By the time the modest cottage came into view, Felix's shoulder was about ready to fall off. His tongue burned from the number of times he bit down on it to distract from the ache in his wound, and even the thin cuts in his neck were set on pestering him with a constant sting. His steps were uncertain as weariness dragged him down. All that kept him upright was Aiko's arm hooked around him—though she was straining herself under his weight.
The air had grown thick with heat as they made their way through the forest. When the trees opened up to reveal the cottage, the familiar sight of a shimmering barrier came into view. It wrapped the cottage in a constant stream of warmth, shifting and wavering like heat waves rolling off the cobblestone paths in the summer. Like Aiko said, it seemed to have a connection to the Core, despite being so far out from the castle.
Night blanketed the forest in the cover of darkness, and the chittering of bugs provided a constant backdrop of noise. It mirrored the static that stuffed his head, slowing his thoughts until they were shapeless and sluggish. Numbly, he stood as still and balanced as possible while Aiko slipped away from his side and approached the flickering barrier.
As much as he wanted to, he couldn't seem to forget her words, nor the sight of flames licking at the body of the guard. He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat, forcing himself to keep his gaze locked ahead. Even without looking, the stickiness of blood gathered between his fingers and bound them together.
The vision had never been this strong in her presence. Now, he couldn't escape it.
He curled his fingers against his palm until his nails bit into his flesh. There was nothing more complicated than magic, and it had always seemed like a distant, childish dream. Now, everywhere he turned, he was sinking into it. From his soul to his bargain to his ally, there was nothing that wasn't steeped in the influence of the Core. Even Aiko was drowning in it. The hurt in her eyes was enough to floor him, and all that kept him upright was the ice crawling through his veins.
Vulnerability, that's what it was. He dragged a hand through his hair to shake the illusion of blood from his fingers. She opened herself up to me and promoted trust between us, even though I still hold my cards in hand. Maybe I should...
A slit opened in the barrier, revealing a clear image of the cottage hidden behind its veil. Aiko glanced over her shoulder with a smug grin, though it didn't quite reach her eyes—dulled by darkness that shrouded her hazel gaze. With the sweep of her arm, she extended her hand to him. "This way."
"I can walk a few feet on my own," he murmured but took firm hold of her hand anyway, allowing her to steady him as he followed her through the glistening field of magic. The moment he stepped through it, the tightness in his lungs vanished and he took a deep breath of fresh, light air. It tasted faintly of smoke and he wrinkled his nose, suppressing a cough that scratched the back of his throat.
Aiko squeezed his hand, threading her fingers between his. She clung to his arm—not for his support, it seemed, as she hung a step behind him. "Maybe it's not for your comfort, but for mine," she whispered. "Ameris and his men should be unable to find this place, however, I can't help the kinds of things my mind is telling me."
Felix glanced along the walls. Unlike the castle and the city, the cottage was constructed mainly of wood. It was almost ironic considering its protection from the Core, which belonged to a beast of fire. He guessed it was made to be unassuming and impermanent.
As Aiko's hand landed against the knob of the door in front of them, she twisted and pushed it open. It creaked loudly on old hinges, swinging open slowly like a reluctant beast she had prodded with her foot. The lights inside flickered on automatically and bathed the entryway in a fiery glow. The hum of magic filled the silence, as warm and clingy as the Core's room back at the castle.
Aiko drifted away from his side as though the lantern's flames beckoned her inside. Her steps carried her halfway down the hall before she turned back to him, brushing her tangled curls out of her face.
"Felix?" she asked, her gaze searching his face.
His hand, now empty of the weight of hers, rubbed absently at the sling which bound his other arm against his chest. There was no escape from magic, it seemed. "It's nothing," he said softly.
When she turned, he caught the sight of doubt written plainly in every line on her face. Mercifully, she didn't prod, and instead wandered further into the house until her form disappeared around a corner. Wooden floorboards creaked beneath her steps—a striking contrast to the carpets that lined every hall in her castle, muting their footsteps as they ran.
He hesitated a moment longer, holding his breath as he swept his gaze over the doorway. She hadn't explicitly said so, but he had his own thoughts on the making of the small "safe house." The grooves in the wood glittered with amber firelight, though the glow from the lanterns remained sealed within. The barrier's haze fluttered through the house like dust; though the house had been abandoned since it was built most likely, it was spotless. He trailed his hand across a table set out in the front hallway, feeling the smooth wood beneath his fingers. Not a speck of dust came away on his fingers.
She hadn't said it, but he could only assume the safe house was constructed using the magic of the Core. Though Aiko claimed to be bound closely to it, nothing of the building had her fingerprint. She was more suited to destruction. Creation was not her thing.
