Page 159 of Cursed Evermore

“Ink, Whispers, and Silent Melodies”

Today was the day we were going to perform the spell. No one was more eager than me to see how it would unfold.

I stood before the full-length mirror, braiding my hair to the side. I was ready. I just wanted my hair out of the way.

Arielle would be along to fetch me soon, as we were making an early start.

I got up early again, though to be fair I didn’t sleep much last night.

Although I ended the day on a good note, I couldn’t shake what Arielle had told me about Dreynthor from my mind.

Worries of running into him unsettled me and the thought that his spies were around watching made things so much worse. I hoped I would get that warning feeling Arielle mentioned if I ever came across one, but I worried I wouldn’t.

At least it was comforting to know that the grounds were always guarded and either Garrick or Arielle were always here.

I supposed Wolfe had been around too. I just hadn’t seen him.

I would today, though. We both had to be present for the spell.

I finished the braid and my gaze drifted out the window. I’d love nothing more than to lose myself in the magic and the sheer wonder of being here. But neither of those options would be wise. Nor were they options anyone with sense would take.

I had no idea what awaited me today. Or what to expect from Wolfe.

The worst part was that I'd felt him here last night, right in this room. When I'd stepped out of the bathing chamber, his energy had been so strong I could have touched it. The shackle had confirmed it, pulsing with recognition through our bond.

Yesterday my instincts had grown sharper, most likely from Arielle's work restoring my powers and teaching me new things. But heightened awareness was a double-edged gift when it came to sensing him.

What I'd felt wasn't purely magical, though. Grandmother had often spoken of emotional auras—the way people's presence carried the weight of their inner nature, not in colors but in feelings that lingered in the air around them. I'd never fully understood what she meant until coming here.

Arielle's presence was light and warm, like summer sunshine. Sirril's felt cheerful and balancing, a steady comfort. Garrick radiated strength and protection, solid as stone. But Wolfe... Wolfe carried the darkness and uncertainty of a bottomless pit, and last night that void had filled my room completely.

I didn't need enhanced powers to recognize that particular brand of darkness, though. Those threatening vibes had been there from the beginning. From that first electric moment when we'd locked eyes across the crowded tavern. The difference was that back then, I'd felt like I could read him, could anticipatehis moves. Now? Now I was completely in the dark about his intentions.

Today stretched before me with infinite possibilities. In the best case, the spell would work and lead us straight to the ring. But even that victory would unlock a cascade of new challenges—Father's uncertain fate, the inevitable return to Stormfell, choices I wasn't ready to face.

Part of me longed to explore more of Galaythia, to discover what it truly meant to live here as a mage rather than a secret prisoner. The selfish thought made guilt twist in my chest. There were far more pressing concerns than my personal desires, yet nothing could compare to the intoxicating rush of seeing my magic flourish in this place.

Could I dare hope that when this crisis ended, I might return here freely? That I could finally embrace who I was meant to be?

The fantasy crumbled the moment I imagined staying if Wolfe executed my father. My stomach churned with revulsion. Perhaps that was why he'd been pulling away and maintaining that careful distance, so he wouldn't have to feel anything when the moment of judgment arrived.

I forced the poisonous thought away. Such negativity wouldn’t serve me now.

I lowered to put on my shoes but stopped when something strange whispered through the air.

It was a quiet melody. Haunting yet… beautiful.

Each note wove through the air, calling to something deep in my bones, demanding I come closer.

I straightened and walked over to the window, looking outside to see if I could see the source of the sound. There wasn’t anything but I could still hear it, and it was still beckoning me to find it.

Without another thought I head outside, taking the back door to the garden.

The song grew louder and louder.

My gaze swept the grounds, pulled by the melody's growing intensity.

Where was it coming from?