Page 70 of Cursed Dreams
I'm losing my mind,she thought grimly.
She made her way out of the temple in silence, only nodding politely to a priestess who bowed as she passed.
Outside, the streets of Vertrose were quiet, cloaked in the velvet hush of night. The sky above was a canvas of deep violet, silver stars glittering like scattered diamonds.
The streetlamps glowed soft and golden, casting elongated shadows against the cobblestones. Market stalls were closed, their tarps drawn down, the scent of herbs and burning oak clung to the air. A warm wind carried the occasional flutter of paper and the distant hoot of a night owl.
Thalia walked slowly back toward the temple, her mind a whirlwind of unanswered questions. She rubbed her arms as the breeze brushed past her, trying to push away the unsettling weight of everything she had just experienced. As she reached the steps of the temple complex, she was about to head toward her dormitory when a figure emerged from the corridor leading to the hospital wing.
She paused, watching the figure striding towards her, causing her heart to race a little. Vaelith.
His white-silver hair gleamed beneath the moonlight; his usual mask of aloof detachment was briefly replaced by something like surprise.
He stopped mid-step. “Thalia?”
She blinked at him, startled by his presence. “What are you doing here?”
He looked slightly awkward, something rare for him. “I came to check on you. After earlier… you were upset. I thought you might need someone to talk to, and I wanted to make sure you got back okay”
Her chest tightened, not from the kindness of his gesture, but from the tiredness that gripped her, bone-deep and overwhelming.
“I was still at the Temple of Eshu,” she said softly. “I needed time to be alone. To think.”
Vaelith nodded slowly, his expression unreadable in the dim light.
“Would you like to talk now?” he asked, his voice more tentative than usual.
She hesitated, but the exhaustion tugged at her thoughts like a tide.
“No,” she said quietly. “I think I just need sleep.”
His silver eyes searched hers for a long moment, he gave her a small, solemn nod.
“I’m always here,” he said simply. “If you need me.”
He turned heading out into the night. Thalia lingered in place a moment longer, her body heavy with exhaustion. What she needed was rest, but the pull toward the hospital wing was stronger. Almost without thinking, her feet turned in that direction. She moved quietly her boots nearly silent on the cool stone floor, the torches flickering as she passed. Voices echoed faintly ahead, urgent, emotional.
Her stomach twisted.
No.
She broke into a run.
By the time she reached Aric’s room, a small crowd had gathered outside. Priestesses and healers stood murmuring, strange looks etched across their faces.
Thalia pushed through, the small group.
Please no, not now, not like this—
She stepped into the room and stopped short.
Aric was sitting up in bed. Alive. He looked better than alive, he looked well. No green glow, no sickly pallor.
Master Elric was at his side, gently checking his pulse, examining him with something like disbelief and a stunned smile. Aric’s wife was crying, joy and shock mingling in her tear streaked face, her hands clutched over her mouth as she held her sleeping daughter close.
Thalia stared, frozen in place.
“Thalia,” Elric called gently when he saw her. “You’re just in time. Come.”
