*Eleanor*
“Hello?” I call gently as I enter the dark cave. Erik is close behind me, guiding me through the darkness.
“I will leave once you are safe with her,” he says softly as he lifts a torch and places it in a small fire to light it.
He leads me down a path inside the cave through twists and turns until it opens to a large room. There is a large fire in the center, and on the other side of it is a woman. She’s so pale, almost like she’s sick, but it seems right for her. Her hair is long and black, matted into locks. She turns and smiles at me, and when she does, I think my heart stops for a moment. Her eyes are solid black.
“I know, I am ugly,” she tells me with a sick laugh. “It is the price to pay to access the knowledge that I do.”
“You are not ugly,” I tell her as I appr
