Page 5 of Catatonic


Font Size:  

“And dangerous,” Charlie added seriously.

I nodded again. “Yes, but we will be powerful enough to help, right? That’s what the gods believe?”

Charlie sighed. “They do. And they will send their son to help train us. When he believes we are ready, we’ll be sent to start freeing. Obviously, we’re captured at the moment, so that will definitely be on hold unless he’s going to break us out. That would be handy.”

I nodded and turned my attention back to the golden giant. As I focused on him, I could feel buzzing under my skin, a sign of the bond that connected us. I couldn’t yet feel Charlie in the same way, or maybe the strength of the soul pair bond hid the familiar bond. I didn’t know. I didn’t think anyone could know; our situation was so unique.

“Charlie,” I whispered.

“Yeah?”

“What’s wrong with Zaide?” I whispered.

He sighed. “He’s … not dealing well with captivity.”

“What?” I was expecting a more dire diagnosis, considering his behavior. Concussion. Catatonia. Not claustrophobia.

Charlie shrugged and continued, “He was okay the first couple of days. We talked all the time, worried about you, and glared at witches together. But I think he’s regressing now. He doesn't even acknowledge I'm here.” His face was drawn with concern for his friend.

Why would Zaide behave like that?“I don’t understand. That's not claustrophobia.”

“He was a slave, Clawdia,” Charlie reminded me softly. “That was clearly not a great time for him. He’s remembering it more now, being trapped here.”

I thought about my father and how he reacted when he remembered the war, and I flinched. “He has shell shock?” I knew what shell shock did to a man, and I knew I wouldn't recover if Zaide turned out to be the same.

As though he could read my thoughts, Charlie shook his head and brought me back into his arms. “We call it post-traumatic stress disorder now. And it can happen in more than just war situations. You had the symptoms of it too when you first became human.”

“I did?” I considered that. While I may have had scars from my trauma which caused emotional turmoil and the occasional breakdown, I didn't think it was the same as my father. And I didn’t want it to be because realizing he was a victim of trauma too would lessen my anger, my blame, and blur my painful memories. I wanted to hold on to those so I could be stronger.

Lost in thought, I barely heard Charlie ask, “You didn’t hurt anyone, though, did you?”

I scoffed. “No. I was just useless and crying.”

Charlie frowned as he argued, “You weren’t totally useless. You went on a spy mission. Learned to turn back into a cat.”

“I appreciate you trying to make me feel better but—”

He covered my mouth and continued talking as though I hadn’t spoken. “Zaide is just checking out for the moment.” He took his hand off my mouth and turned my face so he stared directly into my eyes. “He won’t hurt you. I don’t even think he could.”

“Are you sure?” I whispered.

He stroked a hand down my matted hair and smiled. “I’m positive. He couldn’t hurt the other half of his soul.”

I nodded, feeling better. “What do we do? How do we help? We gave my father a kitten. I could be a cat?” The nurse in me wanted to treat his illness, but I wasn’t sure what helped.

Charlie laughed. “You aren’t going to make a great support animal, Clawdicat.”

“I was a very supportive animal to you,” I argued, a little offended.

“Yeah, very supportive of the toilet roll manufacturers.” He glared, and I bit back a smile. “What helped you feel better?”

I paused as I thought about it. I didn't think I was over my trauma completely yet. I didn't think I ever would be. But what made it bearable was … “You two.”

He smiled and nodded. “There’s your answer. Just be with him, let him know you're there. Try to bring him into the present and keep him there. He’s not only trapped in this cage; he’s trapped in his memories.” He ran his fingers over my t-shirt-covered wrist. “There is just one other thing you might need to know.”

“Oh lord, what now?” I sighed deeply and flopped against the walls of the cave. The rollercoaster of emotions might kill me faster than the witches.

He chuckled at my dramatics. “With the bonding, you gained some interesting tattoos.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
Articles you may like