The Witch of Storn

Chapter 8

The ride back to the Tsaen home was a quiet one. Rhaenar's father looked out the window, watching the passing scenery. Rey guessed he wasn't actually seeing it. He looked like he was deep in his thoughts. It didn't matter to her anyway. She didn't feel like speaking. She just wanted to be alone to think about what all this meant for her future. Also she desperately needed to lie down. Her head had been pounding ever since the verdict had been pronounced.

Looking out of the window too, she observed the passing trees and people. On the way to the school everything had looked so strange, but as they travelled back the way they had come Rey was familiar with everything she saw. The words to name them came easily into her mouth and she could even explain what anything was and what it was used for.

When had Rhaenar's memories returned to her? She couldn't say exactly when. All she knew was that after the trial things had begun to look more relatable and less alien. She frowned at the window pane.

Where was all this knowledge while I struggled to save myself from hanging?! It seemed like the universe was rolling dice to determine what would happen to her next. Or was it that being? Rey shivered a little when she thought of them. She broke out of her musings at the rustle in the carriage and looked over at her father. He was shrugging off his heavy jacket. She looked on with a confused stare as he removed it. Was he feeling hot?

He tossed the jacket at her and went back to staring out the window. For a moment all Rey did was stare. Then it came to her — he was giving her the jacket because he thought she was feeling cold. She wanted to return it but didn't feel like breaking the silence. So she just wore it and enjoyed the feeling of being cared for.

At least Rhaenar — I have people who are on my side.

Things could have been much worse, she knew that very well. Maybe he pulled some strings? She glanced at the other inhabitant of the carriage. Her stomach had finally settled after all the previous upheavals. There was no feeling of doom anymore. A better way to describe it would be numbness. It was as if she had used up all her reserves of emotions and had drained them, so all that was left now was no emotion.

As the carriage turned onto the road leading to the Tsaen house Rey wondered where she would be going. As far as she remembered Rey had never gone past Stormness, the country that bordered New Revonen in the south. It was a week's journey from Storn to the border of Stormness and New Revonen. Rey wondered how she was going to leave the country in three days if it took seven days to get to the border. The other countries were not an option, since Storn was located at the southernmost part of the country.

Maybe there's a portal or a magical gate that can go from country to country?

She had no chance to think about it. They had arrived at the house. Rey was getting to her feet when her father raised one hand, motioning for her to stay seated. She obeyed and looked at him expectantly.

"You will go to my sister in Stormness," he said. Rey nodded. He continued, "You leave tomorrow, so start packing as soon as you have rested."

"Tomorrow? But—"

"But nothing. If you're still in the country after three days have passed I won't be able to help you. You know that, don't you?"

Rey dropped her eyes to the floor, nodding. She knew. She just hadn't expected to be leaving so soon, not when she was finally getting used to her surroundings. The Duke looked at her for a moment. Suddenly he reached out and pulled her into a tight hug, pressing her face into his shoulder.

"You'll be fine," he murmured. Rey scrunched her eyes shut tightly, forcing the tears back into their ducts. He released her a short while later and left the carriage immediately. Unknowingly a small smile crept onto her face.

I'll be OK. I always am, she reassured herself. Taking in a deep breath, she got out of the carriage. It was time to pack.

******

After a practically sleepless night Rey was very unwilling to leave the soft comfort of her bed. Not even the teary pleas of Malra (she finally knew the maid's name) could incite Rey to do so much as roll over. She just lay there, face pressed into the pillows. Somewhere in the room behind her Malra was still trying to reason with her.

She's a nice girl, Rey thought lazily. If I were in her place I would have emptied a bucket of ice over myself already.

"Lady Rhaenar! You have to get up!"

"No," Rey mumbled into her pillows. She pressed her body against the sheets harder, aiming to shed her mortal cage and become one with the bed.

"Please, Lady Rhaenar!"

 Rey could feel her spirit breaking the chains that held her to her body. She was transcending the physical!

"Lady Rhaenar, I beg you! If you aren't ready by the time we're to depart Helcin will deduct my pay!"

Rey sighed.

"Fine."

She rolled onto her back. Footsteps approached the bed. Rey looked up into the smirking face of her maid.

She grumbled an "I hate you" to which Malra responded with a cheerful smile and an outstretched hand. Rey took the offered hand roughly, but Malra only smiled again.

On her feet now, Rey sighed as she followed Malra to the closet. Rhaenar had also been a sucker for the story, even if she knew it was mostly a lie. Helcin didn't have the power to add to or subtract from the workers' wages. He was only a knight after all. Rhaenar only did what Malra asked because she liked the girl, like Rey. Also she did it because she shared Rey's loathing for Helcin. The man had some serious issues.

"Is this fine, Lady Rhaenar?"

"Hmm?" Rey left her thoughts. She looked at the outfit Malra was holding up. It consisted of a thin grey shirt over a pair of black trousers.

Ooh, so it's not all dresses and skirts? That's so cool. Who would have thought?

She nodded at Malra, who swiftly laid them out on the couch where she had put Rey's uniform the previous day.

"I'll go down and get your breakfast, Lady Rhaenar. You will be fine bathing alone?"

Rey narrowed her eyes at Malra. Why did it sound like she was an incompetent sheltered lady who couldn't even take a bath by herself? Then she remembered the several minutes she had spent in the bathroom the morning before and felt her cheeks heat up.

With a composed look (she hoped it was) she waved a hand imperiously.

"I'll be fine."

Malra looked doubtful, but she quickly agreed and left when she saw Rey inching towards a pillow. When she had shut the door behind her Rey turned to the bathroom. There was no way it would be that hard, right?

