The Threadbound series : Unraveling

Threadburnt Thoughts

Frin

I woke up with a heavy pounding in my head. Disoriented and with no sense of time or place, I blinked as my vision slowly cleared. The room was bathed in daylight, the sun seeping through the window. I felt something warm and heavy on my chest and tried to sit up in bed. The cat, which had been lying on my chest, jumped off with a startled meow and started making noises.

"SHUT UP, GINGER, my head hurts!" I yelled at the cat, trying to sit up. I grabbed onto my bedside table for support, but my legs gave out, and I stumbled, knocking it over.

Marcel rushed into the room upon hearing the commotion. "Master Freeman," he said, helping me back onto the bed.

"Stuff that cat into a bag and throw it away... it wouldn't stop making noise," I ordered Marcel.

"Lady Felina, go downstairs, I've made a bowl of milk for you," Marcel said, and the cat stared at me for a moment before wandering off.

"Lady Felina? That's her name... It's worse than Ginger," I grumbled.

"If it wasn't for the cat, I wouldn't have found you lying unconscious with a threadburn on the bedroom floor. I was at the stables, and she came there and scratched me until I followed her,"

Do cats even do that? Do they even care?

"And what in the holy tangled threads were you thinking? You work non-stop, healing people and overexerting yourself. You stopped going out with friends, always in your room cooking up potions or talking to yourself. I know things weren't smooth between you and your mother. And for some big unknown reason you hated her when she was alive, But what are you doing now? Wasting the rest of your life hating her memories?"

Marcel was on a roll, like all his pent-up anger and frustration was pouring out in his scolding.

I wanted to shout at him that I didn't hate her.I loved her with all my heart, but she kept so many secrets from me. Those secrets still haunted me. But her biggest secret was that she was afraid of me—her own child, only because I could veilweave. It was her fear that ripped us apart. It was her blinding hatred for veilweavers that tore us apart. Still I delude myself with my illusions of her loving me.

But instead I said, "You work for me, Marcel. I found you, and you work for me,"

For a moment, Marcel paused.

"Yes, Master Freeman. Your breakfast is ready, and should I ask Bev to bring it to your room?" he asked.

"Yes, please do that," I said.

Marcel was at the door to leave when I asked, "Marcel, how long was I unconscious?"

He turned to look at me, his expression grave. "It's been three days, Master," he replied, leaving me dumbfounded.

After discovering that I couldn't use my threads for a few more days without the risk of a threadfracture, I found myself in my mother's room again. This time, I was writing down my findings on a parchment and making connections like a human scholar. I took gentle sips from the whisper leaf tea, tasting the Lunar Lily. Marcel may have added to help with the threadburn.

I jotted down :

- The rebels want to overthrow the Veilweave Nobles.

Reasons: Nobles are snobs, threadhunters are arrogant killers.

- Ma was a scholar and a teacher, taught humans, researched veilweave, and supported the rebels.

- Marcus Burns: He met Ma and introduced her to Atticus Castor, the rebel leader.

- Marcus Burns was killed by a threadhunter who can loosen shield bindings.

- Ma : slit her throat- suicide or killing?

"Once my powers return to normal, we should have a chat with Atticus Castor, don't you think, Ginger?" I asked, only to find myself alone.

Ginger had not come up after my shouting. After a brief moment of hesitation, I shook my head. I stood up and left Mas room to go downstairs, yelling, "Ginger... GINGER!"