A Battle of Pride and Desire

Chapter Nine

Brigette did not see Taran for the rest of the day, but went to the library and gathered some books for reading that night. She selected the records and history of Magmella even though she doubted she would understand much. She wanted to find out as much as she could about humans like her who had entered the Otherworld. Taran wasn't speaking to her and the queen was away, she doubted anyone really trusted her yet. She could tell the guards were constantly on alert around her, scared she would unleash the wrath of Juno on them or something. All she had done was find one necklace; she had assumed it was someone from Erinea's offering. She meant nothing by it. She ran a hand through her curly hair as she walked up the winding staircase to her room. The castle was quiet and she knew that was because Taran had left to go into the town. She wasn't allowed out like the prisoner she was. No large room could change the facts. She sat herself down on her bed and laid the books out on the floor. She picked up the largest and flicked through to the table of contents. A language she barely recognised. Great. She pulled out the dictionary and parchment she had taken from the library and began to try translating the contents. She was about three sentences in and had spent fifteen minutes just deciphering them. She sighed and threw the parchment on the bed. This would take hours. She looked through the book for some pictures, of anything that looked like a human. And then she saw it, a woman with humanoid features. It could have been a duine sídhe so Brigette got the dictionary to translate the sentence underneath the drawing.

'A woman lost in the Otherworld.'

Brigette huffed and stared at the picture a little while longer. It depicted a woman in a grey cloak and green dress with red eyes. She seemed to be crying, weeping or something. She didn't blame her. She continued looking through the photos and saw a drawing of a baby chick hatching out of an egg. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at the image. What was that supposed to mean? She continued looking through pictures and saw a caterpillar spawning into a butterfly. What was the relevance? There was nothing written beside them, just the drawings. Rebirth? She thought to herself absently. Perhaps it meant that humans were rejuvenated or reborn when they came to the Otherworld, it seemed the most likely. Brigette groaned in frustration, she would need someone to translate it or ask the queen herself. If she could be let out of the castle grounds then maybe she could go find out for herself. Taran had mentioned the town's people might not be too keen on her though. They had seemed to think she was one of them last night but they had only seen her briefly while Taran kept them distracted. Brigette fell asleep to the images of butterflies and chicks.

She woke up in the middle of the night with hot flashes. She sat up straight, sweat trickling down her forehead and she realised she was still in her skirt and blouse. She looked around the dark room and tried to recall her dreams but couldn't remember anything. Perhaps she was too hot. She opened the window a crack and peered out. The grounds were quiet but she knew the security guards were out there. She fell back onto her bed and tried to fall back asleep to no avail. Perhaps a glass of water would do the trick. She got up to fetch a glass of water from the bathroom connected to her room; she had no glasses. She resorted to cupping her hands and drinking the water from the tap and rubbing her cool hands against her face. The water helped her calm down slightly. She went to the door of her bathroom but there, hanging on the door handle was the emerald necklace. She took a step back and scanned her surroundings. Was Taran here? Why would he scare her like that? But no one was in the bathroom or her bedroom, the necklace had just appeared.

"Hello?" she called into the dark but there was no response.

She darted over to the bedroom door, to the guards outside, "Did you see anyone enter my quarters?" she asked frantically.

They seemed startled by her question, "No."

Brigette looked up and down the landing but there was no sign of movement, she shook her head and went back inside to check the handle. It was still there, staring back at her. She ripped it off the handle and stuffed it in the cupboard under the sink. She would return it in the morning, but she knew this would make her seem even less trustworthy than she already was. She did not get a wink of sleep that night.