CHAPTER ELEVEN
Time went by slowly, she supposed. Valeria didn’t have a way of telling what the hour or day was, only that it was day or night, by looking at the cracks in the placarded window.
She tried to discipline her thoughts, meditate, focus. Not always an easy task, but she had been trained well. Her father made sure of it. Years and years had passed in which she complied, submitted, acquiesced to all her father’s requests. Her only solace had been her mother. And, more recently, James. The memory of them squeezed her heart painfully. She may have introduced James to her father and fought for him, but he had been a good man, a good friend, making her laugh, succeeding at thawing her heart. She would have gladly spent her life with him. If she hadn’t put him at risk and got him killed. It may have been an accident, but the fault lay on her shoulders.
Valeria looked at her shaking hands. The same hands as her mother’s; hands from a great lineage of witches and healers. That great lineage had stopped with her mother. Even though she had passed on many spells and secrets, her husband had stopped her from practicing that kind of craft. If he only had to have one child, a girl, Lionel Lancaster would make her a warrior.
She gazed at her hands again. They were strong hands, capable hands, adorned with scars and burn marks. Some pretty recent. Strange that she wouldn’t be able to use them to do magic anymore. Probably for the best, as no good could come from her fingertips.
How was her father faring? The question haunted her. If only she could know. Now alone, maybe facing justice for crimes he hadn’t committed. Grief and guilt had a firm hold on her. She may have obeyed her father’s wishes, but she wouldn’t be able, or capable of hiding forever. She would have to face what she had done, even unintentionally. Her father may have been a tyrant, but he wasn’t a bad man. Only the situation had been a mess. A terrible mess.
Valeria wiped her cheeks quickly when someone approached the door. Ellen came in with a tray, as she did three times a day, like clockwork, since she’d been imprisoned in this cell. Each time the door creaked open, Valeria wondered if the blonde werewolf was finally coming to rip her throat out. She would fight back, it was instinctual to survive. But she would survive for what? What fate was for her from now on? She knew she wouldn’t be able to fight forever. Or live forever with guilt squeezing at her heart.
Ellen put the tray on the table and unlocked the cell door. As usual, Valeria went to sit at the table while her jailer sat in front her. Each time she brought her food, the meal became more substantial. Valeria made sure to eat slowly and stop before her stomach was too full. It was difficult but essential. What would tomorrow bring? If she had to go back and live on the street, she couldn’t get reacquainted with the comfort of this world. The pain of hunger, cold and loneliness of her first six months were engraved in her bones forever.
Staring at the fuming bowl of stew, her tummy growled. Valeria spooned the stew and brought it to her mouth, measuring, assessing the quantity she took. The flavor in her mouth made her sigh. Five more spoonsful. Once she had swallowed her fifth spoonful, she noticed she barely had made a dent. It took all her willpower to put her spoon down and push the bowl away.
“Isn’t my food good enough for you, witch?”
Valeria forced her gaze from the tempting bowl to the insulted werewolf in front of her.
“What?”
Ellen didn’t only sound frustrated, her entire face was reflecting that emotion.
“If you don’t like my food, just say it.”
Valeria rubbed her forehead. How could she explain her behavior to Ellen?
“Your food is beyond delicious. The best I’ve eaten in a long time. I don’t want to overeat, that’s all.”
Ellen humphed and crossed her arms. “What kind of stupid answer that is? You’re barely out of the woods, you should eat. Your body won’t heal otherwise.”
Valeria shook her head. “Magic…”
“Magic cannot save you all the time, child.”
Valeria winced at the words. “You’re right on that one.”
Ellen pushed the bowl toward her again. Valeria cupped it and stared at its content for a whole minute. The older woman groaned.
“You’re as stubborn as my Robert. At least when you were sick, we could sedate you, forcing you to heal.”
Valeria couldn’t help but notice the change in her voice. Frustration laced with worry.
“Robert? Is he your mate?” Valeria remembered the word equivalent to ‘husband’ in the shifter community.
“Yes. I have trouble with him too. He’s eating alright, but he’s having problems with his stomach. Some sort of heartburn that keeps him up all night.”
“Uncommon for a shifter to have heartburn, or any kind of problem, from what I know. Werewolves have the sturdiest constitution of the whole realm.”
Ellen rolled her eyes, smiling thinly as she clasped her hands. Curious, Valeria continued.
“What has he tried?”
“You know our kind doesn’t react well to human medicine.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. Does he take something more suited for him? Herbal medicine can help him a lot.”
“You don’t know Robert. Just utter the word herb, and he’s has a fit.”
Valeria smiled. “You could marinate or season your food with some medicine. That’s the beauty of herbs, they taste good when cooked and blend into the food, too.”
That caught Ellen’s attention, and she listened when Valeria offered two or three options that might help.
“Try one at a time and wait. Observe the result. Don’t mix them up and watch the dosage. Otherwise, you may cause side effects, or worse, your mate could detect it.”
Ellen leaned forward. “How can I trust what you say? What if your remedy is poison?”
Valeria smiled. “Easy, make an infusion and bring it to me. I’ll drink it in front of you. If I die, you’ll have your answer.”
Ellen stood up and took the tray back. Valeria didn’t know what was that all about, but she decided she didn’t really care. If she didn’t want her help or was suspicious of her, too bad. Instead, she went back to sit on her cot. Ellen locked the door and held back, hesitating.
“Why give me this advice? We hold you prisoner, and still, you try to help.”
Valeria sat on the cot, her back to the wall.
“I will die soon, but that doesn’t mean I should let other people suffer in the meantime. Probably advice from my late mother.”
