Chapter 3: The War is Over
1399 Words
MINA
They were actually in a good mood today.
I knew because they woke up early. After I went on another hunt because last night’s boar was unsatisfactory, I came home with the smell of food actually sizzling in the pan. That didn’t always happen. I cooked most often and made sure everything was ready by the time they were awake.
I placed the large birds I’ve hunted on the floor of the kitchen and watched as they filled the dining table.
Rowena looked up at me for a moment and sighed. “Well, go on,” she said, flicking her wrist toward the floor.
I grabbed a plate and filled it up, taking advantage of their good dispositions before going to my spot on the floor.
They, too, began eating. Calista stabbed a fork into her eggs and flipped her hair. “See? I told you I could cook,” she said to Corvin.
“I just don’t do it because it’s a waste of my time,” she added with a smile.
Corvin pursed his lips. I took a bite out of the eggs and found them to be too salty. She never really bothered cooking, so it was a surprise that she had a change of heart.
I chewed the crust of my bread slowly and wondered again why they were in such a good mood.
Something had definitely changed.
“I still can’t believe that the war is over,” Rowena said suddenly, leaning back in her chair.
I froze in my spot.
“We’ll see a shift soon. Fenra had promised that they would be helping us rebuild the nation.”
Calista straightened and beamed in happiness. “I have always liked Fenra. The Roses were too overbearing. It has been like this for a long time. They deserve defeat.”
They deserve defeat.
She was right about that much.
I paused mid-bite, listening intently. The war only started this year, when the Roses had declared their intention to destroy Fenra. However, the struggle had been the shadow hanging over Montrose for years. It was started by the Roses, and maintained by them, too. They were the reason people starved. The reason witches didn’t leave their houses. The reason Montrose was feared and isolated.
If it was really over…
Calista clasped her hands under her chin and squealed. “I’m in such a good mood because I saw the Alphas this morning! They were so handsome.”
I tilted my head to the side.
The Alphas were here?
“I’ve always wanted a werewolf boyfriend,” she continued proudly. “Those from Fenra have a good life, I heard. I’ll take you two there once one of them becomes my boyfriend.”
“You can have one,” Rowena said approvingly. “Montrose will open borders again soon. You’re pretty enough, dear. And you have good manners.”
I kept my eyes down, not daring to look at them for too long. Calista could talk for hours about boys and handsome strangers who glanced her way. The idea of choosing whoever she liked, of dreaming so loudly and freely, was something so foreign to me.
“What about the ladies?” Corvin asked suddenly.
“Are any coming to help?”
“No,” Calista said quickly. “I heard they were mated.”
Corvin slumped. “Thought so.”
I finished my bread and wiped the crumbs off my shirt carefully. Then, I stood, wanting to hear less about handsome Alphas and more about the end of the war.
My sudden movement caused my plate to drop to the floor, causing them to jump in their chairs, startled.
“What the heck is that?” Calista exclaimed.
“It’s over?” I asked. “The war… is really over?”
Rowena’s scowl immediately deepened. “Don’t interrupt.”
I ignored her tone. I needed to know. For years, Montrose had been held under the Roses’ iron rule.
Corvin clicked his tongue. “Wolves from Fenra came here last night. They messed up the Roses’ last outposts, and it’s confirmed that Azalea and Kyle Rose are dead.”
My head jerked up in pleasant surprise. At that moment, my hood slipped off, brushing my shoulders. Before I could fix it, they all stared at me like I was some kind of wild animal.
It was silent for a few moments, and Corvin looked at me with his mouth slightly agape.
However, Calista recoiled a moment later. “Cover your face, will you?”
Heat prickled my cheeks, and I pulled the hood back down immediately. “Sorry,” I whispered, sitting again on the floor.
But even as I lowered my gaze, I couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at my lips.
They kept talking, gossiping, and giggling, pretending I wasn’t there again.
But I heard every word.
“I heard the Alpha who’s going to spearhead everything is named Elias,” Calista said dreamily.
“I saw him too,” Rowena added. “You would make a very good match.”
I pressed my lips together.
Elias.
I whispered his name. “Thank you.”
***
It really seemed like the war was over.
It wasn’t something I ever expected to feel in my lifetime. We lived far from the city center, tucked deep in the bend of Montrose where the land flattened and the forests were thick, but even here, at the very edge of everything, I could feel something different in the air.
For the first time in years, Montrose didn’t feel like it was holding its breath.
The wind felt lighter. The dirt roads weren’t echoing with the stomps of Roses’ soldiers. I didn’t hear distant shouting or the c***k of exploding magic or the fearful hush that always came right after.
I didn’t realize how much I’d missed the sound of peace until I heard it.
And just then, out of nowhere, I remembered something.
The stream.
I had almost forgotten it existed. It was already late, the sky shifting toward that deep, indigo blue that came right before full darkness, but I knew the paths well enough. I knew which tree roots to avoid and which stones were loose. I had walked that route hundreds of times before the war made everything dangerous.
But now… now I could go, just for a while.
A tiny smile tugged at my mouth, and it startled even me. I didn’t smile much. There wasn’t much reason to. But the thought of returning to that place stirred something in my chest.
The walk was a bit far, but I preferred it that way. My steps were soft against the quiet forest floor. The grass was still damp from the rain a few days ago. I closed my eyes for a moment, letting myself have this one stolen moment in a life that never usually gave me any.
When I opened them again, the stream was right in front of me.
My smile grew without my permission.
I shrugged off my cloak and folded it neatly on a flat stone. Then I stepped forward, letting the cool air touch my skin. I didn’t strip completely, only down to my undergarments. No one ever came here anyway, especially not this late.
I dipped one toe into the water, then another, and then slipped the rest of myself in with a small gasp as the heat wrapped around me. The stream was a hot spring, too, so it was good for my aching muscles.
“Oh,” I breathed, a laugh slipping out.
It must be nice, I thought, sinking deeper, to have some kind of power like this.
Witches were supposed to have at least one gift. Even the weakest ones had something.
But I had none.
It was just another one of my lifelong streaks of bad luck—born a witch with no magic.
Just then, I heard a light crunch against the gravel. Then a low groan followed, like someone was annoyed or tired.
My entire body went cold despite the hot water.
Someone was here.
Someone was approaching.
I straightened immediately, my heart hammering. My hands flew to cover my chest, and I sank deeper into the water, eyes widening at the rustle of bushes a few feet away.
Another step.
Closer.
“Who’s there?” I blurted out.
- Writer
