Sewn & Scarred (The Fated Creations Trilogy #3)

Chapter Twenty-TwoEvaline

Chapter Twenty-Two

Evaline

M y finger was grazing the tip of a golden fire poker when I heard soft footsteps approach my door. A moment later, there was a knock.

The tip of my finger halted on the poker as I stilled and tilted my head to face the armoire-blocked door.

I almost expected a Vasi to barge in, as if they could tell that I’d been evaluating whether I could use this as a weapon since they’d taken all of mine.

But instead, I only heard another knock, followed by a soft voice.

“I have your new linens.”

I recognized it as belonging to the human woman who’d come to clean my bedroom yesterday.

I threw a glance at my bed as I made my way for the door. The blankets and pillows were torn from the bed and shoved into the chair, where I actually slept at night.

But even the chair bed was tossed something dreadful. I’d barely slept, I’d been trying to slip into the Night, trying to reach out to my mother, but it was no use. I tried each and every night I was here, but it never worked. I didn’t know whether I should be frustrated with myself, if I was failing, or if the wards were weakening my magic so much that I couldn’t go. I’d never been successful at doing it on my own, even when there were no wards to block my magic, but I had nothing but time here to try.

I ran back to the chair, grasped all the linens and pillows, and threw them onto the bed.

I didn’t want to risk the guard questioning the makeshift bed, to know that I slept each night with my last and only weapon, in my braid.

The armoire ground against the granite as I shoved it, but I didn’t care if it scuffed the floor.

When I opened the door I could hardly see the woman’s face due to the overflow of folded linens she held in her arms.

“Oh,” I said when I saw her and reached out to grab some of the blankets from her.

Since her vision was blocked, she didn’t see the move and jolted when my hand brushed hers.

“Sorry,” I murmured before I stepped back into my room and laid the linens on the chaise that butted up to the footboard.

She closed the door and must’ve recalled my preference from the last time she was here because she stepped out of the way and watched as I shouldered the armoire back in front of it.

I joined her in stripping the bed and she looked up at me through her lashes. She started to open her mouth to speak but closed it again. She looked down, then back up at me, and chewed on her lip.

I realized she wanted to speak freely, so I threw my shield up.

“You can talk. They can’t hear,” I assured her, and she nodded.

“Thank you. I could tell a difference, just now when you put it up. Like an eerie silence around us.”

I nodded. “That’s because it’s also soundproofing what’s around us. They can’t hear us and we can’t hear them.”

She shrugged. “Well, I was only going to tell you that you don’t have to help me. If they knew you were helping me, I’m afraid I’d be reprimanded,” she said the last word softly.

I shook my head. “It’s no problem,” I said and motioned to the empty room. “What else would I be doing?”

She just gave a small smile and continued working.

I tried to peek at her while we made the bed, to gauge her wounds. Hers were far better than the other humans I’d seen here. She still had bites and bruises, but they didn’t coat every inch of her neck.

“How long have you been here?” I asked and felt guilty when she stumbled back a step, we’d been working in silence.

She kept her eyes down but answered. “A couple months.”

I had to bite down on my anger at that. I didn’t want to show any acts of aggression around her, considering she was already timid.

But my hands itched to clench into fists, and I had to focus on not contorting my face into one of fury at her words. I don’t know what I expected from Vasier. Whether he’d keep humans for days, weeks, or years, before he killed them.

“Is that the same for most of the others here?” I asked softly. “You don’t have to answer.”

She kept her eyes on the pillow in her hands.

“No, it seems that’s rather long. Since I’ve been here, several new waves of humans have come in.” She pursed her lips as she worked. “The rest have already been turned.”

My brows furrowed and I straightened.

“They’ve been turned? All of them?” I asked.

She nodded.

I thought the Vasi would’ve drained the humans eventually. It was all I’d ever known of Vasi in the past, that they killed their prey.

I didn’t want to ask why they were keeping her around, both afraid I wouldn’t like the answer, and that she wouldn’t want to give it to me anyway.

The bed was stripped and the soiled linens were thrown into the large basket that stood in the corner of the room.

We pulled and stretched the sheets back over the bed, a far easier task to do when there were two of us.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Maeve.”

I smiled. “That’s a really pretty name.”

She shrugged and we pulled the top sheet over the bed. “It’s alright. Nothing like Evaline.”

I snorted at that. “Well, I think Maeve is far prettier.” A beat passed. “Where are you from?”

I wanted to keep her talking, I wanted to get to know her. I was dreadfully bored here, and she was my only form of social contact. I wanted to grasp onto it as long as she’d let me.

Her hands slowed and she swallowed. “Vestaria.”

My skin went cold at her revelation. I didn’t know why it was so surprising, but I surmised that it was because the only other people I’d ever met from Vestaria before were Lonix and Bassel.

I cringed at the images that flashed through my mind. Of what Vestaria must be like, especially for a pretty woman like Maeve.

I took a breath. “I’m sorry for that.”

“And you?”

“Neomaeros originally, but then I lived in Kembertus for the last two years, and Rominia the last few months.”

Her eyes shot up to me. “Rominia? Where the Kova live?”

“Yes. You’ve heard of it?”

We pulled fresh cases over the pillows.

“Only heard a few Vasi discuss it around here, and only when they think I’m not paying attention. It’s the kingdom Vasier wants to wage war with, isn’t it?”

I nodded. “Unfortunately.”

She stayed silent for a moment as we pulled the duvet onto the bed and when she straightened, she looked at me with sad eyes.

“I wish you and everyone you love well in the war to come.”

I pursed my lips.

“Me too,” I whispered, and with that, she gathered the soiled linens, and left the room.