Fanaza couldn't sleep.
Not after what she had seen.
She couldn't shake the image of Rwaine's blood— not red, but black.
Was he even human?
Considering the dark cloak he always wore and the way he moved through the shadows, the possibility that he wasn't human kept on ringing in her mind.
The fire crackled gently inside the cave, casting long, dancing shadows across the damp stone walls. Fanaza sat a little apart from the others; her injured ankle was placed on a rock and freshly bandaged. She barely noticed the lingering taste of dinner on her tongue. Her mind was lost, trapped in worry.
Sage was still missing.
The thought spun through her mind like a broken wheel.
Her eyes drifted to Rwaine, who sat silently by the entrance of the cave. He sharpened his dagger with slow, deliberate strokes. The firelight occasionally caught his golden eyes beneath the cloak setting them apart.
She wanted to ask about Sage again. About what their next move would be.
But her thoughts kept circling back to the woods. To the moment the wendigo struck. To his blood.
Not red.
Black.
Something was wrong with him. And the more she thought about it, the less sense it made.
She hesitated, her voice a whisper beneath the crackle of the flames.
"I saw something earlier."
Rwaine tilted his head slightly but didn't speak.
"When the wendigo slashed you... you bled. But it wasn't…" She searched for the word. "Normal."
Silence filled the air.
Rwaine's blade stopped mid-stroke.
"Does it scare you?" he asked, his voice quiet and cold.
She looked at him. Every time she tried to read him, it was like staring into smoke—there was nothing to hold onto. The cloak. The shadows. The unnatural calmness he always showed her.
"I— I saw it. Back in the woods. When you were wounded."
His shoulders stiffened. The air in the cave seemed to grow colder.
"So?" His voice was calm but razor-edged beneath the surface.
"I wasn't trying to be nosy. I was just… concerned."
"Concerned?" he echoed, rising slowly to his feet. His presence became heavier, darker. "And who gave you the right to be concerned about me or anything related to me?"
Fanaza stood shakily, leaning against the cave wall for balance. "I didn't mean anything by it. I just noticed. It was… black."
Rwaine turned just enough for his glowing eyes to meet hers. They burned with something old, something unreadable.
"And what conclusion did you come to?" he asked, softly but sharply.
"I didn't come to any. I—" She hesitated and continued. "I didn't bring it up to accuse you of anything. I'm trying to understand. I'm injured. We're stuck in a cave. My brother-in-law is still missing. And then… your blood."
"You think I owe you explanations?" He cut in. "I didn't ask for your understanding."
His words weren't loud, but they echoed like thunder off the stone walls.
Moaz, who had been silently sitting by the fire, shifted uncomfortably.
"Told you nobles have no sense," he muttered.
"I'm not trying to offend anyone!" Fanaza snapped, frustration settling in.
"Rwaine, you saved my life. I'm grateful. But how am I supposed to trust someone who hides everything? You wear a cloak like armor, bleed black, and act like nothing's wrong!"
Rwaine's head snapped around. His cloak swirled like smoke. His voice rose, thunderous.
"Trust isn't yours to demand."
Fanaza stepped back, startled.
"I've done nothing but try to help," he said, his voice cracking. "And you repay it by digging into my personal life."
"I wasn't digging; I only asked a question!"
"And that question crossed a line." Rwaine snapped.
Silence fell again. Even the fire seemed to be quiet.
Fanaza's chest rose and fell, fast and heavy. She clenched her fists.
"Fine. I'll keep my questions to myself."
She turned and limped to the other side of the cave. Moaz looked at her but said nothing.
She sat down heavily on a rock, shame and anger twisting inside her. Her eyes stung, but she refused to cry—not here. Not in front of them.
But the question stayed. She couldn't get her mind off it.
What was he?
And worse
Was she ready to know?
------
Dawn arrived too slowly. Fanaza had made up her mind. She would return to the palace. It was better to face whatever waited for her there than waste more time here in uncertainty.
Rwaine had searched but still couldn't find Sage. Maybe because he was alone. It was better to go back to the palace and ask for a search party.
She swallowed hard and flinched a little when Rwaine passed by.
She didn't know what to say. But she spoke anyway.
"I'm going back to the palace."
"Okay." His reply was sharp and firm.
That one word hit harder than she expected.
Was he still angry? She hadn't meant to offend him. But truth be told… she was afraid of him. She couldn't forget the image of his blood.
She'd tried to come up with things that could cure her curiosity. Maybe the pain in her ankle had made her hallucinate. Maybe she'd seen wrong. But the doubt never left.
"I'm sorry about last night," she said. Her voice was low. "I was nosy, and I apologize."
She began to walk away.
Rwaine didn't respond. He only watched, silent as stone, as her figure faded into the woods. And yet, something inside him twisted painfully.
He wanted to call her back.
But he didn't.
He watched her disappear.
And felt sad.
Fanaza walked alone.
The forest was quiet in the morning; she was very cautious. She limped carefully, still mindful of her injury. The thought of nightfall—and the wendigos—made her keep moving faster, even through the pain.
But last night's confrontation with the creatures haunted her.
And then, she heard a familiar voice.
"Fanaza." Rwaine called out softly.
