The Woods

Chapter Thirty-One

We arrived in the dining room, where Merilyn and Casper jumped in surprise at our arrival. Cain went to sit at the head of the table, and I slumped in my usual seat, my stomach twisting at the sight of food.

"Well?" Casper looked at Cain expectantly.

"Maalik wishes you both well," Cain replied, serving himself. Upon seeing his brother glaring, he sighed. "He answered my questions well enough and gave advice for helping her learn her magic."

I stared out the window as he talked, frowning when I saw the pink-grey sky. We had been at the tower for maybe an hour or two; why was it already dusk?

"Fida." I turned to see the three of them watching me. "Are you alright?" I nodded, indicating for them to continue talking. After a moment, Cain resumed. "Maalik said that you won't inherit any animalistic feature, which would make sense, considering you don't have one now. He also said it is very likely you will inherit your mother's immortal blood."

Immortality. I had never even considered what it would be like to live forever. Would I still be here in a thousand years? But Maalik said it was likely. Not definite.

I nibbled my lip, trying to push the thoughts away.

Cain continued, "However, your . . . status is unclear. We don't know where in the Wolf House you actually stand." I must've looked confused, because he decided to explain. "Each House is made up of several families, each with different levels of power. The Cawther family is the strongest of those in the Wolf House, and the other families are slightly weaker than the ones before."

"So basically, rankings within the Houses?"

"Correct. And with you having both Fae and human blood, it is unclear where you stand. Perhaps you fall within one of the middle families, or perhaps you are somewhere in between the Wolf and Crow Houses."

I thought over his words. How would they even be able to tell where I stood? I definitely had a level of power; the incident with Dimah proved that much.

"So how do you figure out where I am?"

"As you learn to control your magic, it should become somewhat clear. I will explain in more detail tomorrow, but there are limits to the Houses and their magic."

Merilyn began to ask him about people I didn't know, so I tuned out their voices, staring at my empty plate. My stomach was still churning and I felt ill.

"Are you not hungry?" Casper asked.

I shook my head. "I feel rather ill. I think I will go to my room."

He frowned as I rose and slipped out of the room, but made no comment. When I reached the hall, I had to stop myself from stumbling and ended up leaning against the wall for stability. The room was spinning.

"Fida, are you alright?" I turned to see Celaine hurrying towards me.

"I'm fine," I replied, offering her a wavering smile. "I just feel a bit dizzy."

She wrapped one of my arms around her shoulder and helped me walk. "Let's get you to your room."

She didn't speak as we walked, and I was too exhausted to, so we were silent as we made our way to my room. The halls were empty and silent, and I was glad we came across no one.

When we reached my room, Celaine helped me into bed, and I ran a hand through my hair.

"You're pale," she said quietly. "I will ask one of the maids to fetch a pot of tea; I'll be right back."

She hurried away, and the room fell quiet, save for my heavy breaths. Why did I feel so ill all of a sudden? My head began to pound and I closed my eyes. I still saw his smile.