Page 59 of Cursed Dreams
Thalia shook her head violently, barely keeping herself from grabbing the front of his tunic and shaking him. "No—but it’s not about me."
Vaelith exhaled, as though only partially reassured, before gesturing for her to follow him.
Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and pushed open the door of the boarding lodge, disappearing inside.
Thalia hesitated for barely a second before following.
The moment she stepped in, the noise of the street outside was muffled, leaving only the soft crackling of the hearth and the scent of aged wood and something subtly spiced in the air.
Vaelith’s lodgings were modest but refined, the furniture dark and heavy, the walls lined with shelves half-filled with books and scattered papers. A single window overlooked the temple district, the mid-afternoon light casting golden streaks across the floor.
Vaelith turned to face her, arms crossed. "Now," he said, slow and deliberate, "tell me why you just ran halfway across the city looking for me."
Thalia sucked in a breath, steadying herself.
“It’s Aric,” she blurted. “Something changed last night, he had another episode, but this time, the glow lasted longer.”
Vaelith’s expression didn’t change, but Thalia could see it, the slightest shift in his posture, the way his shoulders stiffened just a fraction.
She pressed on, words tumbling over themselves.
"He’s weaker than ever, his body is failing, and no one can figure out why. Master Elric tried using light magic to help, but it only caused himexcruciating pain.Nothing is working." She took a sharp breath, her voice breaking slightly. "I saw your reaction last night, Vaelith. When I told you about his symptoms. And then you told me I wouldn’t find the answers in that book."
Vaelith’s jaw tensed, his fingers curling ever so slightly at his sides.
Thalia’s pulse quickened. She had to be firm, Aric and his family needed her to do this.
"Youknowsomething," she stepped closer. "I don’t know what, I don’t know how, but I know you do. And I know that when you told me I wouldn’t find answers in that book, you weren’t just guessing."
Silence.
Vaelith said nothing, but Thalia could see the way his mind was working, something dark and guarded shifting behind his gaze.
“Please,” she begged, her voice shaking her desperation seeping through now. "Aric is a good man. He has a wife, a family, a little girl who adores him. She’sthree years old, Vaelith. She clings to him like he’s her entire world. And she’s about tolose him."
Vaelith’s expression flickered, just for a moment.
His fingers twitched, his lips parting like he might speak—but then, he closed his mouth, pressing them into a thin line.
Thalia stared at him, realization slamming into her.
He knows something.
And he doesn’t want to tell me.
Her heart pounded as she took another step toward him. "Why won’t you help me?"
Vaelith exhaled slowly, gaze flickering to the floor for the briefest moment before locking back onto hers. “Because some things,” he said quietly, “are better left buried.”
Thalia’s breath hitched.
She clenched her fists. "Why do you get to decide that?" before she could stop herself, the words tore from her lips.
"I know you have celestial magic."
The air in the room shifted, heavy like a storm gathering just before the first crack of lightning.
Vaelith’s expression shuttered completely, his once-lazy stance going utterly still.
