The Night's Curse #3 (Waverly Stump and The 7 Realms)

Chapter 27

The events of the previous day echoed endlessly in Waverly's mind and replayed in her dreams even after she went to sleep that night. The amount of compliments given were more than she had ever received in her entire life. As she slept with a woolen blanket tucked around her frame, a small smile spread across her face when General Priam's words began to echo over and over in her dreams. She saw him; snow haired and as gracious as the next Elf, smiling with proud eyes when he first shook her hand which was two times smaller than his, calling her a child prodigy.

"Cild Orakkél."

Those words floated around in Waverly's head as she smiled at everyone who came up to render more compliments. Then as if on impulse, she looked up at the sky where a massive grey cloud was starting to spread over the blueness, plunging the realm into a drab atmosphere.

Waverly frowned and glanced at the crowd who seemed to be oblivious to the drastic change in the weather. She stared on as the cloud continued to spread until it stopped halfway across the horizon. Waverly tilted her head curiously, wondering why the cloud had suddenly stopped moving. She took a step forward and discovered she could not take another. Instead, a strange tightness crawled up her ankle. She tried to shake it off but the feeling remained, tightening even more.

Waverly struggled to free her feet but the strange hold moved to both legs then up her midsection. She suddenly felt a strain on her subconscious as if she was being pulled on both ends by a very firm rope. Her eyes briskly opened and the first thing Waverly felt was intense pain.

She began to levitate off her bed, groaning and struggling in a bid to find elbow room but when she looked down, she realized she was bound by taut vines. She gave a sharp gasp of realization and wildly began to scour the dark room with her eyes. The torches seemed to have gone out in the middle of the night as a result of the chilly wind that filtered in through the half open windows. For some bizarre reason, Waverly had hit the hay earlier than usual. All of her roommates had decided to remain wherever they were after the celebrations and did not bother to return to the room for the night, leaving Waverly all by herself.

Her gaze continued to flicker from one end of the room to the other, in search of the source of her sudden constraint.

He is here. She thought, her mind filling with great panic but also a great twinge of sadness.

A part of the room darkened for a moment and there leaning suddenly against the wall, was Judson. Other than his irises which were visibly Oculmus's, he looked painfully the same such that Waverly was tempted to run to him and pull him into an embrace but sadly, she could not as she still hovered halfway to the ceiling.

Judson quietly stepped forward. For the first time since Waverly had known him, he was wearing sleeves. She quickly noticed how the materials of all his clothing were thicker than even that of her overcoat.

"Impressive!" He began calmly. He spoke in Judson's voice but there was the resounding taint of Oculmus's powerful and devious tone in the background as always.

Waverly attempted to descry where the vines came from but could not see any mother plant. Moreover, the amount of painful dizziness combined with a familiar draining weight generated by Oculmus's presence was beginning to obscure her vision fast.

"I was beginning to wonder when you would finally realize you can manipulate mortal minds as your mother used to. I did not even have to wait so long."

Waverly groaned and made to release Calaire but Judson casually flicked his hand and her arms pressed against her chest. Vines lashed around them tightly, bringing her an intense difficulty with breathing.

"What do you. . .?" She strained.

"Want?"Judson completed and broke into a sly smile.

Waverly hated that she noticed how good-looking he was even in the darkness. Winter nights hardly ever saw the full moon unless it were as tiny as a fingernail and so there was no natural light to illuminate the room.