Page 94 of The Silent Mountain
If only I could stop myself from worrying all the time.
He promised me he would be careful,Alana links me.He sounded sincere and very much in control.
I apologize, you must have felt my chaotic emotions.
It doesn’t matter,she reassures me.I know why you are worried.
I take her hand, squeezing it lightly before picking up my pace to follow Erin. By now, Erin has disappeared into the cottage. Stepping closer, I finally bump into my brother. He looks pale and worried, but otherwise seems to be alright.
“Elio!” I say. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” he says. “Ludwig was tossing around in his bed. He seems to be much worse than yesterday.”
“Thank you for checking on him immediately.”
Elio smiles. Before he can answer though, we can hear groans of pain from inside. “Is that Ludwig?” I ask, alarmed.
Stefan’s eyes are clouded in worry. “I think so.”
“I will check on him. Wait here,” I command. “Alana-“
“I will wait here too,” she says. “I am not sure if he wants me to see him in such a weak state.”
“That’s what I wanted to say,” I admit, squeezing her hand one more time. “Elio, please stay with Alana.”
“I will,” he promises. “Maybe we can go for a walk?” he asks.
“I like that idea,” Alana admits. “Let’s make sure to get our minds off this.”
Elio looks relieved at her words. I know he is trying to be strong and tough, but while he might not be a little child anymore, he is still so young. I am glad that he will get some distraction. I wait for both of them to walk away before stepping inside.
The air in the room is fouler than it was a day ago, instantly raising my worries. Why is it progressing so fast in Ludwig? Barbara had days!
“Your Highness,” Frederick says while approaching me, clearly distraught. “Ludwig has deteriorated.”
“But how?” I exclaim.
“Erin believes he was already weakened,” he mutters. “And he might have been infected longer than we thought he was. He was with Barbara a lot.”
Damn it, that makes sense. Or does it? Maybe she scratched him before, but we didn’t know.
I follow the groans and step inside the room where Ludwig is currently resting. Fortunately, Erin has managed to calm him down a bit. He does look completely distraught, almost as if he doesn’t realize what’s happening around him. “I saw him…” he mumbles. “He was… I saw him…”
“Who did you see?” Erin asks softly.
“He… he was here…”
Erin turns her head to look at me. “He had a nightmare,” she declares.
“I wasn’t able to wake him up,” Frederick admits.
“A nightmare?”
I notice how Ludwig keeps muttering something, his fingers tapping against the blanket and twitching nervously. “Give him a pen and a sheet of paper,” I say.
Frederick looks at me, surprised. “What?”
“Do as I say.”
