A Court of Snow and Storms

6. All for a Promise

    Elodie blinked her eyes open with a groan. At some point amidst her sobs and hysterical laughter, she'd passed out. Sunlight poured through her window. She sat up gingerly and winced. Every small movement jarred her back painfully. She peered over her shoulder and groaned.

    Her back was a mess of black, blue, and yellow bruises. There were patches where her skin had split open. Dried blood clung to the wounds. Her dress was torn and stained. Elodie drew shallow breaths.

    Slow footsteps scuffled in the hallway. Her door creaked open. She hadn't realized it was closed. "Miss Elodie?"

    "Anya," she answered, acknowledging the maid. The age bent female entered the room.

    She gasped, covering her mouth with a hand. "Oh my. Oh dear." Anya shuffled closer to her. "I'm sorry, Miss Elodie. I would've come sooner, but Master Rohese forbade anyone from coming in here. The family have all gone for the day. They left about ten minutes ago. Let me help you get cleaned up."

    Elodie nodded slowly. Anya slipped an arm beneath hers and helped her stand. Elodie bit back a yelp. Anya led her from her bedroom over to the bathroom. The tub was already full of warm water. Anya peeled Elodie's soiled dress and undergarments away and helped her settle into the tub.

    "I'll be back with some salve and clean clothes," Anya promised. "You just stay here as long as you need. I'll start cleaning up your room."

    Elodie nodded again, closing her eyes. The door creaked shut, and she was alone. Tears stung beneath her eyelids. "Oh Papa," she whispered. "How can Uncle Ebner be so cruel when you were so gentle and kind? How could you have been brothers? It's not possible. It must be a mistake."

    But it wasn't. Ebner and Amoriel Rohese were Elodie's only living relatives. They had agreed to take her in when her parents were killed by bears when she was only five. They'd begrudgingly raised her and when she was 107 years old, Mina was born. A year later, Micah came along. Mitsi arrived six years after him. Elodie was tasked with caring for her cousins and for the past thirteen years, she had done so.

    "I'm supposed to visit Wynter tonight," she murmured. "I can't let Uncle Ebner stop me. But can I even make it to the townhouse?" Elodie attempted to sit up. Pain lacerated her spine and she sank back against the tub. The water around her was tinged red. "I won't be able to sneak out like this. I'll fumble around and make too much noise."

    Elodie sighed and the bathroom door opened once more. Anya helped her lean forward and gently wiped the blood from her back. She scooped her fingers through a heady salve and smeared the goop over Elodie's wounds. Elodie winced at the stinging, but didn't resist. It would dull the pain. Perhaps she would be able to visit Wynter after all.

    Elodie bit back a hiss of pain as Anya helped her rise. She dried herself off and stepped into a fresh set of clothes. Elodie thanked Anya with a brief hug before returning to her bedroom. Anya had already scrubbed the blood off her floor.

    Elodie grabbed a rag and began dusting every inch of the place. Her back ached with the movements, but she kept working. She fell into a steady rhythm and worked until she could no longer stand. At last, Elodie dropped onto her bed and let sleep steal her away.

❅•~❅~•❅

    Wynter paced the length of the sitting room, pausing each time he passed the window. Night had fallen and there was still no sign of Elodie. Colette sat wordlessly in her chair, her knitting needles clacking away. "She promised she would come," he murmured. "She came last time and I wasn't there to shadow her home."