Page 89 of The Silent Mountain
Talking about a cool head…
I instantly link Erin and Alana to tell them that we have a new problem at hand and that Elio will fill them in, before I shift my attention back to Theodor. He still seems distraught, pearls of sweat are on his forehead, and he keeps tugging at his hair, managing to rip some strands of it out. “Stop it!” I command. But he doesn’t seem to hear me.
“By Aengus, Theodor, get a grip and calm down!”
“No, no,” Theodor mumbles. “It’s insane. I am insane. I was her; it was clearly her, but it’s impossible. I am going crazy.”
I am completely out of the loop. Usually, my presence alone is enough for my clan members to snap out of whatever haze they are in. But now, not even me yelling seems to do the trick. I try contact instead, grabbing him by his shoulders. “Theodor!” I say, trying to keep my voice as steady and firm as possible. “You need to snap out of it. What is going on? Talk to me!”
“No, no.” Another shiver goes through his body, before he starts thrashing against my grip. “I am losing my mind. I am insane. Kill me, kill me. End it!” he yells.
I slap him, harder than intended, but it has the desired effect. Theodor blinks in confusion. “What… what… am I doing here?” He stares at me. Slowly, it seems like realization settles in, as his eyes widen in horror. He stumbles a couple of steps back before going down on his knees, bowing his head deeply. “Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
His reaction worries me once more. What just happened? I take a step closer to help him up and ask him what he just saw, and what he’d been through, when the door flies open.
“What happened?” Stefan yells as he comes running into my office, Alana hot on his trail. “Are you safe, Your Highness?”
He stops, his gaze going from me to Theodor, who is still kneeling on the ground, looking miserable.
“No, seriously,” Alana mutters. “What happened?”
“I sincerely wish I could answer that,” I say, before turning to the young warrior. “Get up, Theodor.”
Stefan helps him up, seeing as Theodor is in no state of mind to do that himself. He is still completely shaken. Fortunately, Erin and Cassie arrive too, and as usual, Erin is able to oversee the whole situation.
“What type of new evil happened now?” Cassie asks quietly. She shakes her head, her wild hair flying around and making her look even more anxious.
“Go and fetch some water for Theodor,” Erin instructs her. “And make him tea like I showed you yesterday.”
Cassie nods eagerly, looking almost relieved to be able to leave the room.
“Alright…“ I turn my attention to Theodor. “Now tell me what happened. You came into this room, completely in a panic. Something terrified you, didn’t it?”
“Yes,” he says shakily. “I thought I might be losing my mind.”
“What did you see?” I ask. “You were talking abouther.”
I notice how he hesitates, making me wonder what’s so horrible that he can’t say it out loud. “We can only help you if you tell us,” Erin pushes.
“She is right,” I say.
We are interrupted by Cassie, who brings us some water, before she leaves again to look after the tea she is brewing. Erin hands Theodor the glass with water. “You can tell us,” she encourages him.
“And if I am truly going insane?”
“Then I will find a way to help you,” she says. “I doubt it though. You sound very well put together.”
“Barbara,” he breathes out. “I saw Barbara.”
It’s so quiet in the room all of a sudden that I could hear a pin drop.
“But, Barbara…“ Erin says softly.
“She is dead, I know,” Theodor heaves. “I know. But I am sure I saw her. I was doing my training, just by myself, when I saw a woman approaching. I thought it would be one of the clan members, but it was Barbara.”
“Could it have been someone who looked like her?” Stefan asks.
“No, it was her. I am certain. She… she… just stood there and looked at me. I tried to talk to her, but she kept staring, and then I started to feel so weak and dizzy. That’s when I decided I need to alert you, Your Highness.”