She turned immediately. Her heart raced when she saw him. She wasn't expecting him to come after her.
Rwaine stood there.
"What… what are you doing here?"
He looked confused, almost troubled.
"I don't know. I felt… something pulling me to you."
She walked towards him and blinked. "I felt it too. Like something kept trying to bring me back to you." She was honest with how she felt. She didn't want to leave him and couldn't tell why, but she loved his presence.
"Fanaza… you can't stay with me," Rwaine said quietly. "You don't belong here. I'm not someone you want to be with. I'm not… who you think I am."
She shook her head. "I never complained, Rwaine. All I wanted was to know you. I don't know why, but I feel drawn to you. Strongly, Rwaine."
"I'm sorry," he said. "But it's better if you never know who I truly am."
"The black blood…" she whispered. "Are you sick? Rwaine, the cloak, the darkness I see whenever I'm around you, I can't see you clearly even when you are right beside me."
"I don't want to talk about it. Just—pretend you never saw it," he said, looking away.
Fanaza nodded, forcing a smile.
"If that's what you want… I'll do it." Her heart sank.
She wanted to know what he was.
"I have to go. Before it gets dark." Fanaza, she whispered.
"I'll go with you," he said without hesitation.
They walked in silence, side by side, until they reached the edge of the woods. They could see the city walls from a distance.
"This is where I stop; I can't go into the city." Rwaine said.
"Thank you," she replied with a smile.
"You can go." Rwaine pointed towards the city.
She turned and walked away.
Rwaine had never felt like this before. Like something important was slipping away from him.
"Fanaza!" He called out again.
She stopped and turned immediately.
She was happy he called her back.
"If I find Sage… How do I find you again?"
She smiled sadly. "You won't need to find me. I'll find you."
She finally walked away without looking back. Rwaine couldn't take his eyes off her until she disappeared from his sight.
-------
The palace gates appeared from afar. It stood tall and familiar, yet Fanaza felt like a stranger as she approached them. Her clothes were torn, her feet blistered, and her heart ached—not just from exhaustion, but from everything she had left behind.
Her heart still yearned for Rwaine, and the thoughts of what she would go through at the palace made her shiver.
She limped forward, barely able to hold herself up.
"Lady Fanaza!" one of the guards gasped upon spotting her. His eyes widened with disbelief. "Open the gate!"
The gates creaked as they parted, and Fanaza stumbled inside. She barely made it a few steps before collapsing to her knees, panting heavily.
The moment she stepped through, something shifted in the air. The warmth of the palace was gone. It was thick with tension, like a storm waiting to break.
And then Sally saw her.
"Lady Fanaza!"
Sally's voice cut through the heavy silence. She ran across the courtyard, her eyes filled with tears. She threw her arms around Fanaza without hesitation.
"You're back! Oh, thank the stars—you're alive," she cried, clutching her tightly. "Where have you been? We searched everywhere. You were nowhere to be found, and where is Prince Sage?"
Fanaza's throat tightened. She didn't get the chance to reply.
From across the marble corridor, Queen Lisa appeared. Her dress trailed behind her like a cloak of rage, and her heels echoed like drumbeats of judgment.
Fanaza knew she was doomed.
The Queen's eyes—cold, sharp, and furious—locked onto Fanaza, with her deadly gaze torturing Fanaza from afar.
Fanaza rose to her feet slowly, her voice trembling as she tried to greet the queen.
"Your High—"
SLAP!
The sound cracked across the courtyard like lightning.
Fanaza staggered from the force of the slap and fell to the ground.
"My lady!" Sally gasped, rushing to her side.
The queen stormed forward, her fury unmatched.
"You ungrateful, foolish girl!" she snarled. "We gave you a name. A place in this palace. A life you did not earn—and this is how you repay us?"
Fanaza couldn't find the strength to respond. Her face burned, both from pain and humiliation.
"You led my son into danger. Into your filthy, cursed world of secrets!" the queen screamed, her voice filled with fury. "Where is Sage? Answer me!" she screamed.
"I, I didn't mean—" Fanaza choked out, trying to rise.
"Silence!"
The queen kicked her hard in the stomach. Fanaza gasped and tumbled over, her hands clutching her midsection in pain.
"You brought misfortune with you the moment you stepped into this palace. Bad luck. Darkness. It follows you like a plague!" the queen hissed.
"Please stop hurting my lady." Sally cried out, shielding Fanaza with her body. "Please, Your Grace—she's hurt!"
The queen's rage flared brighter. She struck Sally, too—backhanded her across the cheek so hard she fell next to Fanaza.
And then—more kicks. Fanaza screamed as pain exploded through her ribs, her legs, and her back.
"You deserve nothing!" The queen shrieked. "Nothing but to be cast out—no, crushed underfoot like the vermin you are!"
Sally covered Fanaza with her arms, weeping, whispering her name as the queen's fury descended again and again.
And then there was absolute silence.
Fanaza's eyes fluttered shut, her body limp in Sally's embrace. Her mouth parted, but no sound came. Her vision faded to black as her consciousness slipped away.
The last thing she felt was the warmth of Sally's tears dripping onto her bloodied face.