Page 21 of Unseen Lord

I approach her cautiously and help her stand. She's like a rag doll in my arms, but she doesn't crumble to the ground when I release her, so that's progress. She can't stand up straight with her chains, but I extend them as far as I can. "I'm going to help you undress, okay?"

She gives a single nod, and I take that as consent and peel away the torn, stained gown she's wearing. Standing there naked, it's clear she's undernourished.

First, though, I need to get her clean. I guide her to the bath and help her in, then use a sponge to scrub her skin and hair clean.

She's silent through it all.

The bath water is black when she emerges, but she is back to her pale self with long dark hair. I dry her briskly with a towel, then help her dress and lead her over to the table where food awaits.

"You need to eat, okay?"

She gives another nod and nibbles at a berry.

Despite all my care, she still looks like a hollowed out person. I had hoped this would help. Maybe she'll at least be more comfortable.

I sigh and move to stand, but she grabs my wrist with a force I wasn't expecting.

"The prophecy foretold this," she says in a haunting voice.

"What prophecy? What do you mean?" I try to pry my wrist out of her grip, but the woman is latched on tight.

Her eyes kinda freak me out, rolling around like she's following the light of some psychedelic optometrist. "It was foretold, but wasn't understood. Great crimes were committed. Now, it shall come to pass. My blood. My blood. My blood is bad."

She releases me and curls into a ball, pulling her legs onto her chair and rocking back and forth, her hair, still wet, falling over her face. I'll be honest here, she looks a bit like the creepy girl from that one horror movie. With all the hairs? Like, am I gonna be haunted in seven days or something?

She continues rocking and moaning about her blood being bad, and I don't know what to do. "I'm sorry, Arianna. I'm so sorry this is happening to you."

I leave the cave, hoping my ministrations have helped at least a little, and find Arias using his Druid powers to create a small pool of water for a few kids to play in. He compels the water to form the shapes of mermaids, dolphins and birds and laughs as the children splash and attempt to catch the creatures. I hate to interrupt him, but I have questions. So. Many. Questions.

Arias says goodbye to the children when he sees me, and strides over. "How is the queen?"

"Not herself," I say. "But I have a question for you. She told me you captured her by baiting her with news about her son. Why?"

He frowns and purses his lips. "Is that what she said? Hm. No, that's not what happened. Truth is, she found me and attacked me in the middle of the night. She didn't have Yami, her dragon, with her, or I would likely be dead right now. She was out of her mind with madness, so I had to subdue her. I took her here to be examined by Kayla, which is when we realized she'd been cursed by the Tempest."

"How did you figure out the Tempest did it?"

"Things she said. But also, Tavian used magic to probe her and recognized the strands of power left behind."

"So where's Fen? When Elias and I were traveling in Inferna, we found a wolf pup that was Baron's offspring. Baron died, but will be reborn. But Fen wasn't with him. And where's her dragon?"

"I don't have these answers, Watcher. I wish I did."

Well, that's less than helpful.

As I consider my next question, because man-oh-man do I have a bunch, a fat drop of water lands on my face. Then another. And another, until a deluge of rain breaks from the sky, drenching us in a matter of seconds.

Arias stares at the drops on his hand, perplexed.

I chuckle. "What, never seen rain before?"

Thunder shakes the earth—like literally—as lightning cracks through the sky. Okay, this is a bit more than rain, I suppose.

"This isn't right. I have to go." He takes off in a sprint towards the shore, and of course I follow him because what else am I gonna do? You know me, little bird. I need to be where the action is.

When we reach the shore, the sky is heavy with dark clouds, and the early evening twilight is lit up by lightning.

But the storm seems to be generating not from above, but from the rocks where Arias and the Tempest fought.