Page 1 of A Love of Wrath and Rapture

1

EVANGELINE

“Fuck, it’s cold.”

I sit up in bed, holding my one blanket close to my shivering body. There’s no use tossing and turning anymore, not with the sun peeking up over the horizon.

Living in the middle of a mountain range has some perks, I suppose. We’re hidden from the rest of the continent, far away from the dark elves who would enslave every single one of us if they had the chance.

But the wind becomes especially bone-chilling early in the morning and late at night. Anyone who is lost or abandoned anywhere in the mountain range is as good as dead. The council likes to remind us of that to keep us in check every so often.

While I tug on some heavy winter clothing, strong knocks come at my door that threaten to break down this small dwelling I call home. I grimace at the noise.

“Come in.”

Peeking her head through the door, Renee stares at me with her frigid light blue eyes. They might be even colder than the relentless wind chill.

“Are you ready? I want to get this expedition done and over with.”

“Yeah. I hear you.” I nod, rubbing my trembling hands together. “Just give me a few more minutes and I’ll meet you out near the gates.”

“Promise?” Renee asks, perking a thin brow. “You always take forever to get ready. I don’t feel like waiting out in the cold for you again, Evangeline.”

“I won’t leave you waiting,” I reassure, offering a small smile.

In return, she huffs and rolls her eyes before slamming my door. Ouch.

Although this human settlement is supposed to band together and protect each other from the forces out there that want us all dead, there’s still in-fighting that happens every now and then. Some people, like Renee, don’t like me that much.

I’m sure some of them would rather I get thrown out of this settlement altogether. Thankfully, that’s for the council to decide, and I haven’t done anything worthy of that punishment.

One step out of my hut and I’m met with the hustle and bustle of early morning life. Women and children distribute the wood to each home that we need to keep the fires going. Some of the men head out for hunting expeditions, hoping to bring back enough meat for the whole settlement.

And then we have a standing guard of men who watch for threats, though they don’t really do anything at all. There’s talk of the encroaching waira, but in all of my time here, they’ve seemed disorganized and incompetent.

“Good morning, Evangeline!” a voice calls out to me.

I turn towards the voice and see Hildegard waving an arm at me. She’s an older woman. The beginnings of gray hairs are poking through the jet-black strands on her head. Some people treat me harshly around here, but not Hildegard. She’s always been nice.

“How are you?” I ask, hugging myself as I cross the snowy pathway. “Have you received your food rations already?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Good. I would have offered you mine if you hadn’t.”

“Ah, you silly girl.” Hildegard reaches out, cupping my face with her hands. My hands are cold, but hers are warm somehow. “You need to remember to take care of yourself sometimes. And how are you? Are you doing well?”

A worried expression crosses over her features as she leans in close.

“Gareth and the rest of those fools have left you alone, right? They’re not bothering you anymore? I’ll go straight to the council and lodge a complaint if they keep messing around. I swear!”

I sigh, shaking my head. My breath billows out in front of me. “They don’t know any better. It’s too cold out there right now. The council wouldn’t throw out some of our own over a petty argument.”

“You may be surprised what they’re willing to do to people who jeopardize the safety of the settlement,” Hildegard says, patting me on the shoulder. “Go on, now.”

Nodding firmly, I wave goodbye before hurrying to the settlement gates in search of Renee. My conversation with Hildegard leaves me with a few thoughts, none of them optimistic.

Gareth, Simon, and some other men in the settlement have bothered me before, often making comments about me whenever I reject their romantic advances. It’s annoying, but what’s worse is that they all have girlfriends of their own.

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