Page 53 of The Heart of Nym (The Twisted Roots Duology #1)
Having to give credit where it was due, Nymiria reluctantly and inwardly complimented Aziel’s preparedness. His request for her help seemed agreeable and harmless enough until she realized that Dorid would question her whereabouts and perhaps send guards with her to watch her every move.
She breathed a sigh of relief when Desi whispered to her that Dorid was up north in Fairnam, attending Brandt’s funeral.
The majority of the palace went with him, all of them mourning their friends’ death—as if Dorid hadn’t been planning for the Lord of Fairnam to be killed all along.
Perhaps he was mourning the missed opportunity to claim that death for himself. One could never be too certain.
Nymiria groaned as she took another step forward off of the beaten path that led out of the city. The belt locked between her legs was already starting to chafe, forcing a hiss from her every time she moved her leg at a certain angle.
The chastity belt was non-negotiable—at least for the first half of this quest. If she was stopped and questioned, the guards would force her to show that she was locked.
Desi hadn’t been too happy about it, but it was her idea—and for that, feeling the burn of the metal slicing through thin layers of skin with each swing of her leg, Nymiria felt betrayed.
“How much longer until we reach the Twisted Willow?” Nymiria huffed.
Desi smirked down at her, smoothing an unruly curl away from her face. “A while.” She paused, frowning. “I think.”
The Twisted Willow was one of the most well-hidden Mystic establishments that was still left in Yaar.
Very few knew of its existence—not even the king knew about it.
It was said that anyone who was smart enough to locate it was smart enough to enter, including humans.
They did not discriminate when it came to intelligence, for intelligence was a great and honorable feat in the Mystic realm.
The people of Yaar were a different breed entirely in that respect, most humans even going as far as to claim that their children did not need proper schooling in order for them to thrive.
Which was partially true considering the availability of jobs in the city and outside of it.
You were either a merchant, a guard, a Huntsman, ran a farm of some sort, or you worked for the king in any of the other various ways one might.
Very seldom did parents teach their children of the magic that still existed within the walls of the kingdom, most residents having been raised to believe that the great and evil magic was extinguished by the Yaarboroughs.
But this was far from true, despite what Dorid’s history books had some believe.
Humans once told their children stories of the unexplainable, of the mists and the wilds.
But things were only unreal to those who no longer believed in them. The truths still lurked in the darkness, deep in the shadows of the city and off the beaten paths.
Desi slowed her pace some, noticing the tight grimace on Nymiria’s face. “If I apologized for the belt, would you accept it?”
Nymiria shot her a look that could kill, lifting her skirts higher to step over a fallen tree. “No.” She snapped. “The only form of apology I will accept is you taking this blasted thing off of me.”
“As soon as we cross the Divide, I promise, you’ll be a free woman once again.”
Nymiria snorted at that, rolling her eyes as she stumbled over the root of a tree. “A free woman, you say. But the shackles on my existence still tether me to the king. As soon as this is all over, the belt goes back on and I will have a dagger shoved into my hands—“
“You mean, this one?”
Both women whirled around at the deep voice that sounded behind them. Nymiria’s heart was in her throat, her stomach in knots until she realized that Aziel was only a few short paces behind them, deftly twirling her dagger between both extended forefingers. She narrowed her eyes.
“That is mine.” She started towards him, only to watch as the dagger slipped back into the holster at his hip.
“Seems as if we are both thieves now.” He smirked, winking in Desi's direction. “You can unlock the belt now.”
Desi glanced around, eyes narrowed as she scoped the forest. “Are we in the Divide?”
Aziel shook his head, turning his back to give them more privacy. “No. But I’ve been trailing behind you both for some time now and if I have to withstand one more moment of watching her walk in pain, I might just kill someone.”
They skirted off the path, shielding themselves behind a tree so that Nymiria could lift her skirts.
Desi pulled the small key out of her boot, sparing glances over her shoulder as Nymiria unlocked the contraption and slid it off her legs.
She felt like hurling the heavy metal into the depths of the forest, but as soon as her skirts fell back down around her ankles, a gloved hand snatched the belt from her grip.
