Tale Spinster

EP 18: THE ROLEXIA LIQUID

The moment I saw the small light at the end of the tunnel, without thinking, I jumped down from Liam's arms and ran to the source of the light. My feet rushed with anticipation, so much that I didn't even realize I had stumbled and almost grazed my face with the stone wall. I only realized that I had been sobbing once I tasted the warmth of sunrays on my face. The cool wind swept the hair from my oily face and I rejoiced at the sight of colors.

One moment I was smiling. The next, I was kneeling on the forest floor and letting out the tears I had been holding. My hands no longer trembled, but they clutched the grass beneath me so that I knew this was real. That I was no longer surrounded by darkness.

That I was no longer in that dark room.

Something soft nudged against my face. It caressed my cheek with its wet tongue. Its purple eyes looked at me somberly. Liam had changed into his wolf form again. His white fur glittered under the glorious rays of the sun. I didn't know what came to me but my body moved on its own to embrace Liam. As he didn't withdraw from my touch, I buried my face in his fur and let out the rest of my tears. Liam licked away my tears sometimes, but my tears seemed neverending.

"You were so scared, weren't you?" Liam whispered in a soft tone.

I could only nod as I sobbed.

"Did your brother do anything else to you?" There was something dangerous in the way he asked me. His tone was still soft, but I caught a slight growl and I sensed his intensity as he said, "I swear, the next time I see that guy, he will die."

I shook my head slightly. "He didn't do anything." I took a few deep breaths to calm my wobbly throat. It hurt to talk while sobbing. "He just left me–"

"He left his sister who he knew was terrified to death of the darkness in a dark cave and was planning on sending a couple of knights to do who knows what to her," Liam seethed his teeth. "Even a stray dog would treat its pup better."

At these words, my tears finally stopped. "You're right," I said, "I'm worse than a stray dog."

Liam jolted suddenly. "N–No!" his tongue failed him a couple of times. "That's not what I meant! I'm sorry, th– that's not..."

For one long second, we only stared at each other. I looked him deadpan in the eye while he squirmed in guilt. Then I cast a smile. "You're way too cute when you're flustered.

Liam seemed to not get my light-hearted tone right away, so he said, "Truly, you deserve a lot better. You deserve to be cared for. You deserve to be ..."

As he struggled to utter the word, I rose next to him and took a look at our surroundings. It was a small forest behind the cave. The canopies were not too thick that the sun couldn't get through. The forest itself seemed calm and serene.

"It'd probably take half a day trek to go back to the village, don't you reckon?" I asked.

"Hop on me," Liam said, "We'll reach there in a few hours."

I looked at Liam and was just about to scoff at the absurdity of his suggestion ... when I saw how big his wolf had become. I blinked a couple of times. His wolf height was below my waist when I first met him. Yet when I saw him in the village, he had grown to almost reach my waist. I thought then that he could really carry me on his back.

"I can," he answered my mind. I didn't realize that I had been uttering my mind out loud. "Now hop on."

It felt awkward, but I managed to sit on his back. I felt guilty for grabbing the fur on his neck for my hold but Liam insisted. And when he ran, I didn't care about pulling his fur anymore as I needed something to hold lest I fall.