Chapter 19: Thorns Beneath The Crown
The sun was barely up and Lily was already in the fields. Her shoulder still ached with every movement, healing slower than it should have because she was wolfless. They whispered, rolled their eyes, and made their usual jabs.
“What kind of a werewolf can’t heal easily?” one muttered as she passed. “She’s so dumb maybe she’s deaf too.” Lily didn’t respond. She kept her eyes down and focused on the earth in front of her.
Suddenly, something hard caught the edge of her hoe. It clinked against metal or something solid buried beneath the soil. Curious, Lily knelt and brushed away the dirt carefully.
It was a small totem, shaped like an animal. A fox, maybe. The edges were worn, but the details still showed—curved ears, hollow eyes, symbols carved into its back. It fit perfectly in her palm, smooth and oddly warm to the touch.
A strange feeling crept into her chest. She didn’t know why, but it felt... familiar. Drawn to it, Lily stood and moved to the river nearby, dipping the totem in the clear water and wiping away the dirt with gentle fingers. As the mud washed off, the carvings seemed to glow faintly, just for a second.
She felt a pull, a quiet whisper she didn’t understand. Lost in her reverie, suddenly a hand yanked it from her grip.
“Thief,” the worker spat, holding the totem up like it was stolen gold. “I knew it. She was hiding something!”
Lily stepped back, heart racing, trying to sign, to explain, but the other slaves began to crowd around.
“She found it in the dirt!”
“She went straight to the river—she was going to keep it!”
“She thinks she’s better than the rest of us.”
Lily shook her head vehemently, hands trembling. She looked around, pleading with her eyes.