The Last Daughter of Elysia

Chapter 11

Morgana jumped and spun around.

The path behind her was empty, save for the howling wind that whipped the field. She shivered and crossed her arms.

"Who's there?" Morgana peered into the rippling field, as another gust of wind lashed dirt into her face. She coughed. "Whoever you are this isn't funny!"

Only silence answered her and for a moment Morgana thought that she was hearing things. The wind was so loud that she could easily have mistaken it for a voice. She turned to leave.

"Morrggaannnnaaa."

She spun back around, heart racing. Her eyes went over the empty path and swaying field.

"Leave me alone!" She took a step back. Morgana racked her brain trying to figure out what kind of faery it could be. A banshee, perhaps? But they only haunted those who were on the verge of death, their awful wails signaled that a life was ending. But Morgana wasn't on the verge of death, at least she hoped she wasn't.

Maybe it was a fae that was an air user? Could it be Dain?

Her teeth clenched.

Eerie laughter echoed, as if a hundred hags surrounded her. Terror barreled down her spine. All that she could see was the empty field. How was she going to fight something that was invisible?

Morgana turned and ran.

"You can't outrun me." The horrible voice swirled around her like a specter.

The wind howled and buffeted Morgana, whipping her dress tight across her body. It was as if she was trying to run through a hurricane. She shielded her watering eyes and dirt swirled around her.

"Go away!"

"You know the kobold was treated unfairly. You know that the Golights are evil and that the Aeperians were on the right side of the war."

The wind surged as if powered by a storm. Morgana expected roiling dark clouds to be in the sky, but no, it was a clear blue.

She sprinted, and the castle got closer with each step.

Soon, she'll be in the castle grounds.

Soon, she'll be safe.

An ominous presence hounded her. Morgana glanced over her shoulder, there was nothing there, but she could feel it. There were plenty of faeries who could remain invisible whilst hunting prey. She leapt over a fallen log, thighs burning, sweat dripping down her face.

"Come find me," the voice faded, and the wind died.

The field became as still as an unrippled pond. As if nothing had happened. Morgana came to a stop, panting, hands on her knees. The path behind her was empty and she stared at it for a moment as doubt crept in. Had she really been chased by something? Or was the magic of Elysia finally making her lose her mind? She thought about what Damon had said about her body already absorbing a lot of Elysia's magic. Morgana shook her head. No. She'd had two doses of the elixir. There was no way she was losing her mind. There was no way she just imagined herself being chased by some phantom wind because if she had ... Then this was it, this was the beginning of the end. A strange panic seized her as she neared the castle gates.

I'm not losing my mind.

Flowers were splashed against a vibrant green lawn. She'd made it home. There was no reason to worry. Morgana walked through the gates and tried to calm herself.

I'm not losing my mind.

She strolled through two yellow rose bushes and didn't care that the thorns scratched her arms.