Page 87 of The Silent Mountain
“Yes, something that was locked away from our world and, for whatever reason, got in touch with people again. Certain places can hold a lot of magic if they meet the criteria.”
“Like the house of the dark witch that almost killed all of us?” Favian asks.
“No, her place was protected by powerful spells, but they were just that: spells. However, the secret halls she had, where she chained and manipulated the mysterious creatures… that place in itself held a certain power and magic.”
“So, we are looking for something like that again,” I conclude.
“Easier said than done,” Stefan says, while Erin nods at his words.
“Still, it’s a lead,” I point out. We really need to follow the birds. I don’t say that part out loud, however. There will be a time for plans later.
Before anyone can reply to my words, Ludwig stirs slightly. “We should let him rest,” Favian says, worry in his eyes when he looks at the warrior.
We all heed his words and step outside again. The discussion had lifted my mood for a moment, but now my thoughts return to Barbara again, filling my heart with sadness. Once outside, I notice that a group of dragon shifters has arrived to bid their goodbyes silently. It’s the third time in such a short period of time that they’ve had to do that. Many of them look sad, but also with composure. It’s weird at first glance, until I remember that they are used to it. They are used to losing those around them.
“Cassie and I managed to brew a potion,” Erin says after a long while of silence. “We don’t understand how this sickness works, but through Barbara’s blood, I could tell what it does to the body.”
“The potion you made, can it heal someone?” I ask. “Can it heal Ludwig?”
“No, I am hoping to find a cure still, but this one can’t,” she says sadly. “It’s not a cure, but a prevention.”
She pulls a few bottles out of her bag and shows them to me. I can see it clearly in the eyes of the dragons: the distrust, the skepticism, the fear. To them, Erin is still a witch. She might be helping them, but they don’t trust her.
To my surprise, Favian reaches out his hand. “I will give it a try.”
“Me too,” I say.
I expect Stefan to intervene, seeing his king endanger his life like that, but he remains silent.
He really is a weird man,Ros mutters.
Actually, I think he is quite predictable,I say.Favian is their king, and they look up to him; he is their hope. He knows that if Favian doesn’t take the potion, no one else will. And Goddess knows, we need it! The birds are constantly around us. They might attack any minute.
Favian drinks it without hesitation. “Favia just said it’s safe,” he says.
“And she couldn’t say that before you took it?” Stefan mutters.
“I believe she had her reasons,” Favian says.
Following his example, I empty one of the small vials too, with Stefan following after me. Once we are done, the other shifters around us come closer, and Erin hands them the remainder of the potions. “We are already preparing more,” she reassures them. “Until tonight, you will all have your prophylaxis. Then, this horrible sickness can’t do any harm to you.”
“Until then, be careful,” Favian warns. “Take no unnecessary risk.” He turns to Erin. “I want the first batch of potions to go to the warriors at the shore, and to those guarding the borders today.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” Erin says, looking relieved to be able to go to work and do something. She must have worked day and night to get to this result.
Favian takes a breath, as if to give himself a nudge. “Thank you, Erin. We appreciate your help and what you are doing for us. You must have worked without a break, attending to Barbara, trying to find a cure for her, and also coming up with a potion for us.”
“It was my kind who hurt this world,” she says with a careful smile. “And I see it as my duty to help get rid of the evil that was left behind.”
With everyone leaving to return to their business, only Stefan, Favian, and I stay behind. “I can barely believe that you didn’t stop me from drinking the potion,” Favian says to the other man. “Are you losing your edge?”
“I contemplated jumping in your way and slapping it out of your hand,” Stefan says. “But I thought it might not look too good to our fellow shifters.
Favian shakes his head.
“There is always light at the end of a tunnel,” Stefan says. “There has to be! If we don’t believe that, we can only give up.” He turns to look at us, his gaze briefly dancing over my neck. “A light,” he says with a careful smile. “We officially have a queen.”
twenty-eight
