The Shadows of Erisdar (ON HOLD)

Chapter 11

It had nearly been a fortnight since Alex had been brought to the shadow's territory and locked inside the old house. Darryl was gone most of the time, and when he was at the house, she stayed in the bedroom, where she sat in the window seat, gazing longingly out at the world.

Percy popped in every other day to check on her, and he would always find her looking out a window, not acknowledging him. He felt partly responsible for this. He could have stood up for the girl, but he chose to stay out of Darryl's business. He still did not know why she was brought here, and Darryl himself did not know either, confused by his own instincts, but Percy was not going to let her think she was a prisoner.

He knocked softly on her bedroom door. When there was no reply, he eased it open and peeked inside. As always, she sat curled on the window seat. It pained him seeing her like this. It reminded him of his velari and how she was finding it hard to adapt here.

"Alex." He said softly when he went to sit beside her. She didn't acknowledge him.

Sighing, he decided to continue speaking. "I know he yelled at you and I'm sure you must be scared, but there's no need to be, he just reacted, but would never hurt anyone. He's not that type of person, and please don't coop yourself up in here. He was angry, and he says unnecessary things when he's angry. I want you to know that you're not a prisoner here."

"Yet I'm not free to leave." She asked without looking at him.

"We're afraid of just letting you go-"

"Why? Because I might reveal your location?" Her tone was sharp, accusatory.

Percy nodded slowly.

"Then why bring me here at all?" she snapped. "If I'm such a threat, why not leave me where you found me?"

Percy looked at her for a while, thinking of what to say. "My brother can't walk away from someone that needs help, and-"

Alex cut him off with the new information. "Your brother?" she asked, looking at him.

"Yes, Darryl is my brother."

"No wonder you defend him," she scoffed.

Percy pursed his lips before continuing. "Anyway, you asked why we couldn't just let you leave."

He exhaled slowly. "We can't risk being found. We're all hiding here, from people who want us dead."

"Why didn't he just let me go?" She asked after a beat of silence.

"I honestly do not know. Some deep instinct stopped him. I don't know if some higher forces had a hand in it, but even he doesn't understand. What I do know is this: you are safer from those wolves here than anywhere else, and without you, their plan cannot go ahead. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

Alex proceeded to look outside again, trying to ignore Percy.

"I know you're frustrated at being locked up in here, but it's just temporary until we figure everything out. This is new to us, too. We've never had someone different here." He said as he got up to leave.

"Trust is earned, not bought," she said bitterly.

"I know." He replied quietly, "It also goes both ways."

The days following Percy's conversation came and went, and Alex had fallen into a routine. Darryl left early in the morning and only returned at dusk. Each night when the front door creaked open, Alex slipped behind her own, heart clenched, willing the silence to hold. Thankfully, Darryl never spoke to her.

Somewhere in the week after Percy had spoken to her, she had found a note on her bedside table saying that she could help herself to any of the books in the house, even the ones in the study, which had recently been unlocked.