Page 5 of Cursed Dreams
And all she could do was wait.
Thalia was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice when the door to the antechamber opened.
“Thalia.”
The gentle call of her name pulled her back to reality like a thread yanking her from a dream. She blinked rapidly, her surroundings snapping into focus as she turned toward the voice. High Priestess Elara stood before her, her soft eyes kind but expectant. Thalia scrambled to her feet, smoothing her palms over her skirt as her stomach twisted into knots. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she followed Elara back into the main chamber. The three examiners stood in a row, waiting. The air in the room felt heavier now, charged with something unspoken. Thalia swallowed hard, her nerves winding tighter with every step. She stopped in front of them, her hands clasped tightly together to keep from fidgeting. She could hear her own heartbeat, a dull roar in her ears. Selena, the head of the temple’s scholars, was the first to speak. She smiled, warmth in her dark eyes.
“Thalia,” she said, her voice calm and steady, “you have passed.”
For a moment, Thalia didn’t react. The words didn’t register. She simply stared at Selena, uncomprehending.
She had…passed?
A rush of air left her lungs, and her knees nearly buckled beneath her. A stunned, breathless relief crashed over her like a wave.
Cedric, the human representative of the healers’ guild, spoke next. “You’ll need to be ready to leave tomorrow morning,” he said, his tone firm but not unkind. “The convoy to Vertrose departs at first light.”
Vertrose.
It was happening. She wasgoing.
Thalia barely heard anything else. Elation and disbelief warred within her, her mind struggling to keep up. All the studying, the sleepless nights, the pressure, it had all been worth it.
Elara stepped forward, her gentle smile unwavering. “You worked hard for this, Thalia. Your dedication has paid off. Be proud of yourself.”
Thalia could only nod, still struggling to process it all.
Elara’s smile widened slightly. “Enjoy the festival tonight. You deserve to celebrate.”
The festival. Right. That was happening tonight. She had nearly forgotten.
Still dazed, she turned to leave, her thoughts racing. But before she could reach the door, a voice, low and smooth, cut through the air.
“I look forward to seeing your progress.”
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end.
Vaelith.
His tone was even, indifferent, but something about it made her uneasy. She glanced over her shoulder at him. He regarded her with a bored expression, as if he was only speaking out of obligation.
There was something else. A flicker of curiosity in his silver eyes, something calculating beneath his detached demeanour.
She didn’t know why, but the weight of his gaze unsettled her.
Thalia gave a stiff nod and turned away, pushing open the door.
She had passed. She was going to Vertrose. That was all that mattered.
Whateverthathad been… she would unpack it later.
Thalia felt like she was floating.
Her feet touched the ground, but it barely felt real, like she was walking through a dream. The cobbled paths of the village stretched before her, familiar and unchanged, yet everything felt different. The whispers of the trees, the rustling of the wildflowers that lined the road, even the distant hum of festival preparations, everything seemed brighter, sharper, filled with an energy she had never noticed before.
She had passed.
The words repeated in her mind over and over, but each time, they sent a fresh wave of disbelief crashing over her. She had done it. The weight she had carried for so long, the fear of failure, the endless hours of studying, the quiet doubt that had always lurked at the edges of her mind, was gone.
