Her Whispers are soft, her bite is not
This place was a quiet place. But not quiet in a comforting way. Quiet in a way that it pressed in all around her and clotted her ears. For the longest time, Elaine hadn’t been sure where she was. Trapped in darkness, her arms and legs crushed against herself. With a shuddering breath, Elaine had reached out and pressed two cautious fingers against her cradle-like prison. It was cold and soft but strong. Like a spiders’ web.
Like a spiders’ web….
The young Knight had never spoken to a spider of the Spider-Witch Woods. In fact, she had never spoken to many spirits of the deep woods. Elaine knew that no spirit was inherently evil, but those of the deep woods were not to be easily trusted. The oldest spirits in Valyrdonn were kind enough. Old and wise and yet they still held that a part of them that was human. They would speak, laugh and watch the clouds pass overhead if they wished. Even after thousands of years. But the ones in the forest, they didn’t quite lose their humanity, but forgot about it. All they had left was their calculating selves. And a cold mimic of humanity.
But the Spiders of the Witch Wood did not need to eat. So, what did they want with her? Trying to figure out the answer to this question left Elaine with shallow breathes and nails digging deep into her palms. “What is…your name…?” A small voice breathed into her ear.
“Who’s there?” Elaine whimpered. She dug her nails into her palms deeper. Chondrocus would be no use here. “You’re…in danger. The cold…will take you. Can you feel it?” The young voice said. There was certainly no one else in this cocoon with her. But the voice was right. It hurt, badly. The long aching bite of the cold, had its teeth sunk deep into her skin and bones. “It…hurts. Yeah it hurts,” Elaine said half to herself and half to the voice. Her shudders grew smaller and smaller with every passing minute.
“I can help you, Elaine. I can help it hurt less, if you let me.” The voice proposed, more confident this time. “What do you want in return?” She breathed, wincing at the sudden sharp pain in her chest. There was a moment of silence, in which Elaine did not breathe and the voice didn’t speak. Oddly enough, sounding as though it was taking in a deep breath, it said, “Let me tell you a story.”
Her jacket was gone. Her bag was gone. Elaine had nothing but the clothes on her back and tattoo of her soul that couldn’t help her now. Chattering slow-like, Elaine said, “Okay, okay. I’ll hear your story. Just make the pain stop, please.” The moment she accepted the spirits offer, she felt a hand reach into her heart. It was not cold, or warm or painful. It was simply soothing. And it took the pain away. The bite of the cold had unlatched its teeth from her skin and bone and melted away into nothing but mist. She certainly felt better, but not…normal. But it was better than before.
“My name is Anaria. I used to live in a village not so far from here. And I was once had a brother. But he died before the rest. I found him dead right before the rest of the village was wiped out.”
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