******

Rey soaked in the bathtub that was more like a mini-pool, closing her eyes in pleasure. The water rippled around her gently as she wiggled her legs, enjoying the way it made her feel weightless. For some reason she had woken up feeling a lot better than she had the previous day. Even though she had silently cried herself to sleep and woken up just an hour later, she didn't feel any of the sadness that had been present the day before. What she felt at that moment was something like content, but not quite.

She turned her head at the muffled sound of a door opening.

"Malra? Is that you?" she called out. The bathroom door swung open and Rey shrieked, ducking into the water and consequently splashing water onto the floor of the bathroom.

"Malra! There is such a thing as knocking, you know?"

Malra just gave her an unimpressed stare. "Lady Rhaenar, this will not be the first time I've seen you naked."

Rey blustered. "Well, yes...but still! I wanted some privacy!"

Malra hummed as she grabbed a towel and a bathrobe off the rack on the wall. "Whatever you say, Lady Rhaenar. Now please get out of the bath, we only have an hour before we set off for Fort Fiore and you still haven't gotten dressed. Neither have you eaten." She held the clothes out for Rey, chuckling at the pout on Rey's face as she grabbed them out of Malra's grasp.

While she shimmied into her trousers Rey thought about the unusual camaraderie she shared with Malra and even Rhaenar's father. Logically since the soul in the body was different from the original they would have different characters. Even their idiosyncrasies and tastes should be different. However, no one was looking at her strangely. The father of the girl didn't act like his daughter's body had been inhabited by an entirely different soul...it wasn't as if he knew. Still, it unsettled Rey.

She put her arms through the shirt sleeves, turning around so Malra could button the shirt up. While the other girl's fingers worked dexterously on her clothes, Rey chewed over the matter. There were a few things that troubled her about her current situation.

The first was of course, how she came to be in an entirely different...world? Universe? Wherever she was, it was for sure nowhere near her solar system. She didn't see any way to remedy the situation though, so she put it aside for the main time.

The second was Helene. Rey's heart hurt to think of her friend. Malra asked if she was alright out of nowhere, probably sensing the change in her mood. Rey smiled reassuringly at the girl, sitting down to put her boots on. As she worked the low-heeled combat boots onto her feet Rey wondered how her best friend was doing. Was she alright? Did time stop when her soul left her body? It didn't seem likely, so instead she wondered if Helene had gotten free of her captors. What if she was still waiting for Rey to bring the ransom? Would the kidnappers kill Helene? Please let Helene be all right

"Ahem."

Rey looked up sheepishly. "Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts." She noticed Malra was standing and looked down at her feet. "Oh. You're done with them."

Malra nodded. "Yes. Now please have your meal, Lady Rhaenar. We have only half an hour left."

She walked past the chair where Rey sat and left the room, re-entering almost immediately with a waist-height trolley that she rolled all the way to where Rey sat expectantly. Upon arrival Malra efficiently transferred the food and crockery to the table in front of Rey. When she had finished she left the room again, informing Rey that she was going to get her own food. Rey waved her off and applied herself to the food, reaching for the purple juice she had liked so much first. According to Rhaenar's memories it was the juice of the violetberries and it was also Rhaenar's favorite thing to drink. She dug into the food, sipping after every five bites, the way she remembered Rhaenar doing.

After a while her thoughts flew back to Helene. She was really worried, but like her first issue there was nothing she could do about it. Except worrying, and she needed her brains to be fully active since she was now going somewhere that Rhaenar had never been before. It was in her best interests to focus on the present.

Another problem that came to mind was the knowledge she had gained out of nowhere. There were so many questions she had. Why weren't they present at the beginning of her stay? Why did they only show up after the trial? Why did she not feel any strangeness from them? She and Rhaenar were two entirely different beings — why was she so comfortable in those memories, like they were hers? Was it because the body was Rhaenar's? So they felt not-alien to her? If only there was someone who could answer her questions.

As she took the last bite of the pie and drained the glass of juice Rey thought about one last problem. Why did she share so many similarities with Rhaenar? The only noticeable difference between them was on the physical level. Rhaenar was short, compared to Rey’s slightly above average height. Where Rey had short black hair, Rhaenar had long, midnight blue hair that Rey was jealous of. In every other aspect they were eerily alike. Even twins weren't so identical. It scared Rhaenar a little. What exactly was going on?

She had to lay her doubts to rest because at that moment there was a brisk knock on the door.

That's probably Malra, she thought.

"Come in."

As predicted, Malra walked through the door. She gave Rey a swift examination and then nodded to herself.

"You've finished with your meal, Lady Rhaenar?" She asked as she piled the empty dishes onto each other, returning them to the trolley. Rey rolled her eyes at Malra in response.

"Such insolence," she said in a posh tone. "We are not amused."

Malra giggled, even though she most likely had no clue where the joke lay. "Beg your pardon, Your Highness."

Rey waved her apology away, showing no care for it. "It is fine. You cannot be expected to be as great as us." She stuck her nose in the air, looking away from Malra, who only giggled harder. Rey held her pose for a while, breaking into laughter when she could hold it in no longer. When the girls were calm again Malra stood up straight.

"Lady Rhaenar." Her voice was serious. "The carriage and your guards are all set to leave."

Rey looked at her hands, folded in her lap. It was time, wasn't it? She sighed.

"I know. Let's go."

Malra turned around, pushing the tray before her. As she left the room Rey looked around it. It wasn't the last time she would see it — the exile was only for a year, after all — but she hoped it probably would be. She bent a little to pick up the satchel on the bed and then left the room, closing the door gently behind her with a low click.