Page 46 of The Healing Dragon
I am happy for my brother. I am glad his love is returned at last. All the pining he did for years was not in vain. I once hoped the Fates would bless me in the same way, but I think they have done me a favor by not fulfilling my wishes. Perhaps it’s time to move on.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
JANELLE
The knock on my bedroom door comes promptly after seven in the morning. I’ve been up for hours, staring out of the window and into the walls. The nightmares have only intensified inside the walls as if determined to make me remember. As if I could ever forget. I don’t want to leave this room and I can’t sleep. So here I am in this in-between.
I open the door expecting to find a guard instructed to supervise me during my stay or one of the Oscuro brothers to give me a warning and instructions. I could even see little Isabel being here to guide me to the plant nursery. But none of them are here.
“Matias?” I ask because I'm puzzled by his presence.
I peek out of the room into the shared space. There is no one else walking around. All the doors in the room are firmly shut.
“Do you want to get food together?” Matias asks.
I shake my head. “I don’t think so.”
“Aren't you hungry?”
I am starving, but I also have an idea of what I will face if Iventure into the dining hall of the castle. It’s the busiest room at any given time of the day.
“Matias,” I say in a stern tone. “Be serious for a moment and tell me you think it’s a good idea for me to walk around the castle.”
His stomach chooses this specific moment to growl.
“I don’t want to go alone.” His eyes drop and uncertainty enters his expression. “You’re right. I will just go in and out. I’ll be fine.”
He walks away but before he makes it to the door handle I hear myself say, “wait.”
His hopeful eyes turn in my direction. “Yes?”
“Fine.”
I need to eat if I plan on finding my father on top of my new duties at the nursery. I hold up a finger indicating for him to wait and go into my bag retrieving a few items. I pull my hair into a low bun then tie atop a black bandana. The color will shield my hair color from being noticeable at a distance. There isn't anything noticeable about my clothing but just in case I stick to dark colors.
“What are you doing?” Matias asks me eyeing my attire.
“Trying to blend in.” I shrug.
His expression tells me that I am not fooling anyone.
“Can you use your magic to disguise me better?” I ask, only half hopeful.
“I don't think so.” He looks at his hands and then back at me. “I don't have much training. I’m sorry.”
This might be for the best. After all, I already saw what Matias can do with his magic. Being touched by dark magic in any kind of way cannot be good. I am better off this way.
“Lead the way,” I gesture forward.
“I don't know where to go,” he says and I nod.
“I will lead the way then.”
The first thing that catches my attention in the hall is how many guards are posted around the castle. The security has always been impeccable to the point my father found the trespassing of the castle defenses impossible. His one and only opening is already sealed, and I doubt he will be able to find one now. This might be more for the staff to feel safe than actual readiness for a future threat.
The second thing I notice is the amount of eyes that follow me as I make my way across the castle. Quiet sneers and hush whispers trail behind me. Matias goes unnoticed by my side. Clusters of people stop and stare with a mixture of expressions. Some of them don’t hold my gaze, but others don’t dare look away. So much for tucking my hair away.
Despite how much I wish to blend into the wall right about now, my appearance will not allow it. My hair is a flag announcing to every passing eye that yes, in fact, I am the traitor that caused the pain and destruction everyone inside these walls is recuperating from.
