Emberlight

18. The Bloody End

Kelsey

"I'm fine. Really," Finn told Kelsey as they walked down the long corridor towards the infirmary. The walk from the edge of the barrier to the corridor had been silent until now. Shame.

"I didn't ask," she replied, stroking her fingers over the markings on the wall. She spotted a new one along the way—another sigil for her mental cache, not that her Perl lesson was progressing well.

"A bit of bad blood in my system won't turn me evil," Finn mumbled. "You don't need to be so rigid."

Kelsey rolled her eyes, although the blood smeared on his cheek sickened her. "Rigid? I'm not scared of you."

Finn smirked. "Could have fooled me."

"I guess you're a fool, then," she said, scratching the smirk from his face. She waited for his reply, but after a few grunts, it didn't look like the big guy had much to offer.

Footsteps from further up the corridor luckily replaced the forced conversation. Maybe she could palm off the lessor-liked O'Tierney twin on them. What a savour! Kelsey thought, before she looked up properly.

The man from the forest blocked their path to the infirmary. He wore a black cloak, black gloves, and black boots. Everything else he wore was a very dark shade of grey.

"The Blood C-collector," Finn said, the name jarring in Kelsey's head. She had never heard Finn stammer before. Grumble, moan, and argue, yes, but stammer? No. Cold dread spread through her stomach.

Finn lunged towards the wall, pressing his bloodied palm against one of the scorch marks on the wall. He gritted his teeth. It looked like something was supposed to happen, but the only discernible difference was how Finn paled.

"Something's wrong!" Finn gasped, wiping at the inky stains. He turned to Kelsey. "Enchant the mark. It'll warn the others."

Kelsey hesitated. She couldn't make a Perl. Her gift was useless. She knew that blood could work in place of a Perl, but that didn't matter because she couldn't cut her hand without passing out. She wasn't about to show her weakness to either of them.

What exactly are you good for?

"She's not going to do that. She's going to relax," the witch said in the same velvet tone he had subdued her with the night before. "Neither of you will run from me."

They shared a look of terror before Finn growled, his muscles tightening while Kelsey could only watch. The sight of the strange man calmed her. His voice fizzed in her mind like static. He smelled earthly, like the forest he had lingered in so much. She knew she should panic, but her concern distanced itself from her.

"I will never pledge to you!" Finn yelled, dabbing a cut on his arm. "You did this to me!"

"No, my child," the man said, his frown flourishing. "But you can blame me if you wish. I have done many bad things, and I can't stop now."

He's here to hurt someone. Those five words spun around Kelsey's head relentlessly like a bad pop song. When he looked at her, she tried to run away but couldn't.

"Kelsey, you will come with me," his velvet voice requested.

She took a few steps towards him until a hand fastened around her wrist. It took a second for her eyes to adjust, but Odin had appeared by her side, his expression fighting between anger and worry. It was enough to make Kelsey pause.

She braced herself, expecting to feel that sickly lurch of his speedy gift, but instead, he tugged her arm lightly.

"What did you do to me?" Odin asked the witch without looking him in the eye. "I can't run."