Page 86 of The Silent Mountain
Favian follows me into the room. Barbara has her eyes closed while Erin gently dabs her forehead with a wet towel. She looks surprisingly peaceful. Ludwig is next to her. He is asleep, his hands on her, and to my horror, the same blackness seems to spread through his veins.
I swallow thickly at the depressing sight and step forward. “Can she…” I sit down next to Erin, gently taking Barbara’s hand. “Can she hear us?”
“I want to believe she can,” Erin says, gently brushing over Barbara’s hair. It amazes me that she is not afraid of getting sick herself, and it gives me a whole new respect for her. “She was fevering the whole night, battling the worst nightmares, but for the last hour she has been so calm.”
“Thank you for being here with her, Erin,” Favian says.
Erin looks at him. “I am sure it means a lot to her that her king came to see her before she can leave,” she says. “I know not every leader would have done that.”
I keep brushing over Barbara’s hand. “Thank you for being my first friend here, Barbie,” I say sadly. “I only knew Favian and Elio when I came here, but you instantly welcomed me. I never felt self-conscious or anxious around you because you were so kind.”
I could swear that I feel a soft squeeze of my hand, spurring me on to continue, gently talking to Barbara while the others remain quiet but keep us company. I don’t know how long we are here like this, but Barbara’s hand grows colder after a while, and just like that, she slips away, as if she is just asleep.
Favia comes forward to take her dragon’s soul to their deity, and with that, the red snowfall ends, leaving us all somber and a little more broken.
Ludwig shifts slightly, the sleeve on his arm slipping up slightly. My eyes fall on a wound. “What’s that on Ludwig’s hand?” I ask.
“It’s a scratch,” Erin says. “It happened one night ago. Barbara had a nightmare again and accidentally hurt him.”
“She scratched him,” Favian says, furrowing his brows. “Didn’t Barbara have scratches too, before she got sick?”
Erin looks up, staring at him. “I don’t know. When I got here, any wounds she might have had were already healed by her dragon. But Ludwig’s scratch alerted me.”
Favian turns around promptly. “Frederick?”
“She had a lot of scratches,” he says. “From… from the birds.”
“The attack that happened before I arrived?” Erin asks.
“By Aengus,” Stefan heaves. “So many of us were involved in this.”
“Yes, but in your dragon form,” I exclaim. “Your scales are hard and difficult to hurt, especially by birds. Only Cassie and Barbara were in their human form, and Cassie didn’t get hurt.”
“The birds didn’t reach her,” Favian concludes. “Because the harbinger let out his war cry and killed the birds. But they already hurt Barbara.”
“That’s how she got sick,” I say.
“Wouldn’t it mean that she got cursed?” Stefan asks.
“I have taken a look at the birds,” Erin says. “I can’t say for certain, but from experience, I am not sure if it really looks like a curse.”
“If it’s not a curse and not a sickness, what is it then?” Favian wants to know.
“Dark magic,” Erin says. “I can’t believe it! It’s almost the same as a curse, but not quite.”
“What’s the difference?” Favian wants to know.
“It means they weren’t cursed directly, but somehow were in an area of dark and dangerous magic,” she says.
“So, a witch again?” Stefan mutters.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Erin says. “That’s certainly not a spell I have ever seen before, and I have seen most of them. I don’t even know where to start, and don’t forget I am specialized in healing and understanding potions and curses. But this here is unlike anything I have ever encountered. That’s why it’s so hard for me to break it.”
“But someone or something has to be doing this magic,” I say.
“Definitely. It could also be a place, mind you.”
Favian looks at her thoughtfully. “A place?”
