Page 138 of Cursed Dreams
Thalia nodded slowly, still staring at the overlapping maps. She noted the marks just above the forest, tiny crosses dashed around one part of the tree line. Her heart stopped as the sudden realisation of what they were barrelled through her. Her thoughts raced back to the last time she had been at this temple. Standing in the courtyard, Vaelith has offered her comfort, talking about his family, and more importantly telling her about the stars, the constellations and what they meant.
“I know where the entrance to the forest is “she blurted out half stunned.
All eyes fell on her. She swallowed then let out a breathy laugh, “He told me.” she laughed again this time more hysterical
Her friends looked at each other, then back to her confused.
“Who told you? Caelum?” Nyla asked, worry etched along her face.
Thalia laughed harder. She couldn’t believe it. All this time she had known exactly where to look, she hadn’t needed the map. He had unwittingly told her everything she had needed to know that night in the courtyard.
Pulling herself back together, she cleared her throat, before smiling at her friends.
“Do any of you know about the constellation of Reticulum?”
Chapter 34
As the fire crackled low in the hearth and the final pieces of flatbread were passed around, the group leaned back in their chairs, full and warm in the soft golden glow of the chamber.
“We should get some rest,” Nyla said, her voice edged with fatigue as she gathered up the empty mugs. “We leave at first light.”
“Good idea,” Marand agreed, stifling a yawn as she stood. “My brain feels like melted wax.” Cellen stretched and cracked his neck, holding his hands out to for her to pull him up.
Thalia smiled faintly, but didn’t move to stand. Instead, she glanced at the door and the corridor beyond it, her chest tightening with anticipation. “I think… I’m going to stay up a bit longer,” she said softly. “Head to the prayer hall.”
Marand raised a brow, but it was Nyla who stepped closer, concern written across her face. “Thalia, you’re exhausted. Why not wait until tomorrow night?”
“I need to try,” Thalia said, standing now. “It’s been so long. If I can reach him… I need to let him know we’re so much closer.What we found.” Her eyes were wide with emotion. “He needs to know I’m still trying.”
Nyla touched her arm gently. “Do you want me to come with you?”
Thalia shook her head with a grateful smile. “No, get some sleep. I’ll be fine. I won’t stay long.”
Nyla hesitated, clearly torn, before nodding. “All right. But wake me if you need anything. I mean it.”
“I will,” Thalia promised.
She hugged each of them goodnight, then slipped out into the hallway. The temple was quiet at this hour, shadows stretched long beneath flickering sconces. As she padded through the candlelit corridor, her pulse quickened with a bright, fluttering hope she could barely contain.
The soft rise of chanting met her ears before she reached the prayer hall. Her heart leapt. She stepped inside quietly, greeted by the scent of lavender and the low hum of voices, the priestesses robed in deep indigo with hoods drawn, moving in slow rhythm around the altar. Thalia found an empty cushion in the back and knelt, folding her hands in her lap. Her eyes fluttered closed.
The forest welcomed her with a hush, dim and silvered with mist. The branches stirred overhead, shifting in a quiet rhythm. Soft moss cushioned her steps, dampness seeping into her boots, she was already moving, running, her heart thudding wildly.
Caelum stood in the clearing, tall and radiant beneath the filtered moonlight, his dark hair tousled by a wind she could not feel, his piercing blue eyes locked on her with such unrelenting focus it stole the breath from her lungs. The moment their gazesmet, he started toward her, crossing the space in long, urgent strides. Their arms collided in a fierce embrace, and he pulled her tightly to his chest, burying his face in her hair.
“I’ve been so worried,” he whispered hoarsely against her temple. “Since the dragon, since he invaded the dream. I couldn’t reach you. I couldn’t feel you.”
Thalia tilted her face to him, and he caught her mouth in an urgent, desperate kiss. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his tunic, clinging to the warmth and solidity of him, that overwhelming sense ofrightnessthrumming between them.
“I’m okay,” she breathed when they parted, Caelum cradled her face with both hands, his thumbs brushing along her cheekbones like he needed to memorize her all over again. “Vaelith—he’s the dragon. The one who came into the dream He’s been guarding the temple at night, trying to stop me from reaching you.”
His expression darkened instantly. “He’s keeping you from me?”
“Yes,” she said. “He was furious, Caelum. He tried to fill my head with his lies, but I wouldn’t listen. He kept saying you’re dangerous, that I’m being played, but I refused to listen. I know who you are.”
Caelum’s jaw clenched, he held her close again, letting her words settle over them.
“What has he done?” he asked, voice low and tense. “Has he hurt you?”
