Page 118 of The Silent Mountain
“Erin said you have talent, and the way you treated Alana is proof of that. If that’s what you want to do-“
“I want it!”
“Then I will support it.”
Elio smiles, but his good mood is only short-lived. Soon, a somber expression stretches over his face. “I thought I wouldn’t return,” he says quietly.
“Don’t say that,” Theodor mutters sadly.
“I thought it was the end, but Alana kept pushing and telling me that we need to make sure to return to the clan.”
I grab a chair and pull it closer to his bed, just letting him talk about his experience. I didn’t want to push him too much, but he tells me everything of his own accord. Every detail. How the nixe, Lorelai, saved them, how they escaped through the underground corridor, the attack of the rats, and finally, how Alana was infected. “The spell spread so fast,” Elio exclaims. “So fast. I could actually see it spread. It was so scary.”
“You were too close to its origin,” I say.
“That’s what Alana said too. Then, she said she needed to return to you and the clan, and that she can’t let the spell kill her.”
“She cut off her hand for that reason, didn’t she?”
Elio nods, tears filling his eyes. “It was so terrifying. I just held her to support her, because I had to, didn’t I? I couldn’t let her do this alone and not support her!”
“Thank you for being there for her,” I say. “I am eternally thankful that you were there to give her the support she needed.”
Relief fills Elio’s eyes, making me wonder if he thought I would blame him for not finding another way to stop the spell.
“You couldn’t have done anything else,” I reassure him. “Erin verified it already. I am sure Alana felt the spell spread and affect her. She saw what happened to Barbara. You and she did the only thing you could do. You were both incredibly brave.”
“See, I told you,” Theodor says with a smile. “My little prince is turning into a formidable, strong dragon shifter. Your Highness, he shiftedthreetimes!”
“I did!” Elio verifies. “I fought the bird that carried Alana away, and the rats, and then the cultists!”
I reach out my arm to pull him into a hug. “Thank you,” I mutter into his hair. “For never stopping fighting. It’s only because you and Alana never gave up that you returned to me.”
“Say,” Elio says after a while. “Did you also find and kill the creepy man with the mask and the coat of feathers?”
His words instantly catch my attention, and I furrow my brows. “Feathers?”
“Yes, Alana and I saw him when we snuck past the weird ceremony hall. He was sitting on the fountain, and his blood seeped into the water. We figured he was the one responsible for the curse... spell… whatever.”
At his words, my heart jumps both from fear but also relief. Fear because it means the battle against the unknown enemy still isn’t over, it just moved from us to somewhere else, but relief because Elio and Alana saw our opponent. They are witnesses. If I know one thing, it’s how dangerous ignorance can be. “You saw him?”
“Yes, clearly, but not his face.” Elio sighs. “I take it he got away? He wasn’t around us when the cultists attacked. But it was weird how detached they were. Maybe that was his doing too.”
“That’s very likely,” I agree. “Can you draw him?” I ask. “Maybe Favia or Erin will know more when they see a picture.”
“Yes, I can try,” Elio says.
We all fall into a moment of silence. “Your Highness, may I ask a question?” Theodor interrupts it.
“Of course.”
“Now that the spell has stopped…” he pauses. “It’s just it never snowed red, so I wondered, Ludwig, he must be alive.”
“He is alive,” I say. “I don’t know any details. Erin first attended to Alana and Elio while Frederick was with Ludwig. I only know that he is still with us. I will check on him later.”
Relief fills Theodor’s eyes. “I am so relieved.”
I am also, but at the same time, my heart sinks for Ludwig. I am sure part of him would have wished to pass on just like the woman he loved, and who he won’t meet again in this life.
