Tangled Fates

Chapter 6 Lila

****Edited 7/28/24****

The stillness of the air shattered as warm fingers brushed my arm, jolting my heart into a frantic rhythm. Startled, I pulled away, locking eyes with a woman whose warmth radiated from her kind brown eyes and gentle smile. How did she get in here? I glanced at the door, still blocked by the chair, my mind flooded with questions while anxiety pulsed through me.

"Easy there," she cautioned. I watched her lips as she spoke. Her hand gently touched my cheek, and I couldn't help but notice the softness of her face. Her kindness felt out of place in a world that thrived on cruelty.

"I didn't come through the main door. I used the servant's corridor," she explained, nodding towards a hidden opening in the stone wall. Meeting her gaze again, I searched for any hint of deception behind her pitying looks but found none.

"Let me help you," she said. "I'm Nadia. And what should I call you?" Her touch was gentle as she helped me up. Trust no one echoed in my mind.

"You're safe now," she said as she continued to help me stand. Safety felt like an elusive dream, amidst suffocating nightmares that threatened my very existence.

"There's a bath not too far from here," she suggested. "Maybe it would help, considering everything you've been through."

I hesitated. To accept her offer was to step into the unknown, to trust in the intentions of a stranger when past experiences screamed caution. Yet, the promise of being clean was too tantalizing to ignore. I hesitantly agreed.

Nadia smiled, a small, radiant thing that seemed to cast light into the shadowed corridors of my mind and gestured for me to follow. She led me through the castle's labyrinthine hallways of the servants' corridor. Her steps are sure and silent on the cold stone floor.

"This passage is rarely used," she said. "The Alpha and his guests prefer grander routes. But here," she paused, laying a gentle hand over her heart, "here you can move freely, unseen if you wish. You are not a prisoner. Remember that."

The servant's passage was a hidden vein within the castle, a path that one could traverse without the weight of prying eyes or the burden of expectation. It symbolized a sliver of freedom, a concession granted perhaps out of necessity rather than kindness, but it was freedom nonetheless.

We moved together through the passage. The only sound was our muted footsteps and the distant murmur of the castle's inhabitants going about their duties, oblivious to the wounded soul in their midst. Nadia's warmth was a testament to the compassion that still existed. I took note of every turn we made and every person that passed us. If I were to use these halls, I needed to know where every door led to and how to navigate it alone.

We halted in front of a door with an odd written design carved into it. It looked like a language, but none that I had ever seen before.

"This is where you can go to take a bath. You are always welcome here. This writing is of our ancient ancestors. Do not worry if you can not read it, no one can anymore. It has been lost to us for a very long time. We know just to recognize the symbols and know what is behind the door. You will eventually get used to it." Her smile never faltered. "If you ever need anything, just ask. Everyone here already knows who you are and will assist you."

Knows who I am? Just who exactly did they think I was?

Nadia pushed the door open. It glided in a faint whisper that could only be felt in vibrations. A scent enveloped me, pulling at the depths of my consciousness. It was not just the lavender and mint that filled the air, but a primal musk, earthy and wild. The fragrance wrapped around me like a cloak, mysterious and captivating.