Together, they made their way toward the castle, the silence between them heavy and tense. The path was lined with dead flowers, their petals shrivelled and blackened as though life itself had been sucked out of them. Thorny vines crept along the ground, wrapping around the bones of long-forgotten creatures. The wind whispered through the barren trees, carrying with it fragments of a song—soft, sorrowful, and haunting.
The closer they got to the castle, the more oppressive the air became. It pressed down on Faye, making it harder to breathe, harder to think. She could feel the curse, its dark magic slithering through the air like an invisible serpent, coiling around her, probing for a way in. It was as though the kingdom itself was alive, waiting for her to make a wrong move.
By the time they reached the castle gates, Faye's hands were trembling, her nerves frayed from the weight of the magic pressing in on her.
"This place... it feels wrong," Faye said, her voice barely a whisper.
"It is," Kieran replied, his gaze fixed on the towering gates. "The curse has twisted everything. There's no saving this kingdom. But if you want to survive, you'll have to navigate the heart of it."
Faye swallowed hard. The gates creaked open as if sensing their presence, revealing a long, dark hallway lined with broken chandeliers and cracked stone pillars. Shadows danced along the walls, and in the distance, she could hear the faint sound of breathing—slow, rhythmic, like someone deep in sleep.
"Let me guess," Faye said, her voice shaking slightly. "We have to wake the princess."
Kieran's lips twisted into a humourless smile. "It's not that simple. The curse doesn't want her to wake. And it won't let you leave unless you wake her."
Faye's chest tightened. There was no turning back now.
YOU ARE READING
The Story
FantasyFaye is invited to the Heartseeker Academy, for supernaturals. While being scorned, Faye thought that she was only human... Or that's what she thought.
