Chapter 203

Chapter 203 Left you something

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CA SSANDRA

As the car drove past the borders of Wegalla and into those of Yurene, it was very late into the night. Finnick was fast asleep on my lap, and I ran my hands through his soft, dark brown hair. It was a ritual of ours, one that put the child at ease almost immediately. He’d been so nervous as the ride had continued, so I’d pulled him close and tried to get him to relax.

Beside me, Erika had her elbow propped up against the window, and her eyes were closed. I didn’t know if she was asleep or simply resting, as we hadn’t spoken since we’d first gotten into the car, but I couldn’t blame her if she weren’t asleep. How could we dream so easily when we were leaving the place of our birth, not knowing if we would ever return?

The car kept driving in the deep, dense forest before we reached the other side of the trees and came up on a town. The light was spar se and dim, but I could make out a sign that read “Gliolis” in the distance.

What a strange name, I thought as the car drove down the winding road slowly. I supposed that everything in this foreign land would seem strange, and a knot formed in my stomach. I knew I’d made the right decision, the only decision to be made at the time, but it didn’t mean that I was feeling particularly brave about it. I was putting on a face for Finnick, but inside… inside, I was terrified.

Kaleb turned around from the pa*senger side and cleared his throat.

“We’re going to rest in this town tonight,” the king of Yurene announced in a considerately quiet voice. “Then we’ll depart in the morning and continue on our way.”

I didn’t say anything in response because I knew the foreign monarch wasn’t asking me but telling me. But his tone was surprisingly soft and gentle. I was surprised by the calmness, though I still didn’t trust him.

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The driver stopped the car just outside of an inn. I glanced up at it through the window and was surprised by the sight. It was nothing much, just two stories, but I’d been prepared for something worse. I knew Kaleb wasn’t going to put us in shackles or anything, but we were prisoners of a sort, so I hadn’t expected us to go

somewhere nice.

As Kaleb exited the car, I took a moment to steady myself and then roused Finnick. He sat up slowly and then blinked his large gray eyes at me.

“Mommy?” he asked as he glanced around. “What’s going on?”

“We’re stopping for the night, honey,” I explained, and then I offered him a small smile. “Come on, follow me. We’ll get you into a bed, okay?”

Finnick nodded and then turned to Erika. The maid opened her eyes and then let out a soft sigh. She glanced at me for a moment and offered me a small smile of her own. After I exchanged the gesture, we stepped out of the vehicle.

Kaleb led us inside but didn’t say a word. His guards and diplomats followed along, and we were stuck in the middle of the group.

The receptionist was an old woman. She lolled against the counter, book in hand, but her dark eyes were half-closed. As our group approached the counter, she yawned and lifted her head in surprise. When she scanned the room, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. She seemed taken aback by the number of potential guests and flashed us a warm smile as we filtered into the lobby.

“Good evening,” she greeted us. “Welcome to my inn.”

Kaleb and his diplomats looked utterly exhausted and didn’t speak. Instead, the guards did most of the talking and arranged rooms with the old woman. I half-expected the woman to recognize the king of the country, but she didn’t seem to notice him. Perhaps there were simply too many people present.

We were ushered into a room on the second floor, and I was grateful that Kaleb allowed Erika, Finnick, and me to stay together. I’d been worried about us being split up, but the king of Yurene a*sured us that we would be in the same room tonight.

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“Would you like a hot bath?” the old woman asked kindly once we stepped into the room. “If you need one, I will prepare it immediately, but you will have to wait an hour. I rarely have guests this season, and the boiler room isn’t functioning at the moment.”

The North was much colder than Wegalla, and a hot shower would be nice, but when she led us to the bathroom and I saw the stained bathtub, I declined her offer.

The room was far below Anemond’s standards, but than kfully, the sheets were clean. The room had two beds, a small bedside table, and a clock. Kaleb informed us that we only had a few hours to sleep and advised us to get into bed right away.

After the old lady brought us some hot water and clean towels, we thanked her and then closed the door of the room. Erika and I didn’t speak much; just wished each other a good night’s sleep, and then we turned off the light and crawled into bed.

Silence hung in the room, but there was nothing to say. We had yet to learn what awaited us tomorrow or what Yurene would be like. It seemed we were both too nervous to talk about it, so I snuggled Finnick close and soon drifted off.

My dreams that night were strange.

Emmett appeared to me, clad in a black robe. It was apparent that he was a sorcerer now, not the healer I’d grown to know. He was facing me, but his face was

blurred.

Had I already forgotten how he looked?

Or maybe I had never seen his true face. Perhaps his actual appearance was different, just like his identity.

He apologized at once./”I’m sorry for involving you in this, Ca ssandra.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, and then a question appeared in my mind. “Was it you who took my wolf spirit, Emmett?”

He nodded. “I had to do it.”

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As anger swelled within me, I leaped forward and tried to grab him, but he moved backward at the last second. I tried drawing closer, but it was no use. I couldn’t touch him or kick him. Tears welled up in my eyes.

“Why did you do this?” I asked as I cried. “Why did you take it from me?”

“I had to,” he replied. “I hope you understand-”

“Understand?” I repeated back, and then I laughed. How could I understand him when he’d taken away something so important? Not being able to shift into my animal form left me with only half of an identity. I wasn’t myself without my wolf.

Was it also part of his plan that he saved me from the burning house and sheltered me in Wild Crawler? Was it because he wanted to use me one day for his

own hidden purposes?

But I didn’t ask. I was too afraid to. After all, what was the point of asking in a

dream? There was no way the answers could be real.

But Emmett spoke again anyway. “You need to stop Kaleb, Ca ssandra. He’s a liar. He’s horrible and ruthless.”

He took a step closer to me. “I left something for you, Ca ssandra, and you’re the only one who could use it. And the thing…”

His voice suddenly trailed off, and another voice appeared in the distance. It was m uffled at first and then became clear.

I woke up to find Erika crouching down beside me. The voice had belonged to her. The maid’s hand was on my forehead, and her kind eyes were wide with

concern.

“Ca ssandra?” she asked quietly. “Are you alright?”

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