Death's Lethal Embrace

Six: Cinder

The late afternoon was blisteringly cold.

My teeth chattered from where I huddled beneath a ragged blanket in our home, sandwiched between my mother's bed and Everly's. Mom's condition continued to worsen despite the new medicine, and I knew it was only a matter of time now before she faded away altogether. I didn't waste my breath crying over the unfairness of it because deep down I knew she craved death, a release from the pain she faced every day. But even though I didn't cry for her, it was difficult not to cry for Everly. Ever since Nera had left, restrictions were tighter, and more young women were coming up missing. It had been a little over two weeks since I'd last seen her, and as much as I hated to admit it, I actually missed the hateful bitch. But it meant we were confined in our rickety cabin to watch her die, and there hadn't been a night this week that Everly hadn't gone to bed soaking me in tears. With the worsening weather, and yes it is still summer, let me remind you, I hadn't been able to hunt. It wasn't too much of a concern yet, as we still had plenty of food leftover from the market. Maddy even let me store some in her restaurant freezer, which was helpful and I knew no one would dare mess with her shit. I watched my breath puff, the wind outside sending a coating of frost from underneath the door. I sighed and forced myself up, checking on my mother and sister before saddling up for the cold.

It took me a little longer than usual getting ready, because it was so cold my fingers kept slipping across buttons, but finally I managed to slip into my favorite insulated pants and jerkin. Pulling my cloak over my head, I slid my hand along the dagger at my waist, finding comfort in its weight. As always I scrawled a note for my sister in case she woke up, before forcing myself to step outside. I almost flew off the deck when I opened the door, the blistering wind slicing right through my clothes, attacking my skin with needle-thin shards of ice. I muttered a curse, shutting and locking the door, still complaining to myself as I trudged through the snow and into town. More guards were outside today, and while I usually took stock of them, nervous sweat trickled down my back, the prickle of awareness at the back of my neck too insistent to ignore. I could feel their eyes on me while I made my way to Madeline's, squinting through the wind and snow. The blizzard had hit the town this morning and had yet to light up, and something told me a certain goddess of death had something to do with it's arrival, and the nervousness of the Fae.

I passed by a few guards talking closely with one another, their backs to me but the wind carried their words easily. "Is it true? The King is coming here? Why would he ever make the trip? I mean, to this shithole?" I stiffened, slowing my pace to be nosy.

The taller of the two bobbed his head, and my stomach grumbled when he bit into a crisp apple. "Yeah, I heard Breyer talking about it this morning. She said that he's curious about the sudden change in weather. Supposedly over the last two weeks, winter hit the entirety of the U.S. in one fell swoop." My jaw nearly hit the ground. I thought it was just here that the weather was effected! But to have the power to spread winter across the entire country? Suddenly my interactions with the moody goddess made me wonder just how closely I came to death.

"I don't know Rion. The weather hasn't been like this since before- hey! Girl, what the fuck are you doing? Move it before you regret it!" Crap, I'd been standing here too long. I hurried on, not sparing them a second glance, but replaying their words over and over in their mind. Had they been about to say "since Nera?" Or was it something completely unrelated? I knew the likelihood of that was slim. I hurried on, hoping Maddy might have more information for me given the capacity of drunk guards she saw every day.

I kept my head down the rest of the trip to Maddy's restaurant and bar, doing my best to appear invisible. Going in through the back, my lip curled in revulsion at the rowdy laughter outside the kitchens. Maddy glanced up as I entered, hanging my coat on the hanger and tying on an apron. Her hair was a mess, her eyes tired and her arms loaded with trays of drinks and food. I could see the relief on her face and immediately took half her load, mentally jotting down tables one, five, seven and nine before she flew past me. I pasted a smile on my face for the benefit of the kitchen staff and backed out the swinging double doors, fighting to keep the expression in the stuffy room. I breathed through my mouth as discretely as I could, the musky scent of body odor and cigarettes burning my nose. I delivered the trays with minimal issue, though table nine grated on my nerves. It had been a while since we had a round of new recruits for the Fae army blow through, and they never failed to sneak a grab at my ass or try to pull me onto their lap. Thankfully I was skilled at slipping out of their hands and painting on a falsely seductive smile that they deemed as real, too drunk to notice the rage boiling beneath my expression.