Caged Source

Chapter Five

Rimi

The pants were soft and lined with something warm. There were strings attached to the inside that I could use to cinch the waist so they didn't fall off. The shirt, which looked like it was designed to be tight, hung off one of my shoulders. I tucked it into the pants and found a warm brown cloak in the wardrobe.

I was trying to put the interaction with Hyren from my mind, but even now I could feel the heat in my cheeks and between my thighs. I had never felt something like that before, and whatever it was, I wanted more of it.

Tying the cloak closed at my throat, I traced the tā moko at my collarbone once more. The design reminded me of the lace that used to like my dresses when I was young, though it was larger in design. There was something floral in the design, but also something sharp, like a thorn.

Tā moko was always personalized to the fae, to match the nature of their magic. Someone who writes elemental fire magic would likely have flames etched into their design. The amount of skin it took up also would vary. The markings always started on the chest, above the well and expanded outward.

Mind went across my stomach to the tops of my knees, and to the tips of my fingers. I was absolutely covered in tā moko.

It was more than I had even seen on the warrior fae when I was little.

When I was dressed I left the room and found a fae waiting for me right outside the room.

"Lady Rimille, the Duke is waiting for you in the garden."

I quirked my head at her, studying her. She was short for a fae, but had the tell tale pointed tipped ears. She turned quickly from my gaze and set a fast pace down the hallway.

We were in some sort of tree home, something I heard was common in the Court of Mountains. I followed behind her, my long legs making up for my slower speed. Already my breath was becoming labored. I hadn't walked this much in a long time.

I just want to sleep.

I could at least hear the Duke out. He had, after all, rescued me from the prison I had been in for eight years. He would be bitterly disappointed to find I could barely use my magic and I had little control. While my magic was unique, I myself was not gifted at using it and had not practiced since I was a child. Even then I was at the same place as my peers, and I had not progressed in years.

The darkness that Sebza had mentioned was not something I would be able to fight for the Duke. 

Would he send me back to the prison when he found out? My hand clenched in my cloak at the thought. Now that I was not dead, I was realizing that maybe I did not want to die. Everything outside of my prison was bright and loud and smelly, but everything was also exciting and new. Even just in this hallway, I had come across three new smells that I was eager to explore.

Life in a dungeon was much less promising than a life of freedom in the Court of Mountains. Maybe even if I could not defeat this Darkness, I could bargain for my freedom some other way.

Maybe the Duke would even help me escape the fae realm. Realm travel was hard, but with my magic and enough time and practice, I could figure it out. Perhaps I could live in a different realm, away from the fae completely. Experience something new. The thought excited me, and I quirked my lips the more I thought about it.

There were so many realms, some with as much magic as ours and some without. Every realm was unique, with their own timelines and species.

My musing came to a sudden halt as Theoden's face popped into my brain.