A Traveler's Curse

Chapter 11- The Past

As the veil of darkness begins to lift, the first sensation that grips me is nausea. Before my senses even come back to me, I begin throwing up violently. The second sensation? The cold. The world around me comes into focus slowly, and I find myself in a raging snowstorm. The icy wind whips up flurries of snow, stinging my exposed skin and fogging my vision. Disoriented and lost, I am alone in this relentless storm, my heart heavy with the unbearable weight of my recent losses.

Grief washes over me like a tidal wave, threatening to pull me under. The haunting echoes of Mavis's cries still ring in my ear. Rowan is also gone and the memory of his warm smile is now just a painful reminder of what I lost. Each gust of wind seems to carry their names, a mournful lullaby that fuels the fire of my grief.

Kieran took everything from me, but he cannot extinguish the ancient magic within me. As I push through the storm, I make a vow to myself. I will survive this. And then I will return, not as a grieving mother or a scorned wife, but as a force of nature taking my revenge. I would make Kieran pay for what he has done to Mavis, to Rowan, and to me. The storm within me is just beginning.

My body, exhausted and frozen, can no longer fight against the elements of nature. I collapse into the snow, desperately trying to wrap my thin nightshift tighter around me for warmth. It is a weak attempt, as the chilly air seeps into every pore, stealing away any remnants of heat. I feel myself slipping away, both mentally and physically, wondering if this was to be the end of my life. Would I surrender to the icy grip of death in this unknown time, my existence fading away without a trace?

Strangely, the thought of death does not frighten me. The numbness settles in, wrapping its icy tendrils around my body. I know that I am now covered in a layer of snow and ice, and I lack the energy and will to open my eyes. I resign myself to my fate, prepared to welcome the embrace of death and reunite with Rowan and Mavis. The prospect of seeing their faces again, of being a family in whatever realm awaits us, was enough to extinguish any remaining desire for life. Fuck being alive.

Faintly, from a great distance, I hear a female voice call out, questioning whether I was still alive. I want to respond, to tell her to leave me be, but my frozen lips refuse to form the words. A deep male voice joins the conversation, his words a mere echo in my ears. I feel his touch as he searches my neck for a pulse, confirming my hold on life.

"She's alive, but barely, there's a lot of blood as well," the male voice announces, and suddenly I am being lifted from the icy ground, cradled in unknown arms. My exhaustion and grief are all-consuming, leaving me with no energy to question who these strangers are or where they intend to take me.

When consciousness finally returns to me, I find myself in the familiar surroundings of the infirmary at Lakespire Castle. However, something was amiss. The castle, once a place of warmth and familiarity, seems foreign and unrecognizable. The air is heavy with an ancient aura, and the walls echo with whispers of a long-forgotten past. Confusion and disorientation sweep over me as I try to make sense of my surroundings and how far back I may have traveled.

My eyes adjust to the dimly lit room, and they fall upon a man standing by my bedside. He is slightly older than me, with striking white hair that frames his ruggedly handsome face. I notice he has one blue eye and one green eye and a deep scar across his green eye. There is an air of mystery and danger about him, a dark allure that makes me instinctively cautious. I can't deny the flutter of unease in my chest as he examines me with piercing eyes.

With an air of authority and curiosity in his voice, he takes a step closer to my hospital bed, causing me to instinctively flinch away.

"Trust me, if we had any intentions of hurting you, you would have known by now," he states confidently, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Besides, we wouldn't have bothered bringing you to the infirmary if that were the circumstance."