Ellen nodded and turned one last time before leaving the room. “A wise woman, your mother.”
Valeria didn’t answer her as Ellen switched off the lights. In reality, she couldn’t answer or say anything. Emotions were trembling so close to the surface, she had trouble keeping them in check. Laying down, she pushed the ‘what-might-have-beens’ from her mind and forced herself to sleep.
Well, she tried. Her eyes were closed, but her brain was as bright as a lightbulb, making her body twist and turn on her cot in search of sleep, but obviously, it was a lost cause.
She stood up and started pacing her cell, hoping it would settle her restlessness, despite the lack of space. After a moment, the air shifted somehow. Valeria waited. Through the shadows, someone was moving.
Instinctively, she took a step back toward the wall and braced herself.
The shadow moved closer, opening its arms. Luminous flickers sprang from its hands. After a moment, the room was filled with fireflies. So many danced and illuminated in a soft greenish glow allowing Valeria to see the intruder.
A beautiful young woman, ethereal, like only the Fae people could appear. And this little neat light trick was the definition of nature, the very core of their magic and powers.
The bugs stilled around them, illuminating the glistening dark hair and pale skin of the fae woman. She stood there, in a white dress, examining her. So frail and beautiful.
Valeria didn’t know whether to move or talk. Fae could be tough to understand or predict. A real mind of their own.
After a while, the fae woman came closer, her face almost touching the bars. Her eyes were a pale hazel and strangely unyielding.
“You’re a witch. I feel the magic in you.”
Valeria swallowed. “I was a witch. I’m not anymore.”
The fae blinked and angled her head. “You’re a witch. You’re still a witch. What a strange thing to say.”
Valeria shook her head. “I may still have powers in me, but I don’t use them.”
The fae seemed to ponder this for a while. “Is it why they’re keeping you locked in here? Because you don’t want to use your powers anymore?”
“I don’t know why they keep me here. They do think I can use my abilities, though.”
Valeria held out the bracelets around her wrists.
“Do you know why I’m here, witch?”
Valeria frowned. “I don’t know who you are, let alone what you want, fae woman.”
The fae turned her head for a moment, listening. Then, brought her attention back to Valeria.
“I’m tracked by evil people. Of your kind. I was lucky enough to find Sanctuary. Me and my daughter. Here, they can protect Maya and me, but they cannot save her. However, you can.”
Valeria shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The fae continued. “He will come and ask for your help, please say yes. I need your help.”
“Listen…”
“Genevieve, my name is Genevieve.”
“Listen, Genevieve, I don’t know what you want. If it’s magic, I repeat, I cannot help. Not anymore, not ever again.”
Genevieve ignored her outburst and turned her head sharply before calling back the fireflies into herself and vanishing into the darkness.
A moment later, the door opened, and a large figure switched on the lights. It took a moment for Valeria’s eyes to get accustomed to the brightness, before realizing a man was marching in her direction. She noticed that Genevieve had managed her quick escape behind his back, undetected.
The man appeared anything but friendly. She didn’t know who or what he was yet, but he was pulsing with an aura of danger, making her instinctively step back. He was huge, with black curly hair, a dark thick beard, and eyes like bottomless pools of dark caramel. When the intruder locked his gaze to hers, a menacing growl reverberated deep in her own chest. Anger flooded his face, and he lunged.
A scream squeezed in her throat but Valeria forced herself to remain still and silent. The predator on the other side of the bars could feed on her fear, the situation slipping into an actual nightmare if she didn’t get a grip.
“I finally found you, witch.”
“Who are you?”
The man smiled, white teeth against dark fur.
“You don’t know me, witch. And I don’t know you. All I want is for you and your whole kind to die, disappear from the face of the earth. I want you and your demon family to suffer.”
Valeria realised that her cell was the only safe spot in this world. What had happened during those two years of exile for so many people to hate her?
“I don’t understand.”
“No need to understand, witch. As you’re going to die in a minute.”
Valeria opened her arms. “You may not have noticed, but you’re on the wrong side of the bars, stupid.”
The man smiled, fishing a key out of his pocket. Valeria’s heart sank before speeding up to an alarming pace. Magic rose inside her like waves, and she had trouble pushing it down again. If she lost control, the bracelets would incapacitate her completely.
The lock turned, and she looked around, desperate for a weapon. There was none, apart from her own body.
As soon as the cell door opened, she launched herself at her attacker. Surprised, he stumbled a step before pushing her violently to the side, sending her crashing into the table. Valeria regained her bearings a moment too late. The psycho beast grabbed her by the hair, pulling her up. Ignoring the pain, she kicked him hard in the groin. The man howled and released her. Once on her feet, she scrambled to take hold of a chair and break it on the mad man’s back. The door was still open, and Valeria bolted.
She reached the door, her fingers brushing the molding when she was yanked back. For a moment, she was airborne before her body collided hard with the wall.
Valeria, dazed with pain, felt more than saw her attacker on all fours above her, tearing at her clothes as she tried in vain to defend herself. It was like punching rock; he wouldn’t budge. When she smelled blood, her own blood, something snapped inside her. All her magic reacted and took control, pouring out of her. Hell broke loose before it was blocked by her bracelets. All that restrained energy started to burn her inside out, trying to protect her and unable to do so. As if disconnected from her own body, she heard her voice as she screamed, a disembodied sound she didn’t quite recognize. A hand closed around her throat and tears blurred her vision. Just before feeling her life slip away, she hoped for death to be quick and to be reunited with her mother soon.
Another growl sounded in her ears, and it was over.