Taken

Chapter 9 (Part 2)

My eyes lingered on Silas, appreciation erasing a hint of the consternation I felt, but not enough to make me forget the fear he had triggered in me. It hadn't been the first time.

As he and Hilda continued eating, my hand rose to my chest again to seek out the lingering warmth that wouldn't fully fade or let me forget the pain that had preceded it. What if it came back? What if she could trigger it like the choker around my neck? Or control it at will?

I pushed back the panic that wanted to rise at the thoughts. I couldn't get lost in it again. It would only lead me to drown in the worst conclusions again. With some of the preexisting panic and fear that the unexpected flare of pain had caused settled, I could better process my exchange with Hilda, enough to rule out the likely hood that I was going to die from the pill I had swallowed- even if it had momentarily seemed very likely. I had doubts that the price she said I had to pay would benefit me as she had claimed, but jumping to the conclusion that she was a murderous old lady because of a few glares, rude words, and motherly threats may have been a tad drastic. Plus, she said she was going to help me and it sounded like she had meant it if the glimpses I had caught of her annoyance at being inconvenienced by Silas's requests were real and anything to go by.

But that didn't change the fact that the pill had still done something to me. Something that I couldn't even begin to try to figure out. Fairy bullshit. The only hint I had that something was wrong was the warmth I was rubbing at through the shirt I wore. Aside from that, I felt normal. As normal as one could feel after being dragged into another world.

My focus returned to Silas as he pierced a piece of his fish that had been given a chance to cool with his fork and placed it onto a smaller plate beside him. Artemis who was perched on the back of the chair it was set before didn't waste a moment to eat it and poked Silas with her beak for more. A faint smile pulled at his lips as he cut off another piece to cool.

I should tell him.

No. I would tell him. I had to. Just as soon as I had him alone with Hilda out of ears reach. He could help. To stop Hilda from lashing out at me for not keeping my lips shut and to deal with whatever she had done. The only logical reason she would want to keep it from Silas would be that he would be against it.

The thought had my unease growing.

I let out a silent breath, pushing a purple carrot across my plate. Despite my worries, a minuscule fraction of the stress weighing on my shoulders lifted as I made the decision to tell him. But it didn't last long. The reason for my hesitance just had to ruin the moment of respite.

"Is there something wrong with your dinner, Greysi?"

I jerked at Hilda's inquiry, nearly launching the carrot off my plate.

"No, not at all," I rushed to say as I tightened my grip on my fork.

She rose a napkin to delicately dab at the corner of her lips. "You haven't eaten very much. If it's not to your liking, I can prepare something else." Her tone and admonishing eyes said otherwise.

"No, no, this is fine. It tastes great," I said with a forced smile. Loading my fork with flaking white fish and the carrot I had been pushing around, I took a bite to appease her affronted attention.

Still, her pinched and narrowed attention remained on me as I chewed and swallowed, only easing to shift back to her own meal after I had shoveled in another mouthful.

I felt the food drop like a stone into my twisting stomach, but at least it grew easier to swallow without Hilda's burrowing gaze. I managed to eat most of what was on my plate and pushed it away when my stomach began to revolt. While the meal was delicious, hands down the best fish I had ever tasted, the last thing I wanted to do at the moment was sit still and eat. But what else could I do? My next step was in Hilda's hands.