The silence was oppressive in the small cabin—the only sound was the enchanted carriage’s wheels catching on rocks and potholes. Callum sat opposite Madelynn, his posture rigid and his gaze locked on the passing scenery outside the window. His jaw clenched and unclenched rhythmically, as though grinding his frustration into dust. Elise sat beside Madelynn, bouncing her foot and chewing the inside of her cheek. Her hands fidgeted endlessly with the straps of her bag, the motion setting Madelynn’s nerves further on edge.

Madelynn leaned forward, her elbows digging into her knees, her face buried in her hands. The weight of everything pressed on her chest like a stone. Married. She was married. The word echoed in her mind, twisting with Callum’s coldness and the bitterness that had laced every word he’d spoken since the ceremony. She had hoped for relief, maybe even a hint of gratitude, but his demeanor was distant, almost hostile.

She dropped her hands with an audible sigh, the sound breaking the uneasy silence like a crack of thunder. Both Callum and Elise turned toward her, Callum with a sharp glare and Elise with wide-eyed concern.

“Where are we going?” she asked, her voice strained with irritation.

“The carriage is taking us to the nearest inn,” Callum replied flatly, not even glancing at her. His tone was as icy as the air outside. He kept his gaze fixed on the window, as though the bleak countryside held all the answers.

Madelynn’s hands curled into fists. The distance between them was unbearable. “If you knew you were going to be so miserable,” she muttered, “then why did you agree to this marriage?”

Callum’s head snapped toward her, his silver eyes gleaming with barely restrained anger. “As if I had a choice.” His voice was sharp, each word cutting like glass.

“You could’ve refused,” she shot back, her voice rising despite herself. “You didn’t. You never said you didn’t want this.”

He scoffed, a hollow, humorless sound. “Refused? And do what instead? March off to my death? That would have solved everything, wouldn’t it?”

“That’s not fair,” Madelynn snapped. “You agreed. Don’t act like I’m the villain for trying to save your life.”

“Save my life?” he repeated, his voice dripping with disbelief. “You didn’t save my life, Madelynn. You tied it to yours. And for what? So you wouldn’t have to face the consequences of your own actions?”

The accusation hit her like a slap. Her breath caught, and her mind scrambled to process his words. “What- what are you talking about?” she stammered.

He leaned forward, his expression fierce and unrelenting. “You wanted an escape. From your parents, from Casimir, from whatever corner you trapped yourself in. And I was convenient. You saw how easily I fell for you on that balcony, and you used it against me.”

Madelynn’s heart twisted painfully. “That’s not true,” she whispered, but her voice lacked conviction. Was it true? She hadn’t forced him into anything, but had her desperation manipulated the situation?

“Isn’t it?” Callum’s voice softened, but his words carried a bitter edge. “You needed a way out, and I was stupid enough to hand it to you. Don’t act like this is some noble act of love.”

“Enough!” Elise’s voice rang out, cutting through the tension like a blade. Madelynn snapped her gaze toward her as she leaned forward, her expression fierce as she glared at Callum. “You didn’t see her, Callum. Every time she thought she’d lost you.. Do you know how many nights I found her crying herself to sleep? Do you have any idea what this has done to her?”

Callum flinched, his gaze dropping to the floor. “Elise-” he started, but she wasn’t finished.

“No! You’re being cruel,” Elise snapped. “You don’t get to sit there and accuse her of using you when you have no idea what she’s been through. I saw your letter, too. You were just as desperate as she was. You would likely be dead by now if it wasn’t for this marriage, so maybe try being grateful- or at least less fucking condescending- instead of trying to tear apart a union that only just began.”

The cabin fell silent. Callum’s face was pale, his hands trembling slightly where they rested on his knees. For a moment, it looked like he might respond, but then his shoulders slumped, and he turned back to the window.

Madelynn stared at Elise, surprised at the outburst. She’d never seen Elise anywhere even close to angry, and she was a bit scary when she was. Gratitude swelled in her chest as her words replayed in Madelynn’s head, but it was short lived. Callum shifted,his forehead digging against the wooden wall as he gripped his side. His face twisted in pain for a moment he masked it, the muscles in his cheeks twitching as he tightened his jaw

“Callum?” Madelynn said cautiously, her anger momentarily giving way to concern. “Are you… are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” he said sharply, not meeting her eyes. The tension in his posture, however, told a different story.

Elise glanced at him, her expression skeptical. “You don’t look fine,” she said quietly. “If there’s something wrong- if it’s something Casimir did, I can-”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“There’s nothing wrong,” Callum interrupted, his voice hard. “Let it go.”

The carriage jolted as it hit a pothole, and Callum’s hand flew to his side again, his face contorting in pain. He grunted, balling his other hand into a fist as he slammed his head against the wall of the carriage again. His skin was quickly paling, his cheeks flushed deep red in pain. He recovered quickly, but not before both women noticed.

Elise narrowed her eyes, and turned to catch Madelynn’s gaze. She flicked her eyes toward Callum, and touched her side, eluding to what was already obvious.

Madelynn nodded, then turned her attention back to Callum. “Callum, please,” she said, her voice softer now. “If something’s wrong, you need to tell us. We can help you.”