Had the Core made this place for her, or had someone else harnessed it in her stead?
The entryway opened up to a small seating area combined with a kitchen. At the far end of the room on the right side, there were two doors. Turning, he met a third door, which hung open. Aiko was inside the small bedroom, rummaging through a wardrobe pressed against the back wall. A thick, red quilt covered the bed on the right side, dulled by the moonlight that spilled through the window above it. Scarlet and crimson filled the wardrobe in the shape of dresses, tunics, and cloaks, broken apart by a bit of maroon and bright, poppy red which belonged to other sporadic articles of clothing. Felix suppressed a smile beneath his blank. This must be Aiko's room.
She pulled herself up on the tips of her toes to reach the highest shelf, fingers splayed to reach for something tucked against the back wall. When she sank to her heels, she came away with a small, wooden box clutched in her hands. Catching his eye, she flashed a sly smile. "For your wound. We should take a look at it."
He nodded, his hand finding its way to his shoulder again. It was difficult to believe it was only a few days ago that they had made their escape. It felt like an eternity had passed—yet at the same time, only a few hours seemed to have gone by. His mind was still reeling with everything that had been dropped on him, and the added weight of magic drifting through the air was of little help. "First," he found himself muttering, "I'd like to wash off."
"That would be wise," she said with a soft laugh, one that rang of her usual sly, mocking tone. She shuffled past him. "I'll see if I can hunt down some clean clothes for you. There's a well outside you can draw from. I'll leave you to it, but please don't hesitate to call me if you need help."
"I won't," he said flatly as she disappeared into one of the other rooms—another bedroom. "I think you've seen enough of me."
With a scoff, she called back, "You're no fun at all."
"Nova agrees. I am a deadbeat, after all," he answered, mimicking Nova's sneer. Too mechanical, she claimed. You do as you're told and nothing more. It was a stupid thing to bother with, yet the notion sliced his pride, cutting deep enough to wound his very core.
He was not a machine. He wasn't bound by greed or the commands of others. He had the freedom to make his own choices. Whatever Nova said, it wasn't true.
Yet the idea began to fester the longer he thought about it.
Before Aiko could return, he unhooked the clasp on his cloak and tugged it away from his shoulders, draping it across the back of a chair. The sling came away easily, evoking a dull ache in his wound as he lifted it over his head. Small, red blotches dotted the bandages that bound his shoulder, though they were darkened and dry. He unwrapped the cloth and dropped it beside his cloak.
Despite the way she joked, Aiko didn't return from the bedroom as he turned and left. He ducked outside alone, sucking in a deep breath. It was the first time he had truly been on his own since the dungeon. Mental exhaustion slammed into him, dulling the sensation of grass beneath his feet as he wandered out to the well. When had he even taken off his shoes? Everything seemed to have blurred together into a string of nonsense, a knot he could never hope to untangle while his mind was a mess of weariness.
Like everything else within the confines of the Core's barrier, the well seemed to glow with a faint, fiery light. He wrapped the rope tightly around his wrist and hauled the bucket out from the water below. It was the same as climbing a ladder: time-consuming, painful to the muscles in his lonely right arm, and difficult with one hand. Gritting his teeth, he gave the rope another sharp tug as the bucket came into view. When this is all over, the first thing I'm going to do is take a proper bath, and someone else is going to draw the water for me.
Cold water washed over him, plastering his hair to his forehead. Despite the persistent warmth beneath the barrier, the water seemed to coat his skin in frost, pricking his flesh with thousands of tiny, icy needles. He shivered and set the empty bucket aside on the rim of the well. He wiped the water from his face, dragging his fingers through his hair to shove it back.
When this is all over, he echoed. A dry laugh clawed at his throat, begging to be released. He swallowed it. If it never ends, what then?
Though the question emerged from deep within him, desperate to be heard and resolved, no answer followed. It left him alone, shivering with cold and drowning in the silence.
⇠⭑⭒⭑⇢
Felix couldn't remember the last time the idea of clean clothes had stirred so much excitement within him. It never seemed like something to celebrate; he changed to mark the start of a new day, and he changed to rid himself of the stains of another's blood. It was a fact of life, nothing more.
After a week of being confined to the same clothes, smothered in his blood, sweat, and whatever else had been in that dungeon, a change of clothes brought a breath of fresh air to his lungs. A little longer in that curse and the feel of the soft fabric against his skin might have dragged tears to his dry eyes.
The second bedroom was larger than Aiko's, furnished with a bed meant for two and a set of double doors that opened into a closet. Judging from the clothes neatly packed inside, it must have been designed for her late parents. Aiko had pulled out a loose, airy tunic and a pair of dark grey pants for him. It was an awkward fit, but he would take it over his old clothes.
