The Wicked Born

Chapter 7

A short girl, no older than Tabitha, with mousy brown hair and almond-shaped steel gray eyes blinked up at the witch. Tabitha watched as her fearful gaze took in the Mark on her temple, her mouth slightly agape as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. They stood in silence for a few seconds--the girl staring up equal parts in awe and in fear at Tabitha, and Tabitha staring down with a glare that could sear straight through the toughest of metals. Tabitha's fingertips danced on the tip of the blade tucked in her sleeve, itching to pull it out and bury it deep in the girls chest at the first sign of trouble. But there was none.

The girl cleared her throat and took a timid step backwards, away from the doorway and the witch inside of it. She glanced down nervously at her feet before saying, "He sent me to tell you that he wants to see you. Tonight." Her voice was low and soft but deep for a girl of her stature. It took Tabitha off guard for a moment before her mind was able to piece together the meaning behind her words.

Tabitha straightened her spine before looking the girl over. She wore a worn dress that had a hole here or there. She worked as a maid somewhere, as indicated by the tatter of her clothing. Perhaps in the inn that they were staying. "Who." Tabitha demanded despite the fact that she already knew the answer, her voice drenched in the coldness that her eyes also expressed. The girl shuddered slightly, never once prying her eyes from her feet.

"Arden," she replied quietly, her head still bowed. Tabitha sighed and rolled her eyes, shifting her feet so that her weight pressed on the open door.

"Fine," the witch said without emotion. "Where?" Once the small girl managed to stutter out an answer, Tabitha only nodded slowly and dismissed her. She made it all of ten rushed feet down the hallway before Tabitha called out to her, her feet stopping dead in their tracks. "You tell Arden," she spit the word out with a venomous force that caused the girl to flinch, "that if I even suspect that this is one of his little games that he likes to play, then I'll gut him with my dagger and make him watch as I eat the entirety of his insides. I'll burn his precious city to the ground and sift through the ashes to find what I need if it comes to that." The girl nodded once and took off down the hallway as fast as her short legs would allow her without sprinting.

Tabitha shut the door and pressed her forehead against the cool surface, muttering to herself quietly before allowing her dagger to fall from her sleeve and clank down on the table next to the door. It was at the sound of her blade hitting the wooden table that Dacre shot straight up out of his sleep on the bed, whipping his head in each direction in terror. Tabitha observed him as he calmed down almost instantaneously once he took in his surroundings. He jumped when his green eyes connected with her blue ones as she studied him.

"Bad dream?" she asked, crossing the short distance to stand in front of his bed. He frowned and furrowed his eyebrows slightly at her as if considering whether her question was a trap or not. Once he decided there was no harm in it, he nodded slowly. "I had them, too. After I was attacked when I was eight. About the Helios creatures." Dacre laughed quietly, more to himself than anything else. She shot him a questioning gaze and he shrugged slightly.

"It's just funny to me. A thing of nightmares having nightmares." Tabitha couldn't help the slight wince that wracked her body when he said it. She watched as he froze once he realized what he'd said out loud to her, his hand halfway through with rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

She used every ounce of dignity she had to return her face to its neutral expression before she retorted. "I was eight. I'd hardly call myself a 'thing of nightmares' at that age." The tension in the room was thick--tangible almost. "Do you truly think I'm a monster?"

Dacre contemplated her last question hard before altogether deciding to ignore it. "I've been told a lot of stories about you, some that you yourself have confirmed to be true. You have to admit that some of those stories can be quite ... terrifying." His voice was calm but he kept a wary eye on her to gauge her reactions, ensuring that he'd be ready to sprint out of her reach and at least attempt to fight back if she decided he wasn't worth the trouble any longer.