Chapter 44 The Shadow Barracks pt 2
The room is cleaned up, and all the books are replaced on the shelves. There are thick tapestries lined on the marble floors and a wooden wall cutting off a corner of the room that wasn’t there before. Maggie stands in the middle of the room, barking orders to servants who scurry under her gaze.
“Hurry up, will you?” she snaps. “The child will be back here soon and she deserves better than a threadbare hammock!”
“Umm,” I stammer, earning Maggie’s attention.
The old woman’s jaw drops and she blushes furiously in surprise. “You’re late!”
“Late?” I ask, confused.
She rushes to me, a warm wrinkled hand cupping my elbow and pulling me inside. “You weren’t at dinner, you didn’t come up when Thorne did. He’s down there now looking for you, tearing up anyone in his way. We both could have sworn that Bane killed you. Gods help him when Thorne sees how hurt you are!”
“Why would Thorne care? I’m just fodder, right?”
Maggie tuts at me and pulls me into the smaller room. Inside these walls, there's a large bed covered with white furs and pillows stuffed with feathers. The room has been built around the fireplace, and right in front of the roaring fire is a brass bathtub filled with hot steaming water.
“Let's get you stripped down and clean, shall we?” she asks, undressing me before I can say a word.
I stare at the steaming water with obvious yearning. I’ve never had a real bath, only cleaned myself quickly with a bowl and rag. I’ve helped royalty bathe and have always dreamed of how it would feel, but never got the chance.
Thoroughly stripped, Maggie tugs me to the bath and helps me in. I hiss at the first touch of hot water, but my body acclimates as I sit. “Oh…oh gods, this is nice,” I moan, sinking as deep in the water as I can.
Maggie chuckles in a motherly way, gently tugs my hair out of the bath, and begins wetting it. “You’ve had a very hard day, child. You deserve some rest and recuperation.”
I nod, muttering agreement without being able to make actual words. It feels too good, the hot water swallowing me in its velvet touch. I let my eyes flutter closed, moaning in pleasure as Maggie washes my hair.
“I must have died, because this is heaven,” I whisper.
Maggie laughs but says nothing.
When I feel her hands stir the water around me, my eyes open enough to watch her swirl the suds on a rag. I squint, trying to focus. For a second, I could have sworn the water had a green hue around her fingers.
“You’ll feel better soon, deary. Then I’ll help you to bed and you’ll sleep safe and peacefully,” Maggie croons, her strong fingers massaging my scalp.
“Thank you, Maggie,” I whisper, reaching up and holding her hand for a moment. “I’ve never been the one who got taken care of.”
“Those days are long gone now, deary. Long gone. Let Maggie make it all better, now.”
“Mmm, okay,” I whisper, eyes falling closed.
I don’t remember getting out of the bath and getting dressed. I don’t remember climbing into bed with braided hair, nor do I remember the feeling of the silk shift as it glossed over my skin. These are all things I discover when I wake in the middle of the night when my mattress shifts next to me.
I open my eyes slightly and register Thorne sitting at the end of my bed, staring into the fire. His back is straight, his shoulders squared. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was guarding me.
He starts to turn his head and I close my eyes, trying to keep my breathing even. I feel his strong hand land on my ankle and squeeze tightly.
“You must continue to be strong, Anara,” he whispers, stroking the furs above me softly. “You must continue to be strong because I can’t bear to watch you fail.”
You will not fall, you are too strong to fall. You are the chosen one.
Where has my inner mentor been all day? I search my mind, baffled by both their words.
Protecting you where I can, just as Thorne does.
Protecting me from what? Clearly not protecting me from Bane. My body still aches from all the wounds I suffered.
Protecting you from the captains and slayers who want you dead.