Chapter 1 - Part VIII

From the other side of the thick, stained wooden door of the cell, the robed man looked through the bars at Onion. She was a mess in her thoughts; her ears beet red, her face glazed over with hopelessness. The stoic strength present in her golden Nürish irises had drained away leaving behind the sheen of an overcast futility. What it was he had said that bothered her so, he could not decipher. Now, Onion refused to even look at the man. Whatever she was suffering with, he could not share in it.

"If there is anything I can do for you...?" he struggled, fishing for the proper words to provide her a modicum of comfort, "That is, if you need someone to talk to. I'll be here for a time before..."

"Away with you hated Eirdren scum! I will have my final days free from this strange, detestable culture." The Spider had been flicked from its web so effortlessly, and now so far from her home, no amount of venom she possessed could protect her.

Onion turned about face and focused her gaze upon on the wall to avoid showing the man her brimming tears. If she had seen him, she might have known his puzzled expression, his extended sympathies, and seen him quickly pack them away as the guard approached from down the hall to escort the priest out. He regained his composure and turned to leave.

"I will be back tomorrow for Cedric. I hope to make this up to you, whatever it was I had said." and the robed man was gone.

With that he left and Onion quickly felt oppressing weight of the stone slab of regret force itself upon her. With her tears dried, she tried to close her eyes and find the clouds, but they would not come. Her web had been destroyed and she would have to rebuild it again.