Chapter 31

Silas took my hand and led me to an underground tunnel under the ruined castle. I tried to remove my hand from his, but his gentle grip was firm. I did not know if he knew I was mated to a shifter. On all accounts, he looked human, so he wouldn’t have been able to smell it on me.

Diana followed closely behind, shooting me a worried look. I thought she also felt that Xander would disapprove of another man touching me like this.

The tunnel spilled into an underground area. It smelled of earth and stale air. The casemate and undercroft were still intact, and they seemed big enough to house the rebellion leaders and others. I understood why most rebel participants went throughout the kingdom in search of lodging and work. It could not accommodate everyone.

“I’ll show you to your room. You must be exhausted from travelling so much. There’s a hot spring not too far from the castle in the forest. It’s well hidden. I’ll bring you there once you are settled in.” Silas said while placing his other hand on the small of my back, guiding me through a long passage adorned by thick wooden doors. I tried to detach myself from him without being too conspicuous. I didn’t want to insult him if there were no underlying thoughts behind his touching me, but I failed miserably.

The hot spring sounded nice, and it changed my mind from the discomfort Silas was giving me. My muscles ached, and my legs would indeed thank me for being soaked in hot water.

We stopped in front of one of the many identical doors, and he opened it, inviting me in. Tiny dust motes danced under the flickering candlelight. The room was small but quaint and would suffice while staying here. I needed little space, anyway. There was a small double bed and an old dresser to stack clothes in, enough room to move around and be comfortable, but nothing else.

“I’m sorry, Princess. This is not as suitable as I would have liked for you, but it’s all we have. My room is right at the end of the hall, should you need anything. I’ll be back in ten minutes to bring you to the hot spring.”

I smiled politely at him and closed the door once he left Diana and me alone. I heard a grunt and turned toward Diana.

“A bit handsy if you ask me.” She snorted to no one in particular. She looked over the room Silas gave us and slid her finger over the dresser, then looked at the amount of dust on it.

“I think he’s the one my father wanted me to marry. He must feel like it’s his duty to make me feel welcomed. It’s his home, after all. In another life, this could have been my home too.” I shrugged.

“Tsk, of course not. You were the only daughter and heir of the king. He would have moved in with you. But it wouldn’t have worked out between you two. He would have left once he knew you couldn’t bear him children. Even unbeknownst to you, you still had a fated mate somewhere in this world, and you wouldn’t have been able to give him sons since he was not that person. He would have thought you were barren.” Diana assured me. “Divorce is frowned upon, but with probable cause, he could have annulled your marriage to take a healthier bride.”

It was rather a gloomy thought. I sat on the bed at looked at the floor. I had nothing to unpack. I had brought a second pair of riding pants and men’s shirts to better hide amongst the people here. The other reason I had done this was that it all fitted in the little satchel I had loosely hanging from my shoulder. I hadn’t wanted to bring my trunk of dresses with us into the woods. It was too heavy for the sort of stealth we were aiming for.

True to his word, Silas returned ten minutes later and held a basket with towels and soap. I asked Diana to accompany us, but Silas interrupted me, stating Gideon needed Diana. Her face seemed irritated. Not even twenty minutes in, and she already had work to do.

“I’ll come to find you when I’m done.” She tried to smile at me. I squeezed her arm and watched her make her way back to the main room where we had arrived. I just hoped she wouldn’t get lost in the many tunnels.

Silas offered me his arm, which I took out of courtesy, and led me to another tunnel that opened outside near the edge of the forest. They had built this one in the last decade. The stones looked newer than those in the underground area.

“I have seen no fires underground; how is it so warm when it’s freezing outside?”

“The hot spring flows underneath the concealed vaults, which helps keep us nice and warm during the winter seasons. It was one of our pride here at Starling Castle. People came from all over the country to bathe in it. It was said to have magical properties.”

