Page 12 of Cursed Dreams (Shadow and Dreams #1)

T halia sat at the long wooden table in the temple’s dining hall, idly pushing a piece of bread through a small pool of honey on her plate.

The morning air smelled of warm oats, baked apples, and freshly brewed tea, a simple but comforting meal before they set off again.

The priestesses moved about the hall with quiet grace, their robes flowing like water, their presence calming.

After breakfast, the head priestess gathered them in a semi-circle near the entrance, lifting her hands in a blessing.

“May the Goddess of Light guide your steps,” she intoned, her voice rich and steady. “May your journey be free of harm, and your hearts remain open to the wisdom ahead.”

The air shimmered faintly, as if touched by unseen magic, and Thalia felt the warmth of it settle over her skin. The others murmured their thanks as they turned toward the waiting carriage, as they stepped onto the temple grounds, a sound stopped them.

Chanting.

Low, melodic voices drifted from within the temple, the sound rising and falling like waves, carrying with it something that made the back of Thalia’s neck prickle. It was haunting, ancient, almost familiar.

A memory stirred, the whisper on the wind in her dream, calling her name.

She swallowed hard, shivering despite the warmth of the morning sun.

“Creepy,” Cellen muttered. “Beautiful, but creepy.”

Thalia exhaled and forced a small smile. “Agreed.”

As they reached the carriage, Roina sidled up next to Thalia, her brows raised with pointed curiosity.

“So,” she drawled, “what exactly were you doing in the courtyard with Vaelith last night?”

Thalia nearly tripped over her own feet. “What?”

Roina smirked. “I saw you.”

Heat rushed to Thalia’s face. “It wasn’t anything! I just couldn’t sleep.”

Roina hummed, clearly unconvinced. “And out of all the people here, he was the one you just so happened to run into?”

Before Thalia could respond, Lina joined them, flipping her golden braid over her shoulder. “It’s not that surprising. He danced with her at the festival, too.”

Thalia blinked.

Her stomach twisted uncomfortably.

Why did she care ? She didn’t. She shouldn’t. They were just talking.

But the implication behind Roina’s words did bother her.

She had worked tirelessly to get here, earned her place through relentless study and dedication. The thought that anyone might see her as receiving preferential treatment because of a single conversation, or worse, a dance, made her stomach churn.

She opened her mouth, ready to argue, but before she could, Nyla scoffed.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, crossing her arms. “Vaelith doesn’t favour anyone. The exams were proficient. Thalia earned her place just like the rest of us.”

Thalia shot Nyla a grateful glance, but Roina only smirked, lifting a hand in mock surrender. “Relax, it was just an observation.”

“More like a reach, ” Nyla muttered under her breath.

Cellen, ever the instigator, grinned as he swung himself into the carriage. “Honestly, I don’t see the problem. If Thalia wants to get her kicks where she can, who are we to judge? And Vaelith is dishy, I would”

Roina rolled her eyes, but Lina giggled.

Thalia groaned. “For the last time, nothing happened! ”

Cellen threw her an exaggerated wink. “Of course it didn’t.”

Thalia smacked his arm as she climbed into the carriage, but despite her irritation, she was grateful for his ability to defuse tension so easily.

As the carriage began to move, Thalia exhaled slowly, turning to stare out the window.

The landscape was changing.

Rolling hills stretched far into the horizon, the trees denser, the air taking on an almost charged quality. They were getting closer to the border between the human realm and the Fae lands.

The towering oaks lining the road had roots so thick they seemed to pulse beneath the earth. The air smelled richer, fresher, like rain and pine, even though there hadn’t been a storm in days.

Something about it made Thalia’s pulse quicken.

She had always been fascinated by stories of the humans, but she had also been raised to understand that their lands were dangerous. A place where fae were not entirely welcome.

Still, it wasn’t fear that twisted inside her. It was something else.

She frowned, gripping the fabric of her skirt.

Vaelith’s kindness the night before had been unexpected, even... comforting.

Yet now there were whispers of favouritism?

Absolutely not.

She would not allow her name to be muddied before she even arrived at the temple in Vertrose. She had spent her whole life dreaming of this, working for this becoming a healer, of making something of herself beyond the small village she came from.

She wouldn’t let anyone take that from her.

With silent resolve, she decided then and there, she would avoid Vaelith.

No matter how strangely drawn to him she felt, no matter how many times he appeared just when she needed him, she couldn’t let herself be distracted.

