Page 25 of Curse of Immortality
Maeve wanted to scream, sob, or grab a rock and throw it after James. She would have even smashed it against her head to make the pain stop. But with the amount of blood she had already lost, there was nothing she could do but lie on the ground and watch the man she’d once been ready to kill for, ride away.
At that moment, she moved her hands from the stab wound. No one would save her, and she had nothing to live for anyway. Maeve’s life had crumbled into nothing. She had lost her parents at a young age and been foolish enough to push away the two people who loved her to be with a man who only used her for his entertainment. More than anything, Maeve just wanted to die in that moment, and when her vision became blurry and the world went dark she thought her prayer had been answered.
CHAPTER 9
Apologies from a Broken Heart
Despite Maeve’s harsh words, Rose loved her more than she loved her own life. Her eyes were red with large bags underneath from the sleepless night she’d spent worrying about Maeve. She’d been sitting in the garden all morning hoping her niece would come back home.
“She’ll come back,” Althea assured her aunt as she sat down beside her in the tall grass.
“I hope so,” Rose whispered.
Althea and Maeve had been best friends all of their life, so being apart felt like a nightmare to Althea who missed her sister. She was deeply hurt that Maeve hadn’t told her about James, and she was even more hurt by the way Maeve had stormed out and abandoned them for a man she’d never told them about.
Although Althea was in deep pain, she didn’t dwell on it, because she recognized how her aunt was hurting and needed her to be strong. All morning, they searched for Maeve and even went as far as walking through the town looking for her.
There was no trace of her anywhere and once they were back in the forest, Rose had fallen to her knees and cried.
The moment a group of sparrows flew by, Rose and Althea both looked up and listened to the shrieking birds. When they picked up on their message about Maeve’s need for help, Rose and Althea sprung to their feet and set off in a run. Althea was fastest and followed the direction that the sparrows led her in. Her heart was pounding from fear that the birds were right about Maeve dying.
Never had Althea sprinted as fast in her life. Her lungs hurt and her mouth was completely dry when she saw the birds land next to a body on the ground.
“Maeve.” Althea threw herself to her sister’s side and felt cold to the bone when she saw Maeve’s pale complexion and blue lips. Calling Maeve’s name, Althea received no reply. The size of the blood stain on her twin’s dress made Althea sick to her stomach. Maeve’s eyes were shut, her body was limp, and Althea felt certain it was too late to save her.
Since yesterday when Maeve left, Althea had tried to remain strong for her aunt, but now she shattered inside and burst into tears as she leaned over her sister and buried her head against her hair. Her cries were so loud that all animals near them fled in a hurry. With shaking hands, Althea cupped Maeve’s face trying to wake her, not caring that their closeness stained her dress in Maeve’s blood. Althea’s screams and cries burned into Rose’s heart when she arrived to see the two sisters. Instead of throwing herself on top of Maeve as Althea had, Rose worked fast, doing everything she could to save her niece’s life.
Althea heard her aunt’s orders but was frozen in grief. It wasn’t until Rose shook her arm and yelled at her. “Maeve is still alive, and we need to heal her” that she began helping.
They worked on Maeve for hours to stabilize her with their healing powers. Althea ran home to get Tobias and at a slow pace, they brought Maeve back to the small cottage.
It was past supper time when Maeve opened her eyes again. Seeing the branches of a familiar tree with the clear sky above brought her comfort, but she quickly drifted back to sleep. Over the next thirty hours, she kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Not just because her body felt weak, but also because the part of her that had wanted to die, didn’t want to wake up and face reality or the stabbing pain in her stomach and her broken heart.
Maeve felt the gentle hands of her sister helping her to eat and drink. Althea and Rose tended Maeve’s wound and kept a close eye on her. But for the most part, she was in deep sleep and the house was quiet during the days while Maeve slept.
Rarely did Althea leave Maeve’s side. Lovingly she stroked her arm and tucked her sister in with blankets while singing their special song in a soft voice.
A scared and fearful heart can see no light.
But I see you, lying in the ground.
Take my hand, I’ll help you out.
The shadows are near, but I have no fear.
Hmm-hmm-mm-hmm
The world is dark, and evil lies near.
Your angry heart carries that fear.
You don’t see how the sun shines down.
Your back is turned, with your gaze on the ground.
Hmm-hmm-mm-hmm
Finally, Maeve gently opened her eyes to the sound of her sister singing. For a moment she wished she could be a young child once again, without worries. But soon the memories of what had happened came rushing back reminding her that the innocence of her childhood had died the day Ellen was hung. “I’m sorry,” Maeve whispered to her sister who hadn’t seen her eyes open.