He combed his fingers through his hair to shake out the lingering droplets of water before pushing open the door, tunic in hand. Aiko sat on the sofa, legs crossed with the box placed in her lap. She looked up when he entered the room. Water flattened her curls, pressing them flatly against her back. The dark-colored uniform the guards gifted her with had been exchanged for a simple red dress that hung loosely on her frame. Ribbons of gold lined the hem of the short, flowy sleeves, matching the bands clamped around her wrists. She smiled and patted the seat next to her.
"Better?" she asked.
He sank into the seat beside her, angling himself toward her. "Don't mock me. You know you were thinking it too."
"I'm a polite young lady," she said with the haughty jerk of her chin. "I wasn't going to point it out."
"Yeah? I seem to recall someone telling me I—and I quote—'smell like a man who's been in the dungeon for three days' while we were dancing."
She pulled back with a gasp, placing a hand against her chest as though she had been struck. "You danced with another woman? I'm offended."
"It was you."
"I would never. It's rude of you to accuse me of such things." Making a show of rolling her eyes—despite the smile that twitched at the corners of her lips—she pried open the box. The sharp smell of herbs and ointments flooded the room and she wrinkled her nose. "I hope the Core kept these things in a usable state."
"I think they're supposed to smell bad." The scent brought up a wave of nostalgia that washed over him. His master always carried the scent of bitter herbs and ink when they were off work, and remedies for treating wounds were often laid out while Felix was learning the ropes. Choking back the memories, he glanced down at his hands, tracing the scars that laced across his palms.
It was stupid the way that his heart twisted at the memory. Now, more than ever, he wished his master was there. Surely, he would have had some wise saying that would solve everything.
Running away would be our best bet, but Aiko... His gaze slid to her. She was busy unraveling a roll of thick, white bandages, her lips pinched in a thoughtful frown. Tired, dark rings underlined her eyes, but the flame in her gaze burned as brightly as ever. When she flicked her eyes toward him, he couldn't help but lean forward slightly, drawn in by the fire.
Aiko can't leave until she's free. The lock on her cage is too strong for me to break it with force.
The more he thought about it, the more a bitter taste coated his tongue. Though he wasn't there to speak for himself, Felix knew what his master would say. "Why don't you leave her behind?" he would ask in that honeyed tone—the one that always suggested he knew better than Felix ever would. "You can run away and grasp freedom yourself. No job is worth risking your life over. If you can't kill her, leave her. She's a tool. Tools are made to be used, not loved."
In the past, he might have leapt to obey, eager to be on his own. She was a burden. Who could blame him for wanting to be rid of her?
But now, the very idea tugged painfully at his chest, prodding the embers of his weak flame.
Hesitantly, her fingers brushed his shoulder. She smiled sheepishly as though she were fighting back the urge to wince, despite that it was his wound and not hers. Gentle as ever, she began to wrap the bandage around the wound.
He caught her hand, pinning her beneath a firm stare. "Clean it first," he said. "It'll get infected if you don't, and I don't plan to let Nova be the one to get credit for my death."
She stiffened and pulled away. "Sorry."
"It's alright. I'll go draw some water."
"No," she interjected before he could rise to his feet. Setting aside the box and the wad of unrolled bandages, she pushed herself off the sofa. "I'll do it. Wait here."
She left no room for argument as she spun and hurried out of the room. Part of him was grateful. It would have been polite for him to offer again to do it in her stead, as it wasn't her place as queen to be drawing water from a well in the middle of the night for his sake, but his good arm wept in protest. His palm burned from the rope, and his muscles ached from hauling up a bucket full of water.
Sighing, he sank against the back of the sofa. It was saddening the number of things that were difficult when he could only rely on one hand. Slowly, his gaze slid to the wound. The hole was small, closed over with a dark red scab. An angry redness dusted the skin around it, and the edges of the wound were jagged and awkward. It burned when he jerked his shoulder, but the pain was already less than it had been originally.
He rubbed his shoulder absently, gritting his teeth at the pain that shot across his chest. If they waited for it to heal before venturing back to Niveus, that might work in his favor. However, there was an urgency to the tone in which Aiko spoke and a desperation buried in the depths of her hazel gaze. It would take weeks for his arm to heal. She didn't have weeks.
And if Dinah is still involved...
"Got it!" Aiko called, rounding the corner with a shallow bowl of water in her hands. A proud grin stretched across her lips as she pushed away from the wall, twirling and ducking into an awkward bow. The water sloshed in the bowl, spraying droplets out at her feet.
