Page 112 of Cursed Dreams
“I just needed to retrieve an old patient record,” Miryanne said. “One of the head priestesses requested it personally.”
“Well,” Arissa said, “make it quick. I’ve had enough of overeager apprentices trying to peek through the archives.”
From his post near the door, Cellen caught sight of them crouched behind the scroll cases and tilted his head in alarm. Then, with the sheer gall only he possessed, he turned and said loudly, “Lady Arissa, forgive me, but… have you ever been courted by a bard? Because I’ve always been told I have the voice of a man fated to sing praises.”
“I’m going to throttle him, he was supposed to be distracting her ” Marand whispered, gripping her scroll tightly.
“No,” Thalia whispered back, “let’s get what we need and get out of here .”
A few more tense minutes passed as Miryanne gathered a stack of records. Thalia’s breath caught when her footsteps nearedtheir hiding spot, but thankfully, she turned down the opposite row. As soon as she was out of sight, the girls bolted out, scrolls clutched tight in their arms. Cellen was now on one knee strumming his invisible lute at the clearly stunned and irritated priestess. They took the opportunity and headed straight out the door and down to the end of the corridor, ducking it a small alcove.
Cellen appeared a few moments later, with a large smirk on his face.
“Well?” he whispered.
All three held up their scrolls. “We got them”
He blew out a dramatic breath. “Thank the gods. I was this close” he held up two fingers “to having to sleep with her to keep her distracted, and while I'm all for being a team play that could have really damaged my reputation”
Marand burst into laughter.
“What reputation ? You sleep with everything and anything” Nyla asked, smirking.
“Please,” he scoffed. “My standards are terrible, but they’re not non-existent.”
They crept down the hallway, ducking back toward the dorms, the stolen scrolls hidden beneath their robes.
“I hope whatever’s on these maps is worth it,” Cellen added as they neared Thalia and Nyla’s room.
“If it leads us to the Forgotten Forest,” Thalia said, heart pounding, “it will be.”
She rubbed her chest absentmindedly; the burning was back. For some unexplainable reason she knew the only was to easeit would be to see Cellen, and theses scrolls might finally be the answers she needed.
Chapter 26
The scent of crushed mint and dried healing root lingered in the air as Thalia adjusted the position of her hands over the patient's lower abdomen, channelling the soft glow of her light-based healing spell. The woman on the cot groaned softly, then relaxed as the warmth of the magic visibly soother her pain. Thalia’s brow furrowed in concentration, willing the spell to hold and steady.
“Excellent, Thalia,” Master Elric’s voice came from just behind her shoulder. “Well placed, even flow. Your touch is sure today.”
Thalia offered a quiet smile, cheeks warm from the praise. “Thank you, Master Elric." He nodded, watching the patient's vitals shift to a more comfortable rhythm. “A proper nerve sedative infusion spell takes a steady core. I can tell you’ve been practicing.”
Thalia nodded again. The patient was now asleep, slowly she pulled her magic back within herself. She turned to leave but Elric didn’t move away. She felt him studying her before he spoke.
“Thalia,” he said, his voice lowered so only she could hear. “I know the days have been long lately, but… is everything all right?”
She glanced up at him, startled.
“You’ve seemed distracted,” he added, not unkindly. “A little frayed at the edges. Is the pressure getting to you?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it. Lying to Master Elric felt wrong somehow.
“I’m okay,” she said eventually, the truth was tangled in the words. “Just… trying to manage everything. I want to do well. I’ve always wanted to be a healer.”
“I know,” Elric said gently. “You’ve got the heart of one. It shows in the way you focus, the way you care. But remember, one of us walk this path alone. Ask for help if you need it. Even if it’s just to share the weight.”
Thalia swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, his praise and kind words fuelling her guilt at the way she had neglected her studies recently
“Now,” he said, clapping his hands together addressing the group. “You’re dismissed to class. And Thalia? Excellent work today.”
