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There were more hot springs as I went, but I wanted one out of the way if I was going to be completely naked and vulnerable here. I finally found a small one, big enough for just one human, hidden in a small copse behind a half-fallen tree. The crow perched on the tree, mantling his wings.
I still looked around before shedding my filthy clothes. The white dress was no longer white; the blood I’d shed in the church had left large brown patches, with dark streaks of dirt where I’d crawled through the Wood on my hands and knees.
I unceremoniously let it fall into a pile, and carefully draped my new dress over a convenient branch.
Sliding into the hot springs was like heaven. It came up to my chest, and I ducked under multiple times, shaking off as much dirt as possible before grabbing the cake of soap Torr had left for me.
I sniffed it, laughing to myself. I wondered if the Beast had known how desperately I wanted to bathe, or if he was just making a point in the politest way he knew how.
Unlike the harsh soap we made in Vostok, this was a rich man’s soap. It smelled sweet and earthy at the same time, and didn’t sting my skin when I lathered up and dug my fingers into my filthy hair.
I washed my hair three times, and went over the rest of myself twice. Then I just floated there, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness.
The crow rustled, cawing harshly.
I opened my eyes, and found a pair of amber ones staring back at me. The Beast’s dark hair was mottled with brown.
Draven. I remembered his voice, the anger in it when he found me bleeding on the forest floor.
Instinctively, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Why are you watching me?” Silently I thanked the crow for giving me a warning. It might’ve stopped my heart to just turn around and see lamp-like eyes glowing in the dark.
“I’m here to protect you,” he said smugly. He was crouched on all fours, nearly blending in with the boulders around the hot spring. “You’ve finally done it, Salem.”
I scowled at him, pushing wet strands of hair out of my face. “It would have been much more helpful if you’d been more specific instead of trying to run me down.”
“Ah, Torr was right. You’re fiery.” He laughed, showing the tips of his white fangs. “But would you have listened? No. You would have given me more excuses to stay in your cage.”
My scowl deepened. He was… right. I would have told him I could never unleash the monster within myself. But that was when I didn’t know that the monster would save me.
I had let it free, and I hadn’t harmed anyone.
“And now that I’ve run away, you’re going to be all nice and friendly?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Of course.” His broad shoulders rippled as he watched me. “I told you we were done waiting. Now you’re here, where you belong. You have proved your spirit did not die.”
Something about that sounded familiar. I chewed my lip, thinking. “You haven’t been talking to Ash, have you?”
Her spirit is broken.
But Ash was wrong. My spirit had just been wounded and beaten down. It had not been whole while I hid a part of myself away.
Draven rumbled, his mane rising in a crest. “Ash is the reason I am here to protect you. He is… wounded, and those wounds run deep. He has not forgiven Vostok for its crimes.”
I shook my head. “I am not Vostok. I’m just Salem.”
Draven snorted, his breath steaming in the air that grew chillier by the minute. “He has not differentiated between humans and their crimes for a long time. But we will not allow him to touch you.”
In a way, I understood Ash. I could not think of Vostok without thinking of misery.
But I wasn’t going to lay down and die by his hand because of it.
“If I come out of the spring, are you going to chase me again?” I asked, and Draven’s eyes widened.
“No, of course not—ah. A human jest. Hilarious.”
I gave him a crooked smile. “You deserve it.”
It felt more than a little traitorous to find myself getting along with the Beasts quite well. I could just say what was on my mind without fear of reprisal.