He was not her friend.

He was not her saviour.

He was simply an obstacle she would navigate around.

And so, as the carriage rumbled forward, drawing ever closer to the unseen border of the Fae lands, Thalia forced herself to focus on the road ahead, ignoring entirely the way her fears and worries had settled at Vaelith’s kind words the night before.

The carriage lurched violently, sending Thalia and the others tumbling into one another as a loud crack echoed through the air. The sudden jolt knocked the breath from her lungs, and she barely managed to grab onto the side of the carriage to steady herself.

“What in Esku’s name was that?!” Nyla grumbled, pushing her dark curls from her face as she untangled herself from Roina.

Cellen, groaned dramatically. “Remind me to send the driver a fruit basket, preferably filled with rocks”

The carriage door swung open, and one of the guards, a broad shouldered human with greying hair, gestured for them to step out. “The wheel’s broken. Everyone out.”

Thalia stumbled as she stepped onto the packed dirt road, her legs wobbly after the rough stop.

A few feet away, the wheel lay at an awkward angle, completely ruined.

Mud clung to the broken spokes, revealing the culprit, a massive rock lodged beneath the surface, hidden from view until it was too late.

“Great,” Roina muttered, dusting herself off. “How long will it take to fix?”

Before the guard could answer, the sound of approaching hooves drew everyone’s attention. Vaelith rode toward them, his hair catching the light like spun silver. Even in the middle of a crisis, he looked completely composed, the dark cloak over his shoulders barely shifting with his movement.

“What’s the issue?” His tone was calm but carried an underlying authority.

The guard straightened. “Broken wheel, my lord. We’ll need time to repair it.”

Thalia frowned slightly. My lord?

She hadn’t paid much attention to the guards before, but now that she was standing among them, she noticed that they were all human. And they were looking at Vaelith with a mixture of respect and… awe.

Vaelith’s silver eyes scanned the broken wheel before he sighed. “We don’t have time for delays. The open road isn’t safe.”

Cellen leaned in close and murmured, “They look at him like he’s some kind of benevolent God”

Thalia shot him a confused glance. “Why?”

Cellen arched a brow. “You don’t know? He helped put down the human rebellion a few years back.”

Her stomach dropped. “What rebellion?”

“Some humans wanted the Fae out of their lands completely. It got… messy,” Cellen muttered. “Vaelith was sent to deal with it.”

Thalia swallowed hard. Why had she never heard of this before? Had her parents known? Would they have still let her leave if they did? She knew there were some humans who distrusted the fae, but an outright rebellion?

A new anxiety crawled under her skin. She was heading straight into a realm where humans had fought to drive out Fae.

“Since we can’t rely on the carriage,” Vaelith’s voice cut through her thoughts, “we’ll ride the rest of the way.”

Thalia’s heart stopped.

Ride? On a horse?

The guards started bringing forward extra mounts, her panic set in. She had never ridden before. She knew the basics in theory, but she had never actually been on one.

A lump formed in her throat as she forced herself to step forward, attempting to look as if she wasn’t on the verge of a breakdown.

Vaelith’s gaze settled on her. “You look pale.”

“I, I don’t ride,” she admitted, voice barely above a whisper.

His expression remained unreadable for a moment before he nodded once. “You’ll ride with me.”

The words sent her spiralling into a whole new kind of panic.

Her mind betrayed her, immediately recalling one of her mother’s questionable books that she had accidentally read one evening. This is how it starts, doesn’t it? Some noble warrior throws the blushing maiden onto his horse, their bodies pressed together as they,

A surge of heat rushed to her face so quickly that she thought she might pass out.

Vaelith’s expression shifted from amused to horrified in the span of a breath.

“Whatever you are thinking, stop.” His voice was sharp.

Oh gods, he can read minds?! Thalia felt herself turn even redder, which only seemed to make him tense further.

Before she could argue, he swung down from his saddle with practiced ease and reached for her. She barely had time to react before his hands settled on her waist, and in one smooth motion, he lifted her onto his horse. The contact lasted only a heartbeat, but she was certain she might combust.

The others were mounting up, Thalia spotted Lina sitting in front of one of the guards, looking far too comfortable.

Nyla, on the other hand, looked like a warrior queen, her posture perfect as if she had been riding all her life.

Roina sat stiffly but determined, while Cellen, predictably, muttered a complaint about sore backsides.