Some moments later, Jinx woke up. The room around her was warm and unfamiliar. Wooden walls, a crackling fireplace, the soft glow of old-fashioned lanterns. She sat up immediately, her body tensed and ready to flee. How did she get here? The last thing she remembered was the cold snow and the man she had healed.
An elder woman entered the room, wiping her hands on a worn apron. Her face was kind, etched with deep wrinkles, and her ears marked her as some sort of mountain goat beastman. "Oh good, you're finally awake," she said, her voice warm with relief. "I was getting worried."
Jinx stood up quickly, her eyes darting to the single window.
The old woman held up her hands. "Easy now, child. I mean you no harm. A man brought you here. A nice looking one, too. Carried you all the way from the cold. I thought you two were a couple, the way he held you."
Jinx said nothing.
The woman placed a stack of dry, soft-looking cloth on the foot of the bed. "The roads out there are dangerous. Wild animals lurk in the snow. You're lucky he found you when he did." She tilted her head. "Are you hungry? I can bring you something to eat."
Jinx nodded slowly, still processing. The man she had saved—he had brought her here. He hadn't abandoned her, or worse. That was unexpected. She filed that information away.
"What's your name, dear?" the woman asked from the doorway.
"Jinx."
The woman's expression flickered for just a moment, a hint of pity or surprise, but she said nothing. "Well, Jinx, there's a free taxi that passes through here at midday. Takes people to the main transit hub. If you want to catch it, you should hurry. I'll be waiting outside." She left, closing the door behind her.
Jinx sat back down on the bed. Her thoughts were a storm. The man she saved brought her to safety. A kindness she hadn't expected from anyone, let alone a stranger. She remembered Nythera's words about gathering allies. Was this a sign?
She pushed the thought aside. First, she needed to survive. Then, she needed a plan.
She washed up quickly using the basin of warm water left in the corner. The simple act of cleaning herself felt like reclaiming a small piece of her dignity. She changed into the clothes the woman had left—a plain, thick wool dress that smelled of herbs and smoke. It was humble, but it was clean and warm.
Stepping out of the room, she found her way to a small dining area. The old woman had laid out a simple meal: a bowl of thick stew, fresh bread, and a cup of hot tea. Jinx sat down and ate.
The food was incredible. The stew was rich and savory, the bread soft and warm. It tasted better than anything she had eaten in months. At Fenris's mansion, the kitchen staff served her scraps, cold leftovers, whatever Silvia didn't want. She had accepted that too, believing she didn't deserve better.
The thought of Fenris made her grip her spoon tighter. Her husband. The man who had tried to have her killed. The man who smiled at her, kissed her cheek, and sent her to die.
She finished her meal in silence, her appetite untouched by the bitterness rising in her chest. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stood up. It was time to move.
The woman called her name just as Jinx was about to step out the front door. "Jinx, wait. I almost forgot."
She shuffled to a small wooden chest in the corner of the room, opened it, and pulled out a small leather pouch. She pressed it into Jinx's hands. Jinx opened the drawstring and peered inside. Gold coins. More than she had seen in a long time.
"I can't take this," Jinx said immediately, pushing the pouch back. "You've already been so kind."
The woman shook her head and refused to take it. "That's not from me, child. That's what the man left for you. He said to cover your travel or whatever you needed."
She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out something else—a delicate bracelet, woven from dark, fine metal threads with a single small gem set into it. It glowed faintly, a soft blue pulse like a heartbeat. "He left this too. Told me to tell you to keep it safe. That you would know what it's for."
Jinx stared at the bracelet. She didn't know what it was for, but something about it felt important. The gem pulsed again, and she felt a faint warmth against her palm.
She looked at the old woman's face. There was a kindness in her eyes, a gentle concern that reminded her painfully of her mother, Cecilia. The same softness. The same quiet strength.
Jinx's throat tightened. "Thank you," she whispered, accepting both the pouch and the bracelet. She fastened the bracelet around her wrist, hiding it under her sleeve. The pouch she tucked into the waistband of her dress.
The woman walked her to the end of the snowy path, where a battered but sturdy ground-taxi waited. Its engine hummed, vapor rising from its exhaust. A few other passengers sat inside, wrapped in thick coats.
"Where to?" the driver asked, his breath fogging in the cold air.
Jinx gave him the direction to Fenris's estate. She climbed into the back seat and the taxi pulled away, its wheels crunching over the frozen road.
The two-hour drive was long and quiet. The other passengers got off one by one until she was alone with the driver. Snow-covered trees and frozen fields passed by the window in a blur of white and grey.
Jinx's mind was busy, turning over plans like stones in a stream. She needed to deal with Fenris. She needed to reclaim her inheritance. But divorce was a trap—if she asked for one, he would take half of everything. Everything her mother had left her. Everything she had suffered for. She couldn't allow that.
So divorce was out of the question. Not unless she could find a way to make sure he left with nothing.
I have to keep acting, she thought. Pretend to be the same broken, stupid Jinx they all believe me to be. But this time, i would act more crazy, as if i have gone insane. While I plan in secret.
Her mind wandered, unbidden, to the man she had saved. The pilot in the starfighter. She didn't even know his name. He was probably long gone by now, back to whatever mission or war had brought him crashing into her path. She would likely never see him again.
But she wished she could thank him. For carrying her out of the snow. For not being another man who saw her as something to use and discard.
The taxi slowed, and Jinx looked up. The familiar iron gates of Fenris's estate loomed ahead, sharp and cold against the grey sky. Her stomach turned, but she forced her face into a neutral mask.
She reached into the pouch, pulled out a single gold coin, and handed it to the driver as a tip. "Thank you," she said softly.
She stepped out of the taxi, her boots sinking into the snow. The gate guard recognized her and opened the barrier without a word, his expression bored and dismissive.
Jinx hid the pouch carefully beneath her coat and walked forward, her head bowed, her shoulders hunched. She looked exactly like the broken woman they expected to see.
Time to start acting, she told herself. Time to get back everything I deserve.
She walked through the gates, her boots crunching softly in the snow.
Servants passed her, some stopping to stare, others whispering behind their hands. She ignored them all. Let them wonder how the dead woman had returned.
She was almost at the front steps when she heard it—that familiar irritating voice.
"What are you doing here?"
Jinx stopped and turned. Silvia stood a few feet away, wrapped in a fur coat, her hand resting protectively over her swollen belly. Her luminous eyes were wide, stunned, her lips parted in disbelief.
"How are you here?" Silvia demanded, her voice rising. "How is this possible?"
Jinx said nothing. She just looked at her.
Silvia recovered quickly, her shock hardening into fury. She stepped closer, her chin lifted. "I am talking to you, barren one. Answer me. What are you doing back here?"
Jinx moved.
SLAP
The slap came fast, harder than anything she had ever done before. Her palm connected with Silvia's cheek with a sharp, echoing crack that seemed to stop the very air around them.
Silvia staggered, her hand flying to her face. She blinked, her eyes unfocused, literally seeing stars from the force of the blow. A thin trickle of blood appeared at the corner of her mouth.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The servants who had been watching froze in place, their mouths hanging open.