/-Kaelynn's pov/
The silence after the door shut was brief.
I hardly had time to wipe my face before they returned, smelling of dried rose. Evangra washed and dressed me in silence.
"Lift," she said softly.
I obeyed. My hands trembled as I tried to raise them, but they only managed to move past my waist before pain bloomed up my arms.
They fell.
Evangra caught the slack, pulling the garment the rest of the way down and tying it at my waist. The knots she made were clean, and too tight.
Syrr and Nephroma stood on either side of me, their hands cold as they slipped a flowery dress over my shoulders. The fabric was stiff from years of neglect.
It scratched against the curve of my spine and stuck to the blood still drying on my knuckles.
I let them dress me like a doll.
No option, really. I couldn't feel anything from the hips down, but I knew the garments were heavy.
They always were. Then came my throne for the morning.
I didn't see Syrr roll it in, but I heard it rattling like the bones of an old woman.
It wasn't made for comfort. I don't even think it was made for me. The seat was wide, stiff-backed, with two large wheels held together by rusted metal bolts.
The armrests had small impressions in them., and there were no cushions or footrests.
Nephroma and Evangra slipped their hands under my arms, lifting me without asking.
I hissed.
Syrr steadied the chair.
"One, two, three. Let go!" Evangra said, and down I went.
The bones in my hips shifted with a sickening pop, and I leaned forward with a gasp as my limbs settled into the seat. Evangra brushed a few strands of hair behind my ear to make me presentable.
Nephroma tugged the front of my dress straight.
The wheels turned and we started moving.
The corridors were quiet.
I had known every creak of these wooden floors… but now it all sounded different. They took me past the first floor, the one the maids avoided.
I counted the turns in my head. Three left. Four down and a long straight hall to the last door that called my name.
I could feel my heartbeat in my throat.
My hands squeezed the arms of the chair, until my knuckles whitened.
Evangra opened the door and light poured in, nearly blinding me.
I exhaled.
Sweet, sweet air.
She bent to my side again. One hand hooked under my shoulder, while Nephroma pulled me up.
The carriage was waiting with Syrr, already inside, watching me like I might disappear if she blinked too slow.
Once I was settled, I opted for small talk.
I cleared my throat. "Have... have any of you been to the city lately?"
Neither of them answered.
I tried again, turning slightly toward Syrr. "What does Castle Court look like now?"
Still nothing. I felt a smile stretch across my face awkwardly. "I used to think I'd live there one day…"
"You shouldn't speak," Syrr snapped. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was harsh enough to startle me.
I blinked. "I was just…"
"You were just disrupting our peace with your voice," she deadpanned. "Every word you speak reminds us why your mother hid you. A cripple who should've died at birth."
I didn't reply, but my smile grew thinner with every passing second. I turned my face to the window.
The city outside didn't look like the sketches I'd seen growing up. It was dirtier, louder and grayer.
A throaty chant floated up, right into my ears.
Evangra perked up. "They're here," she said, almost to herself.
Right in the middle of the street, two people stood. A man and a woman, dressed in robes that looked more like tattered bedsheets. Their skin was pale, down to their chapped lips and sunken eyes. The man held a broken staff, while the woman carried a scroll nearly half her size.
What were they?
Suddenly, the man lifted his arms and screamed, "The King is dead! Dead! But he will come back soon! The undead will rise again! The Veil has torn! The demons will take your children, and your gold will not save you!"
I gasped.
The woman beside him continued. "You fed the land with blood. Now the land will spit you out!"
"Lies!" Many people stopped, throwing stones at them. Some scoffed, walking past and muttering, "Forbid it. Forbid it." over and over.
A few spat on the ground.
"What are they doing?" I whispered, leaning forward.
Nephroma cleared her throat. "Preaching," she said. "Don't look at them for too long. They'll think you're listening."
"But…"
"Quiet," she hissed. "You're already strange enough. Curious girls end up headless. Remember Amerthy from the west quarter? She asked too many questions. Now her head's on a spike outside the Castle Court gates. Her pretty mouth is still open."
I shuddered.
Suddenly, the carriage jolted, and Syrr slowed it near the side of the road.
My eyes caught movement. A man was slumped against a broken pillar. Goodness, he was as thin as a branch, draped in rags for clothes.
His head dangled. I think he might die soon.
"Stop," I said quickly. "Wait… look at him."
Evangra ignored me. Nephroma didn't move.
"Please. Just stop the carriage." I looked down at my dress, fumbling for the thin jade sewn along the hem. I yanked it free and held it up. "He looks like he's starving. Let me give him this."
Syrr sighed. But after a second, she pulled the brake. Before anyone could stop me, I grabbed the side of the chair and wheeled to the man slowly.
"Good day," I said gently.
"I'm Kaelynn."
He didn't move at first. Then his head lifted, slowly, shaking. His eyes weren't just tired… they were wary. He looked past me, up at the carriage where Evangra and Nephroma were staring down like hawks.
"They're with me," I said quickly, laughing nervously. "Don't worry about them." I held out the jade. "Here. Take it. You can trade it for food. Or a place to sleep."
The man didn't take it. He stared at the stone, then at me.
"Why'd you come down from that road?"
"What?"
"That road there." He pointed behind me.
"The Winding Road. Nobody uses that road except... except cursed folk."
My mouth fell open.