Witch of Iria

Black veins

We walk beside each other down the shadowy corridor, the guards like wraiths at our backs. But my attention is caught by Idris, even as I try to figure out why Elise would be worse. What had Finn done now? Because I was very sure this was his doing, with his bag of black powder. I glance sideways and our eyes meet, a clash of stormy grey and darkness. A shiver dances its way down my spine. He'd seen me in almost nothing. I fight back an annoyed blush. He smiles a little, as if I've done something funny.

"I didn't realise this was a time for smiling. Or have you lost your mind completely?" I say, breaking the heavy silence.

"Maybe I lost my mind when I opened your door. When you were wearing nothing, I mean."

I scowl and I hear a guard cough behind me.

"Are you afraid I've cast a spell on you?" I ask sarcastically, trying to ignore the heat washing through me. I really needed to sleep with someone. This feeling...it wouldn't matter what man was teasing me. It had nothing to do with Idris. He's a nightmare of a man.

"Absolutely terrified," he says but there's a hard edge to it. I dare to glance at him again. His mouth is a thin line. I feel as if I've trod on another ghost of this place without meaning to.

"Do you often dress like that for men? Or whoever you visit in that forest of yours?" The question is quiet and yet there's another edge to it.

"No," I reply, annoyed at the insinuation. That I'm a slut. I remember my mother commenting on how human men were obsessed with that sort of thing. They can't make up their minds, Gwyneth. They want you but no one else is to have you. You have to be chaste, until you're not. Thank goodness we belong to the forest, where the goddess has her place.

"I've always done whatever I wanted. I never realised human men would have something to say about it, as if it's their business."

"I didn't mean-" he begins but I interrupt. We were moving closer to Elise's rooms, which I had never been allowed to enter.

"-you don't mean a lot of things and yet you say them," I say, thinking of the library.

"I'm sorry, then," he says and I blink. I falter and stop for a moment, my eyes seeking him. He stops as well and his smile is oddly sincere. It makes his face less brutal and he looks alive instead of glacial.

"Thank you," I say quietly and we begin walking again. "Why is Elise worse?"

He stiffens and the soft mood between us dies.

"I don't know," he snaps and I truly wonder if this man has bipolar. He's giving me whiplash.

We approach the entrance to her rooms, framed in a large black door. It resembles a prison cell. No wonder she ventured into the woods...if that's actually what happened. Idris steps in before me, his dark hair flashing blue in the candlelight.

As I venture in, what hits me first is the smell. It's pure rot, coated in a sticky incense that makes me want to gag. Elise lies on a bed of red velvet, her brown hair lank against her pale face. She's shivering and sweating as the dark veins of the curse roam around her body. I barely notice Grindel standing worriedly at her side, his hands shaking. Oh gods, but I can't do this! I double over, wanting to retch. I can sense the cadence of the trees, the scent of rot and the deep heart of the woods...great paws padding closer...Gwyneth...

That sinister voice echoes through the room, somehow stronger than last time. Gwyneth...the longer I wait the worse she'll be...come to me...

I can't breathe, I can't think around the presence. My magic surges to life, seeking to attack. Silver sparks begin to form in my hands. But that voice is sucking the life out of me...