Page 16 of Bound By the Wraith: Northern Realms

“When was that? I studied history and I don’t recall that. I mean, there are myths.”

“Ah, but you studied the history that the church and state have controlled for a long time. Think, Cali. Where do you suppose your medieval ancestors, your cave-dwelling cousins, came up with the lore of creatures that go bump in the night? There are tapestries woven of great beasts and unicorns, dragons all through the dark ages. Even old books, written by monks, have ornate pictures of anthropomorphic animals. It’s because before the advent of church and state, the veil wasn’t there. As man sank deep into fear, persecuted and burned their own kind at the stake, shed blood of countless magical and nonmagic beings, my kind disappeared behind a veil of forgotten lore and myth.”

A shiver ran down her spine, because everything he was saying was true. Well, what he was saying about tapestries and folk lore. There were legends scattered through every civilization. Similar legends. Anyone who believed in something beyond what the church controlled was persecuted as a witch. A lot of them were burned at the stake.

The moment that thought crossed her mind, she felt warm. Hot. Her skin felt like it was burning and a strange sensation coursed through her. Everything went dark and suddenly she heard Cillian screaming her name, but it seemed far away andthe flames rose higher and higher around her, with shouts of people screaming.

“Burn her.”

Then her knees buckled, and all went black.

4

“Where am I?” Cali murmured. She had no real memory, and as her eyes opened, she could see Cillian hovering over her, a cool cloth against her head. There was a look of concern etched into his face. “Cillian?”

“You had a seizure,” he replied. “I brought you back to bed.”

“A seizure?” It had been a long time since she had one. She was prone to them when she was a child, but she took meds for that. And then it hit her, she didn’t have her meds here, wherever she was. Simon had her committed, and she seriously doubted he gave them her medication, or even told the hospital about it.

Simon probably stole everything of hers.

He probably sold off her meds.

“I take medication, I’m probably due…”

“You don’t need to take the medication,” Cillian stated, bluntly.

“So a wraith is some kind of doctor now?”

Cillian smiled, briefly. “No, but I know you don’t need your meds.”

“And why is that?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.” He stood up quickly, walking away from her. His back straight, his arms crossed. He almost looked troubled.

“What?”

He shrugged. “It’s something you have to figure out on your own.”

“That’s bullshit. You know that right?”

Cillian chuckled. “Your meds would be useless here.”

“I had a seizure, clearly I need them.”

His eyes narrowed. “You don’t. You had a reaction to something, but it won’t happen again. I’ve taken care of that.”

Cali sat upright, whipping the cloth off her forehead. “What do you mean by that?”

“I know healers and one owed me a favor.”

“You had some kind of demon, goblin thing mess with my head?” she asked, outraged that he let someone make a choice over her body. Especially in light of what happened with Simon.

Cillian had told her he would never force her, that it was all her decision. All she had to do was stay here a year, save a day a month, and she wouldn’t lose her soul, but that didn’t give him the right to have some other being mess with her mind.

“Demons and goblins don’t heal,” he replied. “It was a seraphim.”

Cali blinked a couple of times. “An angel.”

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