Shadow Cursed

Chapter 23: The Gift of Time

I awoke with the light coming from the window blinding me, and I sat up in a soft bed made of nature. Wulfric was sleeping on the floor across the room from me. I could see his fur was partially burned in areas. I looked at myself, the first thing I noticed the burn marks on my arms. They didn't hurt but they didn't look nice either.

The room a small bedroom cottage with shelves of herbs as other things I've never heard of in jars. She was a healer.

I got out of the bed and walked over to him, he was deep asleep on the floor. I sat next to him stroking his fur. He looked scary, but he was gentle as your pet dog. I hugged him, then stood up after letting go.

The door opened and I turned to see a human with wings, and ears like an elf would. "Are you a fairy?" Her wings were white with a hint of blue and sparkly.

She nodded and led to back to the bed. I sat down as she brought me a cup of a green liquid. "Drink this."

I just stared at the contents of the cup. It smelled like nature. I pinched my nose and took a big sip of it, I gagged since it tasted like leaves with other herbs. "Interesting taste..." I forced myself to drink the rest without choking and gave her back the cup.

"Good, I'll be right back." She left the room.

I whispered, "Wulfric?" He was still sleeping but I saw one of his eyes open. "I saw that."

He stood up and stretched, "Good morning." He walked over on all fours and sat in front of me. "How are you feeling?"

"I didn't get cut or anything by her sword, but I feel better." When he yawned, I told him, "You remind me of a puppy I used to have. A German Shepard." I pet him behind his ears and he liked it.

She walked back into the room and put a tray down on the little table. "Morning sleeping wolf."

I asked her, "You know him?"

"Yup," she nodded, "He was a good friend growing up. His lover Ethelyn was a good person also." He winced at the word lover? Probably painful memories.

"Ethelyn. Tell me about her." I tried not to sound demanding but it came out like that. "Sorry, I just really wanna know more about her."

She started wrapping his paw in a bandage of leaves. "I had only met her a few times, but she had a gift for healing the wounded."

I remembered the mission, to heal Damien, "I need your help. I have a friend that is badly wounded, and I have to save him. Do you have anything that can heal him?"

"Sadly no." She turned towards me, "What you seek it the Everessence potion, made of a herb that has gone extinct." She turned around again and continued to tend to his paw.

"So I'm out of luck." I wanted to cry, I was gonna lose him forever. "I can't just let him die."

She then brought my hopes up, "Unless you use your gift to go back in time and find some I can make the potion."

I held the amulet in my hand, "The gift of time." I flipped it in my fingers and examined it closely.

"It's a rare gift for sure, but a dangerous, make one mistake and the future could be changed." She explained to me, "It's like time travel, but not with a pocket watch or complicated machine."

I thought about how it all came into play. Anna had to kill me for my gift, they must of needed my gift. "Do they want the change what happened in the past? There must be a reason for the reward over my head."

She finished wrapping his paw, "Isabella," Wulfric limped over to me and sat down like a dog. "I think it's time we tell you your history. I've tried to evade this for so long, but it's important for you to know."

"Is Isabella even my name, or did I have another name before?" I was beginning to doubt my identity after everything that had happened.

"You took on a human name when you were sent to the human world away from Anna," Wulfric went silent.

I stared blankly at the wall, "What's my name?"

After silence passed, he surrendered it. "Your birth name was Celeste," Wulfric gave me time to take it in. "Your mother meant for you to become the daughter of the Celestial Realm."

The fairy added in, "Those are big shoes to fill. The one to bring the Celestial Realm out of it's darkness. Especially now since it's spreading quickly."

Wulfric sighed, "If only she was here. She could of used her magik and sent them back to the Shadowlands."

The fairy agreed, "But it's impossible to bring someone back from the dead."

It all slowly snapped into place, the puzzle pieces fit finally. "She knew magik... She meant for me to inherit the gift." I was starting to understand, "It's been my destiny all this time. She wants me to defeat Anna and put an end to the darkness."

Wulfric added, "He wants the amulet and your gift, he's been the one sending Anna to do the dirty work."

"Oh great." I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, "Who is He, everyone keeps referencing him. Does He have a name?"

"No one knows, He is the king of the Shadowlands. No one dares defy him or they get punished by death or worse." The fairy shivered in fear. "He gave up his name when he took the throne."

I whispered while holding the amulet, "He must be powerful if people fear him so much."

I could see the fear in his eyes. "I've only encountered him once, and I will never forget it." Wulfric shook his head.

I played with the amulet between my fingers, "How do I use this gift." I brought the blue jewel to the light, and tried to see through it.

"I never saw her use it," he confessed.

I stood up and looked out the window, "I guess Alric would know." The sun was setting and the sky was a mix of beautiful oranges, yellows, and reds.

He was still laying on the ground, "Alric is bound to have her spell book, she never let that out of her sight."

His suggestion reminded me. "I found her book in his office, it was dusty and had tons of sticky notes on pages, but it's there."

He nodded, "That a good place to start. She wrote all over the book so there is bound to be a notes scribbled all over the page."

"Thanks." I looked at the clock for the first time since crossing realms, "I should go back home shouldn't I. I've been here for 3 days at least. I shouldn't stay here too long."

"I'll show you to the portal," He offered, "It's not too far."

"Are you sure your paw can make it?" I looked at the bandages and the lump below it. "I don't want to trouble you."

"I've been through worse, this will be like a stroll in the woods." He was now standing steadily next to me. He took the lead and I followed closely behind him. We didn't speak at all to each other, I guess everything was said in the cottage.

When we arrived ten minutes later, it was a small, flower less meadow. "This is the place?" He walked over to the center and I followed.

"Just focus on the magik and you should get home in one piece." He sat down licking his hurt paw.

I took his advice. "Thanks for everything."

He howled goodbye, and he left on all four paws at full speed after a bumpy start.

I closed my eyes, and let the magik take me away from the threat of Anna and the snow. I opened my eyes, the room was dark and I still had snow in my hair.