Children of Night and Snow

32. Returns And Beautiful Dresses

Devan dragged the rogue's corpse out of the cave for vultures to do as they wished while Nolan and I packed up. It was way too early, but we didn't need to make a decision whether to go back to sleep or leave for home immediately. It was clear neither of us would go back to sleep after this. Not to mention if one rogue came here, who was to say there weren't more of them lurking around, hoping to get their chance. So we filled our backpack with the meat we got and packed up our supplies and left within minutes in utter silence.

The way home was mostly downhill, which made it significantly easier, but still I was convinced it was mainly the shock and adrenaline still lingering in my veins, which helped me keep going as I barely slept in the last two days and even when I did, it was hardly the rest I needed in these insane conditions.

"How did you know she was a rogue?" I broke the silence that lingered between us for hours as we walked in deep snow. The scene from the morning imprinted on my mind forever. I still wasn't sure how to process this. But then what was I expecting? When Devan first brought me to the house, I expected them to kill me. Instead they chose to train me and use me as a thief. They even made it clear that at least one of them did kill people before. Why was I so shocked to witness what I did? I shouldn't have been. Was it the casualty in which Nolan executed it?

"The tattoos we have, there is a special essence in them that slightly changes our scents. That's why Nolan doing your mark was illegal. He shouldn't have access to that kind of ink. She didn't have the scent, which meant she was a rogue or she came from another city and was out of her territory. But even if that wasn't the case, she came to attack. Wherever she was from, we had the right to kill her," Devan explained.

"I couldn't smell it. The difference," I said.

"Yeah, it's really faint. I have to still teach you that," he replied.

The rest of our journey carried on in the same silence in which it began. I was grateful. Not only I wasn't sure what I'd say to them, to Nolan specifically, but it was also exhausting to talk, to think, even if it was all through our mind link. I didn't have any strength left to spare if I wanted to keep up with the two wolves in front of me. Relief washed over me when we finally reached the gates of Duskfall. They made us shift to show we really were residents and they let us be on our way home.

"You guys are early," Demi noted once we entered the familiar warmth of the house. It was just her and Az, who only gave us a nod and a small smile before he went back to the book he was reading.

"We had an early wake up call," Devan replied, earning a knowing nod from her. Nolan in the meantime disappeared in the bathroom. He was still partially covered in the dry, frozen blood from this morning and clearly wanted to get clean as fast as he could. At least some of his actions still made sense to me.

"I'll boil some more water so you guys can get cleaned up too," Demi said. She handed us each one of the dirty blankets that were on a laundry pile so we had something to cover ourselves with while we waited. Only then I realized my nudity. I was so distracted by everything that happened today, I completely forgot. If they noticed, none of them commented on it.

Nolan held the bathroom door open for me once he was done showering, his expression unreadable. There was a silence between us now. An unspoken deal. He was giving me some space to clear my thoughts. Still, I felt bad for putting that distance between us so I brushed my hand against his on my way past him. A small gesture, a promise that we'll talk about it eventually. Whether he got my message, he didn't show.

Droplets of hot water fell on my body, washing away the dirt of the past three days, soothing my sore muscles. I closed my eyes enjoying the temporary heaven I was granted, knowing I only had a few minutes of precious solitude before I had to leave and let Devan in. The faint smell of damp stones and summer rain invaded my senses once again. I was still confused on where it was coming from. I used to think it filled me from my dreams, memories of home. But I wasn't asleep now. There was no dream, just reality. It made me wonder if it was this place, this house and the fact that I've grown to call it my home. Maybe the phantom scent that made absolutely no sense in this place was a reminder of that. There was no other explanation.

"Freya! Here you are! Come downstairs with me, I have a dress for you to change into," Lucia, who must have returned while I was cleaning myself up, gave me a hug the moment I left the shower and next thing I knew, I was being dragged downstairs into the corner closet.

"Dress? What do I need a dress for?" I asked, confused. All I was planning to do today was to get something to eat and then go to sleep and hopefully not wake up until the next day.

"Winter Solstice of course, silly," Lucia replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the World. And I managed to completely forget about it. We didn't really celebrate the Winter Solstice in Moonvalley. Just like All Souls, the holiday was little more than a reminder of darker things in life. We'd gather in our homes and lock our doors to ward off evil spirits and we'd keep the fire going all night. The only night in the year when the sun would set for more than a couple of hours. I always assumed it was mainly because we were simply afraid of the dark.

"I don't know, Lucia. I'm really tired," I mumbled, unsure about the whole thing as I held up the black long sleeve dress and a matching mask. What exactly were we going to do?

"Nonsense! The whole town is coming and some of us have a job to do too," she said with a wink, leaving no room for argument. "Now dress up. We'll help each other get ready," she carried on. I hesitantly stepped into the dress and pulled it on before helping Lucia zip up hers and she did the same for me. Demi joined us not long after, bringing her stash of make-up I didn't know she had. Together we got ready for whatever it was we were doing tonight.

Last time I wore make-up was exactly half a year ago. I almost forgot it existed in all the madness that followed. But now I was looking at myself in the mirror, all dressed up and ready, and I couldn't believe my own eyes. The girl in the mirror wasn't me. She couldn't have been. She was tall, a little curvy, but muscular. Her now waist length blond hair was tied up in a neat ponytail, she wore a black lace mask and a dark eyeshadow made her eyes stand out underneath. Eyes with that unnatural glow to them, one that reminded people she wasn't human. Indeed there was nothing human about her. The girl who came here from Summerlands, frozen and on death's doorstep, she was long gone. I couldn't go back to her if I tried. There was nothing of her left to go back to.

"Let's go fam!" Lucia called from upstairs. I could hear everyone's footsteps as they walked towards the door. Reluctantly, I joined them.