Chapter 170: The Blood on the Paper

Cressida's pov

The note was on my pillow when I woke up.

I had not heard anyone enter and I had not felt anyone near and I had not sensed anything wrong. But there it was. A folded piece of paper, crisp and white, with my name written on the front in red ink. The ink was dark and it was thick and it looked like blood. The letters were uneven and jagged and they seemed to pulse in the dim morning light.

My heart stopped and my hands started shaking and my breath caught in my throat. The frost was already spreading across my skin and the cold was already deepening in my chest and the fear was already rising. I reached for the note and my fingers were trembling and my skin was cold and my mind was racing.

I unfolded the paper and the words were sharp and the letters were jagged and the message was clear.

You are not safe.

No one is safe.

Run while you still can.

I stared at the words and the frost spread across my skin and the cold deepened in my chest and the fear rose in my heart. The note was not signed and the handwriting was not familiar and the threat was real. The words seemed to burn themselves into my mind and I could not look away.

I looked around the room and the fire was crackling and the candles were flickering and the shadows were long. The door was closed and the window was locked and the room was empty. But someone had been here. Someone had been in my room while I was sleeping. Someone had left this note on my pillow without me waking up.

I stood and my legs were shaking and my heart was pounding and my hands were cold. I crossed the room and opened the door and the corridor was empty and the torches were flickering and the silence was absolute.

"Hello?" I called.

No answer.

"Hello?"

No answer.

I stepped into the corridor and my feet were bare and the stone was cold and the fear was growing. I looked left and I looked right and I saw nothing and no one. The torches flickered and the tapestries moved and the shadows danced. But there was no one there.

The note was still in my hand and the words were still burning and the threat was still real.

I ran to Raven's room and my feet were pounding and my heart was racing and my breath was ragged.

I burst through the door and her head snapped up from the pillow and her dark curls were wild and her eyes were wide. She had been sleeping and her voice was rough with confusion.

"Cressida? What is wrong?"

"I found this."

I held out the note and my hands were shaking and my voice was shaking.

"What is it?"

"A threat."

She took the note and her eyes scanned the words and her face went pale. The color drained from her cheeks and her hands started shaking.

"Who left this?"

"I do not know."

"Where did you find it?"

"On my pillow. Someone was in my room while I was sleeping."

She stared at me and her voice was low and careful. "We need to tell Lucian."

"I cannot find him."

"What?"

"I have been looking for him all morning. He is not in his quarters and he is not in the council chamber and he is not in the training yard. He is nowhere."

Raven was quiet for a moment and her voice was careful. "He probably went on patrol."

"He did not tell me."

"Maybe he did not want to worry you."

"I need him."

"I know."

She reached for my hand and her fingers were warm and her grip was firm.

"We will find him," she said.

"How?"

"I do not know. But we will."

The morning passed and the light shifted and the shadows grew long.

I searched everywhere and I found nothing. I went to the greenhouse and the training yard and the library. I went to the dining hall and the kitchen and the common room. I went to the council chamber and the enforcer quarters and the guard posts. I asked everyone I passed and no one had seen him. He had vanished and no one knew where.

Lucian was nowhere.

The note was still in my pocket and the words were still burning and the fear was still growing.

"What is happening?" I whispered.

No one answered.

The afternoon came and the light was gray and the snow was falling and the world was cold.

I stood in the courtyard and the wind was howling and the snow was biting and the frost was spreading. The note was in my hand and the words were blurring and the fear was growing. The snow fell on my shoulders and the cold bit at my cheeks and the frost spread across my skin.

Raven appeared beside me and her dark curls were wild and her eyes were bright.

"I found something," she said.

"What?"

"A message. From Lucian. He is in a meeting with the council. A closed meeting. No one is allowed to interrupt."

I stared at her and my voice was flat. "A closed meeting?"

"A closed meeting. He cannot be disturbed."

"When will he be out?"

"I do not know."

I pressed my hand to my chest and the frost was still there and the cold was still there and the fear was still there. The note was still burning in my hand and the words were still echoing in my mind.

You are not safe.

No one is safe.

Run while you still can.

"Someone is threatening me," I said. "Someone was in my room while I was sleeping. And he is in a closed meeting."

Raven was quiet for a moment and her voice was careful. "It is probably nothing."

"It is not nothing."

"Maybe it is a prank."

"It is not a prank."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know."

She reached for my hand and her fingers were warm and her grip was firm.

"We will figure this out," she said.

"How?"

"I do not know. But we will."

The evening came and the fire crackled and the candles flickered and the room was cold.

I sat on the bed and the note was in my hand and the words were burning and the fear was growing. The frost was spreading across my skin and the cold was deepening in my chest and the fear was consuming me. I had been sitting here for hours and the walls were closing in and the shadows were growing.

Lucian was still in the meeting and I was still alone and the threat was still real.

I pressed my hand to my chest and the frost was still there and the cold was still there and the fear was still there.

"Where are you?" I whispered.

No one answered.

The door opened and I looked up and Raven was standing there with her dark curls wild and her face pale and her eyes wide.

"Cressida."

"Raven."

"Another note."

"What?"

"Another note. It was on your door."

She held out the paper and my hands were shaking and my heart was pounding. I unfolded it and the words were sharp and the letters were jagged and the message was clear.

He cannot protect you.

No one can.

You are alone.

I stared at the words and the frost spread and the cold deepened and the fear grew. The letters were the same and the ink was the same and the threat was the same. But it was worse. It was closer. It was more personal.

"Who is doing this?" I whispered.

"I do not know," Raven said.

"Someone is trying to break me."

"I know."

"Someone is trying to destroy me."

"I know."

She reached for my hand and her fingers were warm and her grip was firm.

"We will find them," she said.

"How?"

"I do not know. But we will."

I stared at the note and the words were blurring and the fear was growing. The threats were escalating and Lucian was gone and I was alone. The frost was spreading and the cold was deepening and the fear was consuming me.

"Why would he leave me like this?" I asked. "Why would he disappear when I need him most?"

Raven was quiet for a moment and her voice was careful. "I do not know. But I am sure there is a reason."

"What reason?"

"I do not know."

I looked at her and my voice was broken. "What if he is part of this? What if he is the one sending the notes?"

Raven stared at me and her face went pale. "That is not possible."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know him."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know him."

I pressed my hand to my chest and the frost was still there and the cold was still there and the fear was still there. The doubts were growing and the suspicions were growing and the fear was consuming me.

"What if I cannot trust anyone?" I whispered.

Raven squeezed my hand and her voice was steady. "You can trust me."

"Can I?"

"Yes."

I stared at her and the frost was still there and the cold was still there and the fear was still there.

"I want to believe you," I said.

"Then believe me."

I nodded and the tears came and I could not stop them.

The night came and the fire crackled and the candles flickered and the room was dark.

I sat on the bed and the notes were in my hand and the words were burning and the fear was growing. The frost was spreading and the cold was deepening and the fear was consuming me.

Raven was beside me and her hand was in mine and her presence was a comfort.

But the doubts were still there and the suspicions were still there and the fear was still there.

And Lucian was still gone.

The door opened and I looked up and a shadow was standing in the doorway. I could not see the face and I could not see the form and I could not see anything except the darkness.

"Who is there?" I asked.

No answer.

"Who is there?"

The shadow moved and the door closed and the silence returned.

I stared at the door and the frost spread and the cold deepened and the fear grew.

Someone was watching me.

And they were not done yet.