Page 13 of Cursed Dreams
“So,” he said, voice full of mischief. “Marcus, huh?”
Thalia groaned. “Don’t.”
He chuckled. “Your mother means well, you know. She just worries about you.”
Thalia sighed, glancing toward where Goldora stood, chatting happily with some other villagers. “I know,” she admitted. “She just wants me settled before I’ve even had a chance to begin.”
Rodric hummed, twirling her again. “She loves you fiercely. It’s her way.”
Thalia bit her lip. Shewouldmiss her mother, despite the meddling. She would miss all of this, the warmth, the familiarity, the love that wove through every interaction in their home.
They danced in comfortable silence for a while before Rodric’s expression softened.
“I’m proud of you, you know,” he said, his voice quieter now.
Something thick settled in her throat. She looked up at him, at the easy, warm smile that had always made her feel safe, and her chest ached.
“I’ll miss you,” she whispered.
Rodric pulled her close for a brief, tight hug before stepping back and offering her a conspiratorial wink. “How about I help you make an early escape?”
Thalia blinked. “What?”
“I’ll cover for you,” he said. “Distract your mother. You hate these kinds of things, and you’ve had a long day.”
Her heart swelled—and felt unbearably heavy all at once.
Rodric had always understood her. Always.
With a watery smile, she nodded. “Thank you.”
He squeezed her hand before letting go. “Go on, then. Before she sees.”
Without another word, Thalia slipped away, weaving through the crowds, her heart full of love and gratitude for the man who had always been her greatest source of comfort.
As the sounds of laughter and music faded behind her, she made her way home, ready for one final night beneath the familiar roof that had always been hers.
Chapter 6
That night, Thalia drifted into a deep and restless sleep, and with it came a dream.
She found herself in a forest, vast and endless, where towering emerald-leaved trees stretched toward the heavens. Yet, despite their rich green hues, something about them felt muted, dulled, as though the very life had been softened, subdued. The air was thick with the scent of earth and moss, but there was no breeze, no rustling of leaves, no chirping of birds. Just an eerie, all consuming stillness.
Yet, despite the unnatural quiet, it wasn’t frightening. If anything, it was inviting. Beckoning.
Something wascallingher.
She didn’t know what or why, but the pull was undeniable. It whispered through her bones, stirred deep in her chest, a longing that made no sense but refused to be ignored.
Her feet moved before she even thought to command them. She ran.
She ran down winding, endless paths, past trees that loomed like silent sentinels, their gnarled roots twisting through theearth like forgotten veins. The mist curled around her ankles as she moved, cool against her skin, and the deeper she went, the stronger the pull became.
But no matter how fast she ran, no matter how many steps she took, she never seemed to get closer.
The thing she chased, this unknown, aching something, remained just out of reach, always slipping away like mist between her fingers.
Her heart pounded. Not with fear, but withlonging.
