They swung open the cage door, cattle prods at full power, humming with electricity. The man lazily lifted his hands in surrender. "Now, now." He said softly. His voice was like velvet. "No need. I'll do as you please." The man in the cage said, his...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Theo worked her right arm in circles, grimacing at the resulting twinge of pain in her shoulder. Focusing now on the lower half of her bicep, she felt nothing despite the horrible lacerations that covered it. Grandmother had said that the nerves had been severed, along with most of the muscles. She may never move her hand with any dexterity again, but the muscles would reattach and heal somewhat over time.
She looked down at the rest of her body, taking note of what had healed and what hadn't. The sword that Vsevolod had shoved into her shoulder had sheared right through the bone, and the wound still had not closed. Having been inflicted by silver, it would be slow for Dancer to heal. The claw marks that had gored into nearly every inch of her body had become more shallow, and would disappear into faint marks soon. The bite marks were a different matter- they were slower to heal and would surely leave the thick, ropey scars that Theo knew she couldn't cover up- matching sets to the one Augustus had given her, she supposed.
"This is the best we can hope for." Grandmother said, laying a withered hand on Theo's arm, turning it over so the palm faced up. She pressed down on some of the stitches in Theo's wrist, causing her fingers to curl up.
"It'll do." Theo murmured, trying her hardest to flex the fingers by herself. They twitched lightly, but otherwise remained indifferent.
"It's not good enough. It needs to be better." Juniper snapped from her corner in the kitchen. The smell of chopped herbs wafted over on the cold breeze from the cracked window next to her.
Grandmother sighed and turned in her seat. "Pray tell, child, who would've done it better? You?"
Juniper bristled, slamming down her knife onto the cutting board. She clenched her jaw but said nothing as she stormed out of the house and slammed the door behind her.
Grandmother sighed, shaking her head as she let go of Theo's arm. "Children like you always think they can change the world, but I'm old enough to see what change begets. You wouldn't like it if you knew."
"Why does she hate you so much?" Theo asked bluntly, dropping her nerve dead arm and stretching her legs before her as she inspected the exquisite stitching that marked her dark skin.
Grandmother leaned forward and rubbed a hand over her drawn face. "She believes I am at fault for the wrongs that have happened here. For the wrongs that were done to her." Her eyes flitted slowly around the room, taking in the plants that hung from the eaves and the rustic carvings that littered the walls. The crackling fire in the open mouth of her wood stove reflected in her dark blue eyes.
"She's not wrong." Grandmother continued, "it's my fault they even exist. It was my darling daughter who I let marry into this wretched family, and they are as much her sons as they were Vasily's."
Theo considered this for a moment as pity welled up in her. This woman had lived a life of shame and exile for the crimes of someone who wasn't even of her blood, all for the sake of still being around her grandsons, who had surely been poisoned by this Vasily she spoke of.