As we neared the spring, I noticed that the snow had melted, and all the rocks radiated heat. I almost forgot how cold the temperature had been. Thick moss covered the entire ground around the water source, and the dense foliage of pine trees offered maximal cover. The vegetation was lush and green, all because of the steam. When I smelled the air, it made me think of Xander and his peculiar forest scent. It smelled like he was permanently living in the woods. Oh, how I missed him.

I knew Silas had turned his back to me to give me some privacy while I undressed and got in the water. I removed my riding pants and blouse, setting everything neatly on one rock, then I carefully unbraided my hair. It fell over me, hiding my breasts and backside. Once my boots and socks were off, I squished my toes in the moss and padded towards the hot spring.

Once in, I took a deep breath and submerged myself completely. The hot water eased my aching muscles and cleared my mind. I did not know if there was any truth about it being magical, but it felt good to soak in its hot stream.

Silas placed the basket with the towels and soap near the edge and turned his back to me once more. I noticed that the tips of his ears and part of his cheeks were red. He must have glimpsed some of my nakedness.

“I assume our parents had intended for us to wed?” I asked to change his mind. I didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable.

“Yes. Your father had wanted to wait until your twentieth birthday before I could come to Cardinal city and court you.” Silas said while looking in the distance.

It made me feel sorry for him. He must have had hopes and plans for his future, but everything came crumbling down with the uprising.

“You must have married since then.” I tried to encourage the conversation.

“No.”

It was my turn to redden. I felt terrible to have assumed Silas would have remarried. I decided it best to let the matter rest. He didn’t seem inclined to add anything about his personal life, and I wanted to respect that. Frankly, it made me feel awkward knowing that he had stayed single all these years. Usually, men his age would have had a wife and many children by now. But it gave me pause, and I wondered why he hadn’t found a wife in the last ten years. Certainly, he hadn’t waited for me.
I scoffed at myself for having even thought of that. It was a ridiculous notion.

I scrubbed my head and removed the layer of dye that coloured my hair. Bright red strands stuck on my pale skin when I was done, while others floated around me. If I were to present myself to the rebellion as a Cardinal, I would need to look the part.

I also had another task at hand. I needed to get my hands on books containing information on magic.

“Will you be able to show me your library tomorrow? I have questions I would like to seek answers to.”

“Of course, Princess. It would be my pleasure to bring you to it once we have met with the leaders. They are eager to meet with you.”

Of course, they are, I thought to myself. I just hoped it wouldn’t take too long. I didn’t know how long I would stay here, and I wanted to make sure I left with what I had intended to get from this trip.

I sat near the edge and massaged my right hand, just as Diana did for me almost every day. I focused on my fingers and rubbed the scars, then flexed them, repeating the exercises to regain some control. I winced at the sting but kept going, directing my energy on my hand.

The water suddenly glowed around me. Xander’s mark on my shoulder throbbed, and my broken hand burned from an unexpected heat. I gasped at the sensation and hurriedly lifted my hand out of the water, shaking it fervently. It was as if the tissues inside my skin had been boiled. I ran my eyes over it, inspecting my flesh. It felt tight and swollen. The burning sensation left, and my hand no longer ached from the pain. It looked perfectly healed. My eyes went wide when I saw the red scars had turned pale white.

I folded my fingers into a tight fist and was surprised they were no longer stiff. My hand was in a perfect ball. I choked on a sob and placed my hand over my chest.

“Silas?” I called, still looking at my hand, astounded. “Why did people come to this spring?”

“My father said the Faiths had blessed it. Whoever was worthy of their blessings would emerge from its water whole again. I’ve witnessed nothing of the like, but people believed the story.”

I pulled myself out of the pool and covered my body with one towel. I took the other one and patted my damp hair and skin. I hurriedly pulled my shirt over my head and slid my legs into the pants. It was hard since the clothes stuck to my body with the humidity.

I returned next to Silas when I was done and smiled at him.

“Thank you for bringing me here. You have no idea what good it did to me.”