Bud of Brielle.

She stared at the blackened skin of her hands and realized that, yet again, there was blood dried on her fingernails. She had to remind herself it was Cross’s blood, and he was okay.

She thought of Cross and the picture of the woman she’d seen in his satchel. It was likely she was his wife. Lena wondered why he’d sworn an oath that kept him away from his family. She was happy she’d made the choice to save him; she couldn’t imagine being responsible for tearing another family apart.

Lena shook those thoughts from her head and breathed in deeply. She thought of Henry and marveled at the fact that he was still alive and keeping her safe. Lena hadn’t had a moment to think about it, to wonder how it was possible. In her mind, she renewed her vow to keep her promise to him. To fight any way she could, to help him—help them both. Lena closed her eyes and tried to envision the dome and send her consciousness toward that part of herself where he resided. Nothing happened.

She missed Henry so much. She missed talking to him, teasing him, and reminiscing. He’d never met her grandfather, joining her family two years after he was murdered, but Henry had heard all of the stories. Knew the silly saying that accompanied one of her grandfather’s lectures. “To learn, you must do,” he would say. And the way he’d go off on a tangent describing some tiny detail about the scenery on his travels when he’d initially been talking about a patient.

Lena sighed and started washing, ensuring her cuts were clean and continuing to heal. After she was done, she stepped out of the tub and headed to the small sink in the corner, an old mirror propped up behind it.

Lena could only stare at the woman looking back at her. She looked . . . healthy and beautiful. Her eyes were clear, the green color of her irises brighter than she remembered, and her skin was soft and luminous. Lena hated it. A beautiful face to conceal the monster within. It was a lie she never agreed to tell.

She peered down at the brutal scar on her chest and shoulder. The greyish, leathery skin there looked out of place. Like a rotting island in a sea of healthy, tanned skin. When she looked closer, she could see the black veins there were much more pronounced. No wonder Cross had advised her to hide it.

Lena finished drying herself off and went to work washing her clothes, including the spare set which was also filthy. When she was done, she realized she didn’t have anything dry to wear. Donning her damp clothes, she exited the washroom to find that Cross wasn’t inside.

His belongings were still by the armchair, and he’d left several things sitting out. A sense of guilt still clung to her for having looked through his belongings when he was unconscious, and yet a piece of parchment caught her attention, and she learned her curiosity was stronger than the guilt. After setting the damp clothes on a plush carpet in front of the fire to dry, she walked over to it.

Inside the parchment was a wooden totem with strange script carved into it. It was the same one she’d seen inside his tent before. At first, she couldn’t make out what it said, but after staring at it for a moment some of the words came into focus.

You shall lead the [indiscerable] to Eteris’ end to save what was and what can be again.

It was strange verse. Something about it struck a chord of recognition, but she couldn’t quite place it. Setting the totem down, she wandered back over towards the bed and heard scratching at the door. Orange eyes greeted her, and Lena looked around, wondering how the creature had gotten in unseen.

She’d wondered where the animal had gone when they arrived in Lythara. While she knew the eleuth could take care of itself, she had worried about it.

The eleuth chittered softly and then scampered across the floor, stopping once to make sure Lena was following. It led her past the front desk, which stood empty, and out to the stables. Lena heard two familiar voices just beyond the metal door that sealed the stables.

“She’s my dutybound.”

“That’s not all she is,” Taryk said.