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Her name was not steady on his tongue.
"Fae...don't—" He reached for her, fingers shaking, as if stretching for something just out of reach. His face was stripped bare now, all armour gone, all pride gone.
What was left was regret and desperation.
"Don't leave me," he whispered again through a ruined throat.
The words nearly stopped her retreat.
She backed away again, heart pounding, her feet moving without her telling them to. With every step she took, he crawled faster, more frantically, blood smearing his hands, his knees, his chest.
"Please," he said. "I will undo my wrongs. I will make it right."
And the howl of the wind swallowed the sound.
She woke with a sharp gasp, heart hammering, the quilt tangled around her legs.
For a long moment she lay there, staring into the dark, breath coming too fast, too shallow.
Her wolf stirred uneasily. The dream was so vivid…so real. Her fingers were as cold as ice.
And somewhere, far beyond the forest and the sea and the waking world, Blaidd woke up with a start.
***
Fae woke with the lingering pulse of the dream still pressed against her ribs.
For a moment she lay still, listening to the soft creak of timber, the distant hush of water somewhere beyond the walls. Then she realized what woke her—a hesitant voice, light as birdsong, calling her name from outside the room.
"Fae san…"
She scrambled up, heart thudding, and hurried to the door, but not before tripping over the edge of the futon and then righting herself. The paper panel slid open with a soft whisper.
A girl stood there, barely into her teens, slight and delicate, her features so fine she looked like a porcelain doll brought to life. Her dark hair was tied back neatly, her hands folded carefully in front of her.
She was startled at suddenly coming face to face with Fae, but recovered quickly and bowed gracefully.
In halting English, she said, "My name is Aiko. The master has asked me to show you around."
Before Fae could respond, Aiko gestured for her to follow her with a soft smile.
Fae bowed belatedly and muttered her thanks.
Aiko blinked in surprise, then smiled, gesturing Fae to follow.
The washroom came first.
Aiko slid the door open to reveal a space of warm wood and stone, the air faintly scented with clean water and cedar. A deep wooden bath sat recessed into the floor, its surface polished smooth from years of use. Light filtered in softly through the papered window, turning the steam into something almost luminous.
"This is for washing," Aiko explained carefully. "You clean first. Then you soak."
Fae nodded, taking it in.
Next came the toilet in a separate room.
A separate challenge.
Fae stared.
