Apprentice of Death

Cinder screamed in fright and shot out of bed, trembling in a cold sweat, in the dark of her room as she frantically reached around her, trying to figure out where she was. It had been two days since she had fought Dominique and died from the poison. She had hardly been sleeping and suffered horrific nightmares almost every time she closed her eyes.

Sebastian moved closer and wrapped her up in a comforting hug; she clung to him, breathing a sigh of relief as a sense of safety washed over her. They were exhausted from lack of sleep because Sebastian had barely left her side since the accident. The only moments when he dared to leave her alone were when Adrian could watch over her. Adrian and Sebastian had taken to switching off sleeping next to Cinder to give the other some rest.

Something felt different in Cinder that she couldn’t place, a darkness that she felt would consume her. It frightened her and was always a part of the nightmares she suffered every moment she closed her eyes. She couldn’t escape her nightmares of what had happened, but something was calling to her that she couldn’t figure out.

"Cinder, Cinder, it’s ok! I’m here. You’re safe,” Sebastian thought for her in his mind as he embraced her. She melted into the safety of Sebastian’s arm, still trembling.

“Sebastian, something is wrong. Something isn’t right inside me; I don’t know what it is. I also have a pulling sensation that I cannot place. I’m so afraid,” she began crying. She moved off the bed to pace, but Sebastian caught her back in his arms, standing in the middle of her room.

“What am I missing? What have I forgotten!?” she asked the walls, frustrated.

She meant to sink to the floor, overwhelmed with her confusion and frustration, but he caught her. He brought her to the bench near her vanity and set her there to get a clean cloth to wipe her face and cool her neck from the sweat.

Cinder turned and looked at her tear-streaked face in the mirror. She reached out and touched the glass with her fingers, where the tears ran down her cheeks. She took her thumb and rubbed the glass like she was wiping away the tears from her face. Her eyes got a far-away look as the vision reminded her of a shackled hand reaching up to do the same for her.

“Don’t cry for me, witch,” she heard his voice in her mind.

“I’m an orphan,” another tiny voice said. She gasped, standing up and knocking the vanity bench over behind her.

She ran to her armoire, flinging the doors wide, and she started to dig through it for her armor. Sebastian had come out of the bathroom just then and saw her putting her armor on.

“What’s going on, Cinder? It’s the middle of the night!” She looked at him but didn’t stop putting her armor on.

“I have to go save them. I can’t leave them there to die!”

“Who?!” Sebastian asked.

“The prisoners in the Keep,” she answered him, finishing pulling on her armor. She didn’t look at him as she finished, strapping her sword to her back. She finally glanced up and said, “That’s what’s been pulling at my mind, Sebastian, don’t you understand? That’s it!” She turned, meaning to leave, but he grabbed her.

“Wait, Cinder! We are going to do this the right way so it succeeds. You’re not doing this alone. We will devise a plan of attack to take the Keep and clean it out of the evil filth that Dominique left behind in his wake. We need the help of soldiers,” he argued with her. She wasn’t happy about any delay; Sean and Lucy depended on her.

She answered him quietly, “Then we had better wake the King and make a plan. I’m attacking by tomorrow, with or without you.”

The Adventure Continues in:

'Assasin's Bane' The third installment of The Wolves' Witch Series, coming soon. Look at my wall for status updates and announcements.