Page 90 of The Silent Mountain
“Maybe you imagined things,” Stefan says.
I furrow my brows deeply. “I am not sure,” I say.
At this, the others look at me, surprised. “You believe what he is saying?” Stefan asks.
“I just know he came running into my office, completely in shock, terrified even, and thinking he was losing his mind,” I point out. “That much is certainly true. As a reaction to a nightmare, I feel it’s too strong.”
“It’s more like what I went through with the mare,” Alana says.
“That’s what I was thinking too,” I agree. “Could it be a mare again?”
“Their effect on us is different,” Erin says, frowning slightly. “From what I have heard, Alana suffered from night terrors, and started to sleepwalk and hallucinate strictly at night, which is typical for a mare, but what Theodor describes sounds different.” She looks at him. “Did she talk to you?”
“No.” A shiver goes through his body. “She was just staring. It was truly creepy.”
“Could she have risen from the dead?” Alana asks. “Is that possible?”
At her question, both Stefan and Theodor look truly horrified. I can sympathize, because this is probably the most unsettling thing we have ever had.
“It could be possible through a curse if her body were still there,” Erin says, her words horrifying me further. Is there a spell strong enough to use a deceased’s body? What an unsettling thought. “But Barbara’s body was burned. It’s not possible to use it anymore. It could be, however…“
“However…?” I push her.
“That someone recreated her body, which is why she didn’t talk with Theodor. It would give the illusion, at least,” she pauses. “But I don’t feel the presence of a curse.”
“Could it be-“ Alana asks before a scream rips through her words and interrupts her.
“Who was that?” Stefan demands.
“That’s Cassie!” Erin blurts out.
Cassie screams something. I try to use my dragon senses to get through to her, but she must be too scared to form a coherent sentence. I don’t waste any more time, rushing out of the door and towards the room where the screams are coming from.
She is in the kitchen. Of course. She wanted to make tea for Theodor. Ripping the door open, I am met with a truly horrifying sight. Cassie is standing next to the stove, almost hiding behind it, and in front of her… There she is! She has her hair tied back and is wearing her casual clothes, the ones she always wore when she was training. She is even smiling her signature smile.
I feel a twinge in my heart. I really liked her as a friend. She was a trustworthy warrior and clan member, actually one of the most trustworthy I had. She was one of the first to join my side during the last battle. She did so much, and she had to leave our world in such a horrendous way.
I try not to think about it when she got sick, and I intuitively knew there was no helping her. I try not to think about how unfair it was, or about the fate Ludwig is facing, another one of my most trustworthy people.
I respected these two so much that I made them Alana’s guides and bodyguards.
An overwhelming sense of sadness fills me, but there is also something else.
A sense of despair, as if something is sucking out all of my energy.
I feel Alana bump into me from behind, her hand on my back, while she follows my gaze. The others pool into the kitchen also.
“Barbara?” Erin mutters.
twenty-nine
Back to the Roots
*FAVIAN*
Forminutes,noneofus is able to say or do anything. Slowly, Theodor’s reaction makes more sense to me. He must have felt completely shocked and full of horror.
Just then, however, Barbara, or whoever it is, starts moving. She is still smiling, but now that I look at her closely, her smile looks creepy and unreal; her eyes are not so full of life like Barbara’s were. She approaches Cassie, and the poor girl is clearly terrified. She flails her arms to get away from her, her elbow hitting against the cup with steaming hot tea. It drops to the ground, breaking into pieces, and the liquid leaks out towards Barbara. A hiss leaves her lips. Without hesitating any further, Erin grabs the pot with the remaining hot beverage and empties it on Barbara.
