Witch of Iria

Soul eater

I sleep for what feels like a thousand years. My dreams are filled with shadowy forest creatures and the grey stormy eyes of Idris glowering at me. I only wake up when a distant bell tolls, the ringing sound shaking me from a sleep filled with leaves. I groan, stretching out my arms. Daylight invades my room, but Suzanne is nowhere to be seen. Only a dark blue dress has been left draped over a chair, with a note on the seat and small heels underneath.

I sit up, and try to go over everything that happened yesterday. I feel as if with more answers everything has gotten more complicated. I push dark strands out of my eyes, sighing wearily. The blanket is warm and inviting, nestling me in a cocoon of safety. But I can't lie here all day and sleep. I have to try and untangle the web spinning around me. Because this curse involves me and I don't understand why.

The fae and Finn are spinning a plot together, Naomi is walking at night carrying a knife and following Cailaen, the curse is speaking to me, Dorcha is trapped in the stables by a spell and who knows what Idris is up to? A headache threatens even though I've just woken up. I glance blearily at the note on the chair. I slowly get to my feet and pick it up. My magic wakes up within me lazily, as if it has been slumbering too. The paper is thick and scented with jasmine. A loopy scrawl covers it:

My dear Gwyneth,

I am unfortunately away on business for five days, so we can't finish what we started. However, don't be alarmed. Owen will be here to help you. I will return as quickly as I can.

Yours,

Finn

I tense and my magic wakes up properly, a faint glimmer of starlight burning at my fingertips. It battles with the sunlight flooding the room. I force it to vanish, and I grimace. Of course he's leaving right when I need his blood to free Dorcha. I wonder what business he's going to deal with. Asshole. And of course Owen will be here to 'help' me. That means he'll be watching my every move.

The word 'yours' annoys me. Again, as if I'm his possession. The image of Dorcha flashes in front of my eyes, bloated and trapped, and I want to kill him. I want to watch him savaged by every monster in the forest. But...I take a breath and chase the murderous thoughts away. I don't want to be that person. I just want to leave this place and forget all of them. But Elise needs help, and that's the most frustrating thing of all.

What should I do? There's no note from Elise about visiting the grove, she's probably too tired this morning to do anything. I pull the blue dress over my head and eat a hunk of bread with ham that's been left by Suzanne. The taste is odd, rough against my tongue. For a moment, I yearn for berries and river water. This is the sort of day where Dorcha and I would lounge on the mountainside, the sun sinking into our skin. I sigh, taking in the walls surrounding me and decide to go to the library. I can read more of that magical book and see what the author Pressyne has to say.

I poke my head out of my room and notice a guard leaning against the wall, playing with his sword hilt.

"Where're you going?" he sneers, his brown eyes dull. His hand tightens on his sword hilt.

"To the library," I snap back, raising a brow. I'm not about to be intimidated by this brute. He scowls, his snout nose making him resemble a pig.

"Women reading...no wonder you're a witch," he says, spittle dripping from a corner of his mouth. Ugh. What an idiot.

"I don't care what your opinions are about women, but in order to win I need to read something," I say, glaring at him. "So I suggest you hurry up and stop asking idiotic questions."

"Flaming witch!" he snarls, beginning to lunge forwards but I stop him with one finger.

"You wouldn't want to get on my bad side, would you?" I ask, a shadowy strand unravelling itself from my index finger. He freezes, rage clouding his eyes. A part of me wants to fight him. I want to let the rage of being so helpless out...but that would make me like my mother. The shadowy strand dies. The guard swallows nervously, his anger now in check.