The Woods

Chapter Forty-Four

My sleep was restless that night, filled with the memory of Drake's howls of pain. When I finally awoke in cold sweat the next morning, I felt no better than the night before. I decided that bathing would help me feel better, and I cringed as I glanced at the blood that covered my dress. Stripping it off proved to be difficult, as the dried blood stuck the fabric to my skin, and I had to fight the instinct to empty my stomach.

As I bathed, I had forgotten that I hit my head, so I yelped as I rubbed in various hair products. My hair was stiff from blood, and I could only assume the impact had broken the skin. But my head was clear, besides the exhaustion, so I brushed the thought aside.

When I finished the breakfast that a maid had brought up, I made my way down to the throne room, hoping to find Cain there. He didn't tell me when Maalik wanted me to go to him, likely wanting me to rest instead of worrying about being ready.

Upon reaching the throne room, I paused, hearing voices. Cain and Anwir, I realised after a moment. What was Anwir doing there? Silently, I pushed the door open to find out.

Cain was sitting on the throne, his thumb and forefinger resting on his chin, as if in thought. Anwir stood before him, looking somewhat frustrated. As soon as they heard me, they both glanced over, the latter smiling.

"Good morning, Fida," Anwir said, inclining his head. I murmured the words back in response.

Cain must've seen the question in my eyes, for he said, "Apparently Maalik sent Anwir to collect you."

"Yes," Anwir agreed. "I don't know why, but he insisted I brought you."

"Oh, alright," I said, nibbling my lip. Why did they both seem so tense? Was something wrong?

Anwir looked to Cain, raising an eyebrow. "Fine, take her. But return her before sundown." I gave him a curious look and he added, "I found that spell we were talking about. I would like to try it tonight." The tracing spell. I nodded and walked up to Anwir.

He smiled down at me and wrapped an arm around my waist. I stiffened before remembering he had to use his magic to take me to the tower. I barely managed to glance at Cain before we were falling.

I gripped Anwir's shoulder tightly, the wind feeling stronger than I remembered.

"What spell did the king mean?" he asked, peering down at me.

The falling sensation had left us, and we stood on solid ground. I spent a moment closing my eyes to settle my stomach before replying. "Whoever has been attacking the castle got into my head – Cain thinks a tracing spell could tell us who cast the spell."

Anwir waved his hand at the tower's wall, and the bricks folded away. Silently, I stepped inside, unsure why my stomach churned when he closed the wall once more.

"So, where is Maalik?" I asked.

Anwir busied himself with stacking books on his desk, pointing to a corner of the room. "He's in the basement – the stairs in that corner."

I walked over to the corner, frowning. I had never noticed the railing leading to a basement, but it was there. Anwir smiled and followed me as I descended the creaking stairs, but a glance into the room below showed it was completely empty. Not even furniture adorned the room. I stopped half way down the stairs and frowned. Something wasn't right.

But before I could say anything, I felt a hard blow to the back of my head. As the world went dark, I felt my body crumple and fall down the stairs.

***

Waking up was a painful thing to do. My head did not like that it was hit two days in a row, so I opened my eyes to a screaming headache. Groaning, I raised my head, blood trickling down my neck at the movement.

I blinked slowly, willing my eyes to adjust to the dark room. I was hanging a few feet off the ground, my hands bound in a chain that hung from the stone ceiling. My arms ached, which told me I had been hanging there for a while.

"Good, you're awake." I squinted as the room was suddenly lit with a bright light, and after a few moments, I saw Anwir standing in front of me. He wasn't grinning as he usually did. Rather, his face was slack and his eyes had a dark look in them; one that made me want to go running.

"What's going on?" I asked, thankful my voice was steady.

Anwir didn't reply immediately, rather tilting his head to the side in an animalistic way. "You know, I never understood why Maalik didn't want me to take his place. He took me in as his apprentice, but never once did he bring up me succeeding him." What was he getting at? Where was Maalik? Anwir must've seen my expression, for he added, "He's dead."

"What did you do to him?"

"Oh, I've been slowly poisoning the old man for about a year now. Getting him used to the tea being slightly bitter . . . until the lethal dosage was easily unnoticeable. And now that he is dead, I now am the master of the Woods."

It was him. All of the attacks on the catacombs and castle, killing innocents. "How could you?" I snarled. "You have killed dozens of Fae and faerie alike. Have you no soul?"

He laughed; a broken sound, as if he hadn't done so in a very long time. "You know nothing. You have lived among the Fae and seen their good, and perhaps a small amount of their bad. If you knew what they did, you wouldn't act all high and mighty."

Even the traces of the evils the Fae had done was enough to make me agree that some deserved punishment. But to murder them? Not to mention that not every Fae and faerie was as terrible as he implied – Celaine, in the short time I knew her, was quiet and kind. So many others were bound to be the same.

"Then tell me," I replied, my eyes narrowed. He smiled, though no kindness showed.

"I mentioned that my father was from the insect house and lived among humans," he said, approaching where I hung. As he spoke, he circled around me, the action becoming more and more irritating as he continued. "He was banished, you see. For another House to take the throne, they are to kill the current ruler. But when he failed to kill the king – Cain's father – he was banished.

"So, he lived in a human village for hundreds of years, marrying a human woman thirty years ago. Soon after I was born, the people of the village killed him. And once I showed signs of magic, my mother abandoned me. Maalik found me and gave me the options of studying under him or going to the king."

"You already told me that," I replied. At least, everything except his father trying to take the throne.

He glared at me, a gesture I was more than happy to return. "When I went to the king, I found that Cain was the new ruler. I begged him for shelter, but he refused, saying he would not go against his father's decree."

A fair decision on Cain's part. Before Anwir could continue, I chirped, "Let me guess: You went to be Maalik's apprentice, plotting for all these years to get back at Cain." He glowered at me, suggesting that I was correct. "Now that this is settled, why am I here?"

"Cain is not one to let people close to him," he said, tilting his head to the side slightly. "Ever since Dimah tried to kill him, he has blocked most people out. He has his family, but even they are held at an arm's length away. But you . . . he cares for you. So, by hurting you, I will be hurting him."

I paled slightly under his withering gaze. He would hurt me.

The reality of being hung from chains suddenly dawned upon me, and I tried to shove away the feeling of fear. But his smirk told me that he was able to scent it.

"Let us see what your king will do, when he finds his maiden is not returned."

He turned and walked up the stairs of the basement, leaving me in the cold room all alone. As I hung there silently, I could at least be grateful that the tears came when Anwir was not there to see.