“I don’t understand Ravenhill.” Rosella frowned. “Wilis disgust him, but he claimed you.”
“Disgust him?” I was puzzled.
Lavonia squeezed my hand. “If you change your mind, we’ll all stand up for you against that monster. We endured Koschei only because Myrtha wanted to keep an eye on him…”
“And because he knew how to throw a party.” Rosella winked at me.
Fiona laughed. “True.”
Lavonia didn’t smile. “But even Koschei wouldn’t have dared to own a wili. Ravenhill’s hatred for us knows no bounds.”
“I wouldn’t say he hates us.” I slid my hand out of Lavonia. “He doesn’t bother us, does he?”
“He ensnared some of us.” Lavonia shot a glare at Fiona who glowered.
“What…?” Pain caught me off guard. It sliced through my chest like a red-hot blade.
“Irene?” Fiona’s voice sounded high-pitched.
“Not…me.” I gritted my teeth, focusing on blocking the source of the agony.
Alex’s loud voice came from the hallway. “I told you there was nothing we could do.”
“But I didn’t think…” That was Myrtha’s sobbing.
“What happened?” As I moved to rush into the room where the voices came from, Lavonia tried to take my arm.
“Irene, leave it.”
Myrtha and Alex stood next to a white-clothed woman writhing in bed, their faces grim. Myrtha’s sorrow pinched my chest along with the familiar pang of Alex’s presence. He gave me a polite nod of his head.
“That’s a fading wili.” Rosella’s voice broke. “Myrtha created her a year ago when she didn’t know her power was dwindling.”
The poor woman twisted and let out awful choking noises of agony.
“Can’t we do anything?” I stood next to Alex.
He swallowed hard. “Nothing works. Wilis’ power is delicate.”
The other wilis hugged each other.
“Poor Anne.” Fiona shook her head.
Myrtha sobbed into her hands. “She seemed to be fine. For over a year, she didn’t show any signs of fading. I didn’t create her recently. I don’t understand.”
Fiona put a hand on my shoulder. “Come.”
“But I want to stay close when she dies.”
“It might be a long time.” Gently Fiona led me out of the room, her aura glowing with tea-rose pink compassion.
Lavonia and Rosella filed out of the room quietly with us.
Alex glanced at me as I was leaving. He put a hand on his chest and bowed his head. The pull gave a little tug.
Once outside, I clamped a hand over my mouth. “Awful.”
“It is, but consider that the woman was going to die anyway. Myrtha tried to save her and failed.” She hugged me, and I cried on her shoulder. “Our world is made of pain.”
