A Court of Ash and Necromancy

43. Furtive Communication

Estelle hovered near Wynter, unable to hide her concern. He hadn't moved once since appearing in the cavern. The blood that clung to his skin was now dry. His eyes were open, staring blankly towards the stairwell. He seemed to be waiting for someone. Melantha, most likely.

Evren took a scrap of fabric from Cresseida. The female's once long gown now hung just above her knees, the ends of it tattered and filthy. Elain pushed the water bucket towards Evren. She wet the fabric and tossed it to Estelle, since she was the closest to Wynter.

Estelle leaned towards him. "Don't touch me," Wynter grunted.

"Are you going to clean yourself up?" Wynter didn't reply. Estelle lowered her head as a wave of nausea overtook her. It passed shortly. "My skin won't touch yours. I promise."

Wynter still didn't move or speak, but he blinked once. Estelle's chains rattled as she shifted closer to him. The chains went taut and she could go no further. Estelle gingerly wiped the blood from his throat, making sure only the wet fabric touched his skin.

"What happened?" She murmured. "Where did all of this come from?"

"She slit my throat." Estelle's hand stilled. Wynter moved his own, revealing four ridged scars across his neck. "And then she healed me. I wish she'd let me die. I want to fucking die." Tears beaded in the corners of his eyes. "I want it all to be over."

    "Why would she do that?" Evren asked. Estelle glanced over her shoulder. There was raw pain in the High Lady's sea green gaze.

    "She told me she was going to give me a gift. She shapeshifted. Made herself look like someone special to me. I..." Wynter swallowed, closing his eyes as Estelle kept wiping his blood away. She lightened her touch until his breathing eased. "I almost killed her. A few moments longer and she would have died." Shudders wracked his body. "But she said something and I faltered. She slit my throat, then healed me and..."

    Estelle gulped, the weight of Wynter's words sinking in. He had almost killed Melantha. They might have been freed. "Melantha is going to kill her. I know she is," Wynter rasped. "She said as much herself. I can't let her die but I can't do anything from here. She's going to die because of me. Because I was stupid and my actions revealed what she means to me."

    "How did you manage to almost kill Melantha?" Cresseida asked in surprise.

    "I tried to strangle her," Wynter admitted. "But I failed." He sat up and twisted out of Estelle's reach. She could feel the shadows aching to reach out to him, but they didn't have the strength to move. "And now Ellie is going to die."

    Ellie? Estelle wondered.

    "She isn't going to die," Elain replied firmly. "I have an idea. It requires all of us to play a part."

    "What are you thinking?" Wynter looked back at them.

    "I felt Lucien across the Bond. I haven't since we were brought here. I think that must've happened when you attacked Melantha. Her wards are tied to her. When she almost died, the wards weakened and the Bond became strong enough for me to feel him."

    Evren furrowed her brows. "Which means?"

    "If we can do that again, one of us might be able to alert our mates about Melantha's plan to find...Ellie?"

    Estelle gasped, an idea popping up. "Wynter, are there windows in Melantha's room?"

    "Yes?" He replied hesitantly.

    "Have you ever gotten a good look at the land beyond this place?"

    "I...yes. But, I don't have a Mating Bond to pass images across." His eyes flickered down, then back up again.