Changeling

CAITLIN

The winged woman, with her sharp features and piercing eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose as she towered over me. I lay on my back, feeling the chill of the wooden table beneath me seeping into my bare skin. The room was empty except for us, its emptiness adding to the sense of vulnerability that engulfed me. A single white sheet covered my body, a temporary barrier between me and the unknown. She held my gaze steadily, unnerving me with her long limbs and bony frame. Everything about her was unsettling - I felt too small beneath those beady eyes.

A slight, petite girl with brown skin and a head full of luscious, dark curls leaned over me with intense focus on my mouth. The tight coils of her hair resembled a glistening bird’s nest, but what caught my attention were the four tiny horns peeking out from within them. Her eyes were narrow and strikingly devoid of whites, instead completely overtaken by a deep sea moss green color that only had thin, black slits for pupils. Her ears barely tapered to a point, leaving me wondering what kind of being she could be. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from her unusual features as she studied me intently.

“I’m going to heal your mouth now.” She spoke with an unusual accent. I nodded in response and she reached out her slender, pointed fingers to cover my mouth. I winced as her grip tightened on my face, feeling the warmth spread from her touch.

“I honestly don’t understand what the queen is planning.” The bird of a Fae sauntered toward me and yanked the cloth off my shoulder. I glared at her as she studied the mark. “Out of all the recruits today there were three that had this same curve.” Her finger traced the line just under my ear, but her face fell when it landed on the twisted scar from the vampire bite. It marred the skin at my collarbone, distorting its shape.

“What? You don’t like seeing the damage your men caused?”

Her cold gaze flickered to me. “Hired body, that is all. It’s a shame though, because it’s not like we’ll ever be able to find your match without knowing.”

Her hand fell away as her eyes traveled to my back, where four large scabs were visible. Two on my shoulder blades and two more on my lower ribs. “I can’t imagine…” She whispered and the wings behind her flicked.

I bet you can’t. I thought bitterly.

“You are healed. I would suggest a liquid diet for the next couple hours.” The girl released her grip on my mouth and got to her feet. I observed as she curtsied to the falcon lady and exited the room.

Despite being allowed to eat during my time in this strange land, I stubbornly refused. Between that and my smart mouth, the feathered women had sewn my mouth shut, forcing me to subsist on a liquid diet. The queen had commanded me to be paraded through the city in search of my “match”, but the citizens showed little interest or reaction. In a desperate attempt to find him, the queen announced a fierce and barbaric tournament. While she believed it would impress her people, all I could think about was how my potential partner would be wise to leave me behind and seek a happier life elsewhere. The entire concept was absurd. She knew nothing about him, or me for that matter.

The bitch before me twirled the charm in her fingers while I simply observed. “If only I could make you say what I want you to say.” She dropped it in a heavy sigh and clicked her talons against the wooden floor. “I could torture you, but even then, there is no guarantee.” She sauntered towards the tall, colorful windows while her long dress trailed along the wooden floor behind her. I observed her movements, the sound of her lethal claws tapping against the smooth surface of the wood. Without hesitation, I rose from my seat, letting the sheet slipped to the ground. She remained fixated on the view beyond the glass, unaware of my presence. Glancing back at the door, which was still open from earlier, I quietly made a beeline for it, careful not to make any noise as I crossed the polished floorboards.

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The sensation was strange at first. The rough skin around her talons tightened as she curled them around my forearm, the uneven skin pinching the tender flesh of my wrist. I couldn’t look away from her, even as I continued forward. A small cloud of feathers obscured us from the sunlight filtering through the trees, and I couldn’t help but widen my eyes as each sharp claw pierced into my arm in succession.

A blood-curdling scream ripped from my throat as the sharp talons dug into my bone, sending searing hot pain coursing through every nerve in my body. The winged Fae flung me across the room, crashing into the wall with a sickening thud. Debris rained down on me as I cradled my maimed limb, feeling the warm trickle of blood running down my arm. My hands trembled uncontrollably and bile rose in my throat, a reminder of my recent liquid diet now turned to ash in my mouth. Standing tall by the door, she calmly fixed her hair before turning to look at me. I glared up at her with all the rage I could muster, but it was nothing compared to the intense hatred burning in her eyes. Her wings unfurled behind her, a menacing display of power and dominance. I struggled to sit up from the floor, whimpering in pain as I avoided looking at her. My arm throbbed and pulsated with agony, rendering my fingers useless.

“Such a pathetic creature, you’re no better than the humans who raised you.” With a resounding slam, she stormed out of the room and left me sitting there, alone. As the door clicked shut behind her, I couldn’t help but smirk at her dramatic exit, but as I gazed towards the closed door, I realized that she had made a grave mistake. In one swift motion, I grabbed the pendant around my neck and ripped it off. A surge of energy bubbled out of me, through the connection, filling it with the storm of emotions raging beneath the surface. It was like something had been missing from me, a vital piece of myself that had been cut off. And in that moment, as I held the charm in my hand, it was reconnected to me - he was reconnected to me. The bond between us had been restored, stronger than ever.

Caitlin?! His voice screamed inside my head. I jerked upright, his voice was too loud, but most importantly, so close! I could practically feel him standing next to me, occupying the same space as if he were already there.

My heart hammered against my chest as the wall suddenly lurched forward, ripping a terror laced scream out of me. The creature, a grotesque and ghostly being made entirely of wooden planks, dropped to the ground with lightning speed. Its elongated form scraped and stretched along the floor with a bone-chilling shriek, like nails on a chalkboard. Fear paralyzed me as I watched its twisted figure slither towards me within seconds.

What’s wrong?! What’s happening?

My body was locked up completely as the creature loomed over me, its movements unnaturally fast and fluid. It seemed to materialize out of the wood itself, its form twisting and contorting, the face a mirror image of my own face but with a wicked, malevolent grin. Without a word, it reached out and snatched the necklace from my trembling hands, placing it back around my neck with a sickly satisfaction. It cruelly curled its fingers around my throat in a vice-like grip, ensuring the charm was securely looped within its grasp before breaking off its own digits with a sickening snap. It looked at me knowingly, smirking. I watched as it dissolved into the wooden floor, leaving behind only the faint smell of lemon and acid as evidence that it had ever been there.