Forever Green

~11~ Visions in a Teacup

Lenesa lay flat on the mattress in her alcove, sequestered behind closed blue curtains and buried under layers of sheets, blankets, and various quilts she had made over the years. Her head rested on a soft white pillow, and she had tilted her face to the left in order to get a better look at the rain through the nook's window.

Though Lenesa's eyes saw the stormy gray clouds outside and the droplets running down the glass panes, her mind was full of memories from the previous night, and so that was all she really saw—mainly, how much she had let her guard down around Theiden.

He had seen her wound, and how she had barely clung to consciousness at times. She had let him see her scar, and had even had a nearly-decent conversation with him.

It frightened her.

Lenesa sat up with a sigh and slipped back the hem of her purple robe to reveal the bandaged wound beneath. Carefully, she peeled back the fabric, wincing as the dried blood and half-formed scabs stuck to the wrappings. She had managed to partly heal the injury before running out of energy, but now, after a full night's rest, she would be able to heal her shoulder completely.

The healing spell sent a shiver down her spine at the sensation of skin knitting back together, but the orange sparks she conjured completed their task without a hitch. Lenesa took it as a good sign, and parted the curtains of her nook.

The main area of the cottage was silent and cold. Kettle had disappeared for the day, and Shwei was roosting in the rafters as an owl.

Putting on her slippers, Lenesa took care to avoid the drops of blood that still stained the wooden floor as she made her way over to her wardrobe. Her intent was to change and clean up before Theiden awoke, but no sooner had she finished lacing up the side of a forest-green dress than a loud booming knock sounded at the door—the cleaning would have to wait.

The laces of the dress fell from Lenesa's fingers in surprise, and a creaking of the boards over her head indicated that the noise had awoken her guest. Sure enough, Theiden scaled down the loft ladder a few moments later, jumping down the last few rungs and landing with a solid thump.

"Is someone outside?" he asked immediately, without so much as a 'good morning'.

Lenesa smoothed down her dress and tried to act unconcerned. "So it would seem." At this hour of the morning, the creatures that roamed the forest at night should have retreated to their dwellings. But perhaps the need to hide away was not so pressing with the current cloud cover from the rain?

Theiden followed behind her as she crossed the cottage to the front door. Lenesa hesitated with her hand on the handle for just a moment, trying to get a sense of whatever it was that was on the other side. Whatever it was, she could not detect any traces of magic.

A hand grabbed her wrist, and Lenesa jumped, unable to hide her surprise as she reflexively turned to face Theiden.

"Maybe...it's gone away," he said.

Lenesa shook her head and twisted out of his grasp. "We cannot stay holed up in here all day worrying about what is or was outside. I must make sure."

Reluctantly, the hunter stepped back. After a deep breath, Lenesa threw back the bolt and opened the door.

She was met with the chilly, gray air outside. The wind was starting to pick up, and the rain was falling faster now. But there was no one and no thing waiting to come inside.

A soft plink-plink sound at Lenesa's feet drew her gaze downward to the front step.

"A teacup?" Theiden said, peering over her shoulder. The ruby-red vessel in question sat on the ground, seemingly harmless.