I didn't need anybody to tell me what to do.
When Maeve came with the tray again,I silently took the herb.
I didn't tell her it was too bitter.
That it left an aftertaste that made me want to vomit.
I didn't want to provoke her.
Or do anything wrong.
I just let her clean me up.
I didn't want anyone touching my scar.
I didn't want her to see the silvery lines glow,or see it etching.
But she did.
And I didn't think she would force me to train.
Not today.Not when I was this hollow.
"Let me see the scar," she demanded.
I drew back, and pulled the blanket tight to my chin. "Maeve, I'd rather not today. Please"
She didn't move. "Him or me. Who do you prefer?"
I could refuse her, and she would call Kael.
I only stopped because she threatened to call Kael.
My hands trembled as I loosened the blanket, pulling the collar of my shirt aside. The morning light from the dusty window fell across my collarbone, making the silvery mark look like a crack in porcelan.
She leaned in, her eyes never left the scar. When her fingers touched the edge of the scar to clean it, I shuddered.
It wasn't just her touch.
The touch brought me back.
To the event itself. The grass under my cheek, cold and damp. The paralyzing weight on my chest, the feeling of my own magic and his bond warring inside my veins, shredding me from the inside out. The silent scream stuck in my throat. The certainty that this was the end.
I gasped, my eyes flying wide but seeing nothing in the room. I was there. On the ground. Dying.
I don't want to remember it.
I don't want to be reminded.
That I had almost died.
Her fingers didn't let up. She cleaned the scar with a rough cloth, and with every pass, the ghost of that agony echoed. The silvery lines didn't just glow, they throbbed with a light that felt stolen from that night, a visual echo of the pain.
Finally, she pulled back. The connection severed. I was back on the cot, cold sweat beading on my skin.
She looked at me, then at the scar, she looked grimly satisfied. As if she'd found what she was looking for.
"Good," she said, straightening up. "Tomorrow, we should start by asking it to move."