Chapter 112: THE ANSWER (5)
She floated on her back for a moment, staring up at the high, gilded ceiling. It was strange—this entire body felt wrong, too large, too heavy, too foreign—but the water helped, at least a little.
She needed to figure this entire situation out as quickly as she could.
She didn’t know how long she would be stuck like this, in a body that definitely did not belong to her, and in a world that definitely did not welcome her. The sooner she and Haniel found Kratel’s missing soul, or the reason why she was here in the first place, the sooner she could return to her own body. Assuming her real body was still intact and waiting for her.
That thought sent a shiver down her spine.
She remembered how she had been fighting, and how she had been hurt, by whatever creatures had been attacking them. The last thing she had seen had been Varziel, floating over her, before she had passed out. Was he alright? Did he fight with the monsters on his own? What about Cassie? And Velmoria?
What about the noble ladies she had invited over for tea?
"Focus, Ella. Worrying won’t fix anything." She muttered, patting her cheeks to calm herself down.
She sat up, running a hand through Kratel’s long, golden hair. It felt strange to touch, like she was grooming someone else’s body, but she resigned herself to the task she had given herself and reached for a nearby bottle of cleansing oil. The scent of lilies filled the air as she worked the oil through the thick strands of hair and as much of his skin she could get to over the innerwear she wore.
By the time she was done with the bath, she felt a little more like herself.
Arella climbed out of the bath, drying off quickly before slipping into the tunic and pants she had found earlier. They were infinitely better than the cumbersome robes, allowing her to move freely. She rolled her shoulders, testing how Kratel’s wings adjusted to the new outfit.
She was immediately immensely grateful for the freedom of movement that the pants and tunic allowed her. They were a perfect fit for Kratel’s frame, and thankfully, she would not trip over herself every three steps.