“Aziel!” Desi hissed, visibly perplexed by the action.
Aziel eyed the belt, his face pinched with distaste. “This is iron.” He snarled, a thousand unsaid words flickering with the vibrant rage building behind his eyes. His jaw clenched so tightly that Nymiria swore she heard the joints popping.
Nymiria watched, bewildered, as he shoved the belt into the sack on his shoulder.
“What are you doing with that? I need it—" She lurched forward, fear settling into her stomach at the thought of what might happen if she was caught without it, but Aziel only stepped out of reach and started down the path once again.
“I’ll give you something far more useful that you actually need.” Was his only response.
They traveled the rest of the way in silence, the women trailing behind him.
They ventured down a small pebbled path, the overgrowth of thick forest shielding the small cottage from view.
Vines covered the thatched-roof cottage, with only small spaces making it evident that there were windows.
Smoke rolled heavily into the evening sky, filling the air with a smudgy darkness.
“Is this the Twisted Willow?” Nymiria asked.
Aziel shook his head and slipped his pack from his shoulder.
“This is an old friend’s house. I’ll be back shortly—it won’t take but a moment.
” It seemed that he was still fit with rage, his words clipped and his eyes focused anywhere but them.
She didn’t have it in her to question him.
Her head was starting to pound and she was starting to feel the bite of hunger in her stomach.
She needed water. And food.
Desi waved her over to a large boulder jutting out of the ground beside the cabin, both of them heaving a sigh of relief as they settled onto the surface. Her friend waited quietly until Aziel disappeared behind the far side of the earthy home before turning to her.
“The relationship the two of you have is rather odd.” Desi chuckled. “You act as if you hate one another, but your body language says otherwise.”
Nymiria scoffed into the air, rolling her eyes. “Oh, please! I don’t think I’ve experienced a single moment in his presence that he isn’t glaring at me.”
“He glares at everyone.”
“Or insulting me.”
Desi frowned. “He didn’t insult you back there.” She jutted her thumb in the direction of the path.
“Just give it a while, I’m sure the moment will come.”
“Nym…” Her voice softened in that same way it always did when she was going to say something sentimental or encouraging.
Nymiria wasn’t particularly in the mood to listen to what her friend had to say, but Desi always meant well.
And her voice was far more soothing than the confusing thoughts that threatened to plague her mind.
“I don’t know exactly what you are feeling, but I see you.
And just as I have learned Aziel and his expressions, I have also learned yours.
Don’t deny yourself something great just because you fear it will be taken from you. ”
Guilt. That was what she felt. That guilt that buried itself so deep inside of her that—
Nymiria groaned at the warmth that was now surrounding her shoulders, that delicate embrace that had been acting as a mild sedative to all of her pain and heartbreak for the greater part of two days.
“What on earth is the matter with you?” Desi laughed. “You’re acting strange.”
Nymiria looked down at her hand, at the iridescent vines that crawled up her palm and twisted around the base of her finger.
“We made a deal.” Her voice was quieted, eyes flickering to the part of the cabin he’d disappeared behind.
“He took my weakness away so that I might be able to finally kill Dorid.
That's why I have these." She pulled up her sleeves to show Desi the iridescent markings that covered her arms. "Thankfully, majority of them can be concealed by clothing, otherwise I'd probably be dead by now. "
There was a moment of silence before Desi drew in a deep breath and released it. When Nymiria looked at her, she did not seem surprised, just disappointed. “What sort of deal? What is your weakness?” She seemed almost too afraid to ask.
It was not easy to answer that question when she, herself, was still trying to put the pieces together.
She couldn’t hear Owen anymore, her self-berating was now cut short, and all thoughts of her past regrets were being wiped from her mind the moment they sprang to life in her head.
If she had any guess as to what her weakness may be, it would be her heart—how deeply she felt things and how terrified she was of regretting her decisions.
Fear, guilt, and heartbreak. All of those things combined seemed to be the ingredients to the chaotic makeup of her soul.
Before she could muster a response, Aziel returned. He was looking at his gloves as he approached them, inspecting them as if there was something wrong with them.