He didn’t respond. The silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating, until the carriage began to slow. The inn was visible through the window, its warm glow a stark contrast to the cold, tense atmosphere in the cabin.

Callum exhaled, his breath shaky. “We’re here,” he muttered, his voice devoid of emotion. He opened the door and stepped out without waiting for them.

Madelynn exchanged a worried glance with Elise before following him into the chilled evening.

Callum pulled the door open and stepped inside, allowing it to close behind him. Elise jogged in front of Madelynn and held the door open for her. As Madelynn passed by, Elise grabbed her wrist, preventing her from entering.

“I’m scared for him,” Elise whispered, her brows drawn together with concern. “Hang back with me for a moment.”

Madelynn glanced at Callum, his back turned to her as she spoke with the receptionist. They didn’t have long before he’d grow suspicious that they were speaking about him. But, she nodded anyway and stepped out of the doorway to allow Elise to close the door.

“He’s not going to willingly let me examine him,” she said, her tone still hushed as she wrapped her arms around her, protecting herself from the cold. “But, is there anything that he told you- any condition that could be aggravating whatever’s on his side?”

Madelynn searched her memory, digging for anything that could be useful. Her eyes darted around the dirt lot as she thought. “Um,” she drawled, biting at her bottom lip. “Oh! He mentioned that he’d been hit with a hex of unhealing on the battlefield. It made him step away for a bit, or at least take it easy.”

“A hex of unhealing…” Elise rubbed at her eye, scrunching her face in thought. “All that does is slow the healing of wounds. I suppose if he’s got some internal injury, it might be causing pain, but nothing like what we saw.”

“That’s what I thought,” Madelynn agreed, pulling the door open a bit to check on Callum. He was handing the payment to the receptionist. They needed to wrap this up. “I don’t know. Either way, we’ll have to figure it out once we’re settled in, I guess.”

She pulled the door open fully and stepped inside, holding it wide for Elise to slip through as well. The lobby was warm and welcoming, the wooden panelled walls a stark contrast to the hard, cheaply tiled floor.

Callum didn’t even spare them a glance as he started down the hallway toward the rooms, his bag hanging loosely from his shoulder as he limped.

Elise pushed against Madelynn’s side, a soft, quiet laugh escaping her. “I guess this means you won’t be consummating the marriage?” she joked, and Madelynn just rolled her eyes, pushing back against her slightly.

Callum came to a stop beside a door, the same as all the others- dark wood, with a golden number hanging from a hook. Room 15. He pulled the key from a pocket and inserted it, before pushing the door open.

Madelynn and Elise jogged to catch the door before it slammed shut, and Madelynn let out a groan when she saw the interior. It was overwhelmingly brown and gloomy. There was a single brown chair and small table occupying the living area, two beds in the sleeping area, an ice box in the kitchen, and a slim, brown door leading to the bathroom.

“Well, this is pleasing,” Madelynn said flatly, shooting a satire smile at Elise.

“What did you expect?” Callum bit out, his knuckles clenched as he braced himself against the chair before falling back into it. “We’re at an inn in the middle of Roland. The phrase Shit rolls downhill to Roland wasn’t coined because of untruth.”

“It was a joke,” Madelynn said slowly, defensively. “Seriously, what is wrong with you? Is it your side?”

“I told you to leave it alone,” Callum responded, though his voice was wavering and his skin paled further. “I am fine.”

“I don’t think you are,” Elise said carefully, stepping around Madelynn to kneel in front of Callum. “I’d really like to examine you. This isn’t typical behavior just from a hex of unhealing.”

Callum narrowed his eyes as his gaze flicked up to Madelynn. “So, you’re just spilling all my secrets now?”

Madelynn crossed her arms, but couldn’t hide the concern from her voice. “I told her because she’s more trained in medicine than either of us. She knows at least a little bit of what she’s talking about.”

“I. Am. Fine.” He didn’t elaborate further, but pushed himself to stand. He struggled, bracing his hands on the arms of the chair as his legs shook. His breath was coming raggedly as he finally stood straight, but his hand flew to his side. He grunted as he stepped around Elise, toward the entrance to the room.

“You can’t leave!” Madelynn blanched as she followed after him, grabbing his arm. He whipped around to scowl at her. “Callum,” she said softly as she took in his appearance. He barely looked like himself, like he was decaying right in front of her. “Please let us help you. Something is seriously wrong.”

His expression softened for just a moment, and his eyelids slid closed as he resolve faltered. “I feel-” he started, but he was cut off when his knees buckled.

Callum collapsed like a marionette with its strings severed as he fell into Madelynn’s arms. The weight of him sent her stumbling back, her legs barely managing to keep them upright. His body convulsed violently, the jerking motion so strong that she feared she might drop him. White foam bubbled at his lips, and a low, guttural groan escaped his throat—a sound so raw it made her stomach churn.

“Elise!” Madelynn screamed, her voice cracking. She struggled to keep Callum steady as his spasms grew more erratic. Elise was already at her side, her hands moving with practiced precision.

“Lower him! Quickly!” Elise ordered, her tone sharp but controlled. Together, they eased him to the floor, his head lolling to the side as his eyes rolled back, exposing the whites. Elise pressed her ear to his chest, listening intently before rolling him onto his side. “He’s seizing. Grab a pillow, now!”