Page 44 of Cursed Dreams
“The purple drink,” Nyla said. “That wasfaerie wine.”
Thalia bolted upright again, head spinning. “What?!”
“You didn’tknow?” Nyla gaped.
“No, Ididn’tknow!” Thalia groaned, pressing her face into her hands. “My parents never allowed it in the village. They said it only led to trouble.”
Nyla smirked. “Well, they weren’t wrong.”
Thalia let out a pained sound.Agreed.
Nyla chuckled but let the subject drop. Instead, she reached for the tea and handed it over. “Drink this. It’ll help.”
Thalia took a cautious sip, sighing at the warmth.
“Well, at least we don’t have any classes today,” Nyla said. “I was thinking we could head to the library. I want to do some extra studying before we start our hospital shadowing tomorrow.”
Thalia hesitated, then nodded. “That’s a good idea.”
Because if Vaelith had truly wielded shadows last night, truecelestial magic,then something was very, very wrong. Only the High Fae had ever possessed such a gift. And they weregone. Wiped from existence centuries ago. Yet she had seen it. Felt it. Those dark tendrils wrapping around her, pulling her into nothingness. And then there were his eyes, molten gold, burning like fire instead of their usual silver.
Her stomach twisted.
She didn’t know what was happening, but shewouldfind out.
Even if it meant digging through every book in the temple library, shewouldfigure out what was really going on with Vaelith.
The next day, Thalia felt the exhaustion weighing on her after spending hours in the temple’s vast library the night before, scouring ancient texts for any mention of the High Fae or celestial magic. She had found nothing, no explanations, no leads, nothing to help her understand how Vaelith could wield the powers that were said to have died out long ago. It left her frustrated, but she wasn’t ready to give up. She would find the truth one way or another.
Thalia walked alongside Nyla, Cellen, and Marand through the hospital wing, shadowing one of the temple’s most esteemed healers, Master Elric. A tall, wiry human man with silver-streaked hair and a sharp gaze, Master Elric wasted no time in guiding them through patient evaluations. His tone was clipped and efficient, though not unkind, as he stopped before a young fae woman lying pale and feverish in her bed.
“This patient,” he announced, turning to the group, “was brought in two days ago after collapsing in the marketplace. She has a persistent fever, body aches, and faint bluish discoloration around her fingertips. Tell me, apprentices, what do you suspect?”
Thalia’s mind raced, flipping through her studies. Fever, muscle aches, discoloration… She knew she had read something about this before.
“A rare blood infection?” Nyla suggested hesitantly.
“Not quite,” Master Elric replied. “Thalia?”
Thalia bit her lip, thinking. “Could it be dusk root poisoning?” she asked, glancing at the patient’s fingertips again. “The bluish hue, combined with the fever and aches, fits with dusk root exposure.”
Master Elric’s lips twitched upward. “Good. Very good. Dusk root is used medicinally in small doses but can be toxic if prepared incorrectly. Her family said she had been taking an herbal tonic for exhaustion, one that, unfortunately, contained too much dusk root. Treatment?”
Thalia jotted furious notes as Marand spoke up. “A purging tincture, followed by plenty of water and fever-reducing herbs?”
“Correct.”
They moved on to the next case, a young boy with deep, hacking coughs. Master Elric motioned to Cellen, who had been unusually quiet, likely suppressing the urge to turn their rounds into an inappropriate comedy act. “You, boy, what do you think?”
Cellen frowned. “It could be plain lung fever, but…” He hesitated, then sniffed. “There’s a distinct scent of honey on his breath.”
Thalia’s eyes widened. “Sweet breath… could it be the early stages of lung rot?”
Master Elric nodded. “And if left untreated?”
“He’ll begin coughing up blood,” Marand answered grimly.
“Exactly. His parents thought it was a common fever and treated him with honeyed tea, which worsened the condition. What’s the proper course of action?”
