The Whispers of Shadows - Azriel

29

Sunlight strewn through the window, Madja creating another pain elixir beside her bed, Aurora blinked open her eyes from sleep.

"Good morning, Aurora. Just another drink to help with the pain and I need to change your bandages today," Madja spoke in her otherworldly kind voice. Aurora yawned and sat up, taking the liquid from her and downing it. With a cringe, she handed the glass back to Madja and climbed from the bed. She was comfortable with the woman, only having met her yesterday but had been under her care for nearly a week, she learned. Aurora stripped down to her underwear, looking down as Madja began unwrapping the dirty bandage on her thigh. Aurora fought back a gasp when she saw what remained of her infected wound.

A deep pink scar stretched across the entire thigh, jagged and disgusting. The infection had eaten away at her skin during the time in the cellar. The pinpointed hole where the arrow had entered her was now stretched down almost to her knee and ended at her hip.

"It was quite gruesome, something I would have expected on Cassian or Rhysand. Those two like to get in the middle of battles when they shouldn't," Madja explained. She ran a warm finger over the rough skin. "The scar has healed and no longer needs a dressing. Let me see your shoulder and back."

Aurora turned to allow her to untie the wrap that looped over her shoulder, beneath her arms, and down to her naval. Cold air pricked at Aurora's skin when the bandage was removed, her torso bare.

"Can I look?" Aurora asked, and Madja hummed and stepped back. She turned and walked into her bathing chamber to peer in the mirror. First, she faced away and looked over her shoulder. Four massive scarred-over holes surrounded her spine just below the shoulder blades. Jagged lines were beneath three of them, and Aurora guessed Tamlin had shifted his claws and tore the skin and muscle more. Her skin was entirely indented where the holes had been, silvery pink scars replaced her soft pale skin. Aurora turned to look at her shoulder.

Similar to the arrow wound on her thigh, there was an indented part of the scar where the arrow had entered, and damaged skin stretching around it. It spread up and down the top of her arm, and all the way down to the swell of her breast. Her eyes fell from the arrow wound and down. Bile rose in her throat when she saw the rest of her body. Yellowish bruises spread around her ribs. Smaller jagged scars were scattered around her body. Her collarbone, her left breast, her waist and stomach. Aurora looked down at her legs again. Those same small scars were on both her hips and down her thigh opposite of the arrow wound. Aurora turned and looked over her shoulder.

Larger but similar holed scars were on both of her buttocks. Madja walked into the bathing chamber, her hand gently resting on Aurora's arm.

"They're teethmarks. I believe he bit you during... You know. He left his mark everywhere, I'm so sorry." Aurora hardly heard the healer's voice as she stared at her body. Tamlin had bitten her on the breast and rear, her stomach and thighs. He had ensured that the memory of him would never escape her.

"I believe my scars are fine, I'm going to bathe," Aurora choked out. Madja gave her a nod and left the bathing chamber, shutting the twin doors. Aurora let out a shuddering breath and went to the tub, not wanting to see her nude body any longer. The water

She sunk beneath the water and filled it with soap until the suds covered her completely. The bubbles popped against her chin as the aroma of pine and jasmine surrounded her. She'd been freed by the weight of her past when she cut the memories from her hair, but now these memories were permanently marked on her skin. She felt used, disgusting, owned. Aurora knew Tamlin had planned for that, she was surprised he hadn't carved his damn name into her skin. She'd get her revenge though, on all of them, slowly.