Chuckling, he shook his head. "Hold the bowl straight, Your Majesty. You're spilling."
She dropped into the seat next to him, holding the bowl above her head. When she was settled, she placed it gently in her lap and fished around in the box for another cloth. As she dipped the rag in the water, she gestured for him to lean in closer and dabbed gently at the wound.
He watched her work silently, keeping as still as possible. When her touch irritated the wound, he bit down on his tongue to keep from flinching away. His jaw ached more than his arm did by the time she began to wrap the wound in clean bandages.
"What's your plan after this?" he asked as she tugged the wrapping tightly against his shoulder. "Return to Crocea, I assume. If there's a Crocea to return to."
"I have to return to the Core, regardless of what state the city is in." She twisted the ends of the bandage into a knot, securing the wrapping in place. When she was finished, she collected the supplies and set them aside. Dusting her hands off, she sank back into her seat and sighed. "I'd like to... you know, take back my throne, but I fear that would be an impossible task. I think Ameris had a hand in all of this." She twisted the end of a lock of hair in her fingers, fixing her gaze on her lap. "He wasn't the one that hired you, was he?"
"No." Felix stretched out his injured arm, testing the limits of the wound. It screamed in protest and he shrank back with a grunt, tucking the arm against his chest again. "I think I should keep the sling," he muttered as he gingerly pulled his loose tunic on over his head.
Aiko laced her fingers together in her lap, rubbing her thumb against the side of her pointer finger. She said nothing, but the unspoken question that hung in the air between them was loud enough to make his ears ring. It had grown into a weight that wrapped around his neck, dragging him away from her when he tried to get close. Like the visions of blood on his fingers, it was another thing that sealed him away from her. Dinah ordered for her death; Dinah was the one who sent him. If Ameris had a hand in what happened, he was likely working with Dinah. Together, they sought to overthrow Aiko. By all accounts, Aiko would have every reason to hate him if she knew.
She doesn't hate you. If she wanted to, she would already, he reminded himself, pushing back against the doubt that planted its seed in his core. There's no reason to keep quiet. It's no longer a card to keep hidden. Tell her. Tell her the truth.
Inhaling deeply, he shoved down the inkling of anxiety that latched onto his mind and faced Aiko. "Dinah," he began. "Queen Dinah of Furvus is the one who sent me."
She said nothing. Her fingers curled around her skirt as her shoulders stiffened, her lips pressed into a thin line. "Maybe it's a good thing you waited so long to tell me," she murmured. "I probably would have yelled at you if you told me before."
"I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you until I was certain you weren't going to turn on me. I guess I owe it to you after everything you confessed to me the other day." He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at the floor. "How was I supposed to react? You're... blended with the Core. That's your curse. That's why Dinah wants you dead."
Aiko's head snapped up, her brow furrowed. "She knows about the curse?"
"Yes."
Confusion and fear twisted her features, blending together in a perfect mix of uncertainty. She shoved herself to her feet. "Then we have to go. Now. If she's involved, then—"
"Hold on." Felix stood up with her, catching her wrist. When she met his gaze with wide, panicked eyes, he continued softly, "This place is safe, you said so yourself. If we rush back now, we'll only get caught. I'm tired, you're tired, we both need a moment to rest. Dinah may not even be in Niveus yet—in fact, it's most likely that she's not."
"Word sure traveled fast that you screwed up. Your assassin buddies arrived much too quickly for my liking," Aiko snapped, wrenching herself free. "She might already be here. It's my duty to protect the Core. If she knows about my curse and still wanted to get rid of me, then I can't trust what she'll do in my absence."
"She can't do anything," he murmured, taking her hand again and holding it up. He slid the tips of his fingers between hers to separate the gold ring that clung to her pointer finger. "That room is sealed off, and she can't get in without this. Worst comes to worst, soldiers will be out looking for you. They can't find us here. You need to rest."
Slowly, the tension ebbed away from her shoulders. She sank back against her heels and her gaze fluttered away. With a sigh, she dropped her hand to her side, sliding her fingers between his until their palms met. "Okay," she murmured in defeat. "Okay. I'll trust you. But I don't want to sit here idly."
He cradled her hand between both of his, brushing his thumb across her knuckles. The warmth of her palm was steady—calming, like the ever-present hum of the Core that hung over them. "What is it you want to do?"
"Teach me to fight," she said, tilting her head to peer at him from beneath her curtain of hair. "I'll stay here and rest, but only if you teach me to handle a weapon."
Felix: If I'm training you to fight, that's not resting >:(
Aiko, who lives to find loopholes in the system: :)
See you all next week!