The Woods

Chapter Eight.

I was right in assuming that I couldn't get away with skipping dinner. Half an hour before I was supposed to meet the others, Dimah was shaking my shoulder to wake me, much to my dismay. My muscles no longer had the sharp pain from after training, rather taking up a persistent ache with every movement. I felt stiff as I quickly washed and dressed, grateful that when Dimah braided my hair, she saved me from the pain of lifting my arms.

When it was time for me to finally go to the dining room, I knew I would arrive late. My muscles were stiff, leaving my steps in small shuffles. I did try to move quickly, but the pain it brought me made me move even slower.

"You look wonderful, Fida," Casper chuckled when I finally reached the dining room. All three of them were lounging at the dining table, goblets loosely hanging from their fingers. I didn't deign to respond, rather collapsing into one of the chairs and closing my eyes for a heartbeat. "I know Merilyn is cruel, but it can't be that bad. It's just day one."

"I don't know if you've forgotten this," I replied, "but I'm mortal. You probably can withstand more than me inherently. It's in your blood."

"Exactly," Merilyn said, her eyes focused on the food in front of her. "Which is why a change in student makes things much more interesting." I scowled, though her responding smile told me enough that she wasn't being serious. I muttered an indiscernible response under my breath as she chuckled.

For most of the meal, I remained silent, as did the king. He was distracted by something. He hardly touched his food, leaning back with his goblet in his hand and his brow furrowed in thought. Merilyn and Casper, on the other hand, were bundles of energy.

I'd never seen such a light in Casper's eyes before as he spoke and laughed with her. They would argue, but over small and insignificant things, which made Merilyn tug at his ears in annoyance and Casper to jab her in the side. Perhaps I had misjudged them. They seemed suited for one another.

But even as I was thinking this, I saw a tension in Merilyn's shoulders. Something was in the air, it seemed, and all three of them could feel it. Perhaps it was something to do with the woods, or perhaps Lord Benroy was irritating them again. Either way, I shook off the feeling and tried to ignore the pit in my stomach as the meal finally ended.

Merilyn joined us in the sitting room that evening, where the king and prince had been digging through my memories. I sighed through my nose, lying on the couch when instructed to do so and waited for them to cast the spell. From the rate they had been searching, that would likely be the final night before they had gone through all my memories. All that remained were the memories from me being a toddler. It was odd to think that they were able to see things that even I could not remember; their magic went beyond the reaches of the mind itself. I had to admit it was incredible, even if I didn't like the idea of them seeing everything.

"Are you ready?" the king asked. Sighing through my nose, I nodded, closing my eyes as he uttered the spell. When he finished, memories flickered through my mind, both ones I remembered hazily and ones I had outright forgotten. I watched myself in these memories, a tightness forming in my chest as they pushed further and further back. It felt like I was wading through mud as the memories appeared slower and hazier.

And then the memories stopped.

I could feel the king prodding at my mind; after all, they hadn't reached the end. But something blocked him from pressing further. Each time he tried to push forward, it felt like my mind was being impaled with daggers. My eyes flew open, and it was a struggle to withhold my cry of pain. The king's brow was furrowed, and the next time he attempted to pass through my mind, whatever was blocking him reacted. And he went flying across the room, crashing into a small table, the candle on top snapping as it hit the floor.

Merilyn and Casper both jumped to their feet, the latter snarling. Through murky vision, I watched as they knelt at the king's side, helping him to his feet before stomping out the candle's flame. On the king' forehead was blood, the small wound revealing his surprise in those moments, which left him too stunned to react.

I wanted to say something; apologise. But my tongue was leaden in my mouth, and within moments, I found myself unconscious. The last thing I saw were his eyes boring into my own.

***

I wasn't sure if it was their voices that woke me or if it was the splitting pain in my skull. I let out a groan, my head lolling to the side as I felt rather than saw their gazes on me. Upon opening my eyes, I saw them crowded around the old book, where they'd presumably been discussing its contents. I could barely see the coloured diagrams depicting a skull, which didn't make me feel any better about what had just occurred.

It was Casper who spoke first, beating me to the question. "What happened?"

The king ignored him, turning to me. "How do you feel, Fida?" He didn't seem concerned, rather curious as he watched me.

"Like I've been hit in the head," I muttered, pushing myself into a sitting position and hissing as a sharp pain shot through my skull.

"I felt a barrier of sorts," the king mused, glancing at Casper and Merilyn. "It prevented me from seeing your memories beyond that point." His brow furrowed and I noticed the blood hadn't even been wiped away. From that, I could only assume that I hadn't been unconscious for very long.

"Maybe there's a limit to everyone's memory," I suggested, nibbling at my lip.

"I've performed this spell many times," he replied, "and this was the first time I've been flung across the room." Despite his amused tone, he looked anything but. The three of them began to speak through their eyes and I watched them wearily. I felt so tired. It seemed . . . unnatural. Like I was actively being tugged towards sleep.

"Fida." I looked up to see them all watching me. It seemed the king had called my name several times, but I hadn't heard. "Perhaps you should go rest. I'm sure the spell has drained you." I nodded slowly, rising and slipping from the room. I lingered outside the closed door for a few moments, hoping to eavesdrop, but their voices were too quiet and my mind too weary, so I swiftly gave up on the idea and treaded towards my room.

I hardly reached the bed before collapsing, the tug on my mind strong enough to pull me unconscious once more. I wasn't sure what had caused it, but whatever it was called to something within me. It was like some hidden part of me was whispering in my ear, lulling me to sleep.

I knew enough of what I saw to know that it was a dream. A woman stood before me, her snowy hair tumbling down the back of her dove grey gown. She was turned away from me, so I couldn't see her face to identify her. But the furry grey ears peeking through her hair told me that she was an Above; Fae.

The woman swayed slightly to a melody she hummed, almost as if she felt at peace. But I saw her trembling hands. She seemed to be afraid of something. I glanced around but saw nothing that would cause her to fear. I turned back to her once more, my brow furrowed.

And then I noticed a mark on her neck; a scar of sorts that covered the tattoo of her House. It was curved with lines jutting out to the side. Whatever caused the scar was not natural – it seemed to have been placed there intentionally, each line of it meaning something important. Perhaps I could as one of the others for the meaning of it. It seemed to resemble some sort of symbol; an older language, perhaps.

"You should go," the woman said quietly, her humming stopping. Her voice was quiet, yet was not weak. It was so familiar. "He watches, you know. He sees everything." I wanted to ask her what she meant, but it was as if I'd forgotten how to speak. No words left my mouth, and I was left staring at her silently. I was about to walk forward and touch her shoulder; turn her so I could see who she was. But she spoke before I could move. "Go. Awake now, youngling."

As if released from someone's grasp, I jolted awake, sitting up and glancing around the room. Everything was still and silent. It seemed that all was normal, but a knot grew in the pit of my stomach, and I couldn't tell why. It was a sense of dread; fear.

Yet it was not my own.