Page 27 of The Silent Mountain (Under the Werewolf Crown #2)

twenty-seven

The Darkness Strikes Again

*ALANA*

I was on such a high the whole night that the fall is even harder now. Once I startle Favian awake, his expression mirrors my shock. He manages to jump into his work mode instantly. “Favia is already with me,” he tells me while we are both dressing swiftly.

“She needs to accompany the dragon soul,” I say more to myself than to him.

Favian looks at me with a sorrowful gaze. “I wish our life would be easier.”

Grabbing his hand, I tug him to the door. “I know, but we can’t change it. This is our life for now. I am sure there will be easier times.”

“You are right,” he says. “I alerted Stefan. He doesn’t know what happened either, but will meet us immediately at the entrance hall.”

Together, we hurry down the corridor, but don’t need to search for long as Elio comes running towards us.

“Favian, Alana!”

Favian rushes to his side. “What happened?”

“I just met Cassie, and she told me to get you immediately,” he pants, taking a few breaths to calm down. “It’s Barbara and Ludwig.”

My heart freezes at his words. “No…” I mutter.

“I don’t know what happened,” Elio hurries to explain. “Cassie was in shock and immediately ran back to help Erin.”

Favian squeezes his shoulder. “Stay here in case someone is looking for me.”

Elio nods. “Of course.”

Favian and I don’t waste any more time, leaving Elio to represent Favian. At the front door, we bump right into Stefan, who wordlessly hands us both two pairs of gloves. A pair of silver ones for Favian and black ones that lead up to my elbows for me.

“What’s that for?” I ask.

“I know I can’t make either of you stay away, so I want you to be protected,” he says.

Before Favian can even reply, Stefan speaks again. “Please, Your Highness, your existence is of the utmost importance to us. The dragons live and fall with you.”

“Fair enough,” Favian says, putting on his gloves.

I follow suit. “What do you know?” I ask.

“Ludwig is sick now,” Stefan says quietly, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

“And Barbara?” Favian asks.

Stefan looks away. “She is in her last breaths.”

None of us can bring ourselves to say anything until I take Favian’s hand. “Let’s go and see her.”

Favian takes a deep breath and nods. He turns to Stefan. “Tell us more.”

“I have only talked to Erin briefly. It seems like Barbara was hallucinating last night. She saw something . Erin is not sure if it was a nightmare or the manifestation of something evil. She can’t tell yet.”

Barbara. I haven’t known her for long, but she was my first friend here. She and Ludwig. An irrational part of me wants to believe that Barbara will survive, that there is still something I can do. I don’t even dare to look at Favian, knowing that one glimpse of him will tell me the truth. If Favia is here with him right now, there will be no hope.

I can feel Favian’s hand on my back, a soothing gesture, but it makes my lips tremble. “Anything we should be prepared for?” he asks quietly.

“I don’t know,” Stefan mutters sadly. “Is there ever a way to be prepared for death?”

It’s the most vulnerable he has ever sounded. Favian must have a similar thought because he doesn’t push for an answer and instead continues to lead us to Frederick’s lab in silence. It makes me realize that we don’t have an infirmary yet. Something to plan. Somehow, thinking of work helps.

Fred is already expecting us, an unusual grim look in his eyes. “I am sorry, Your Highness, Erin and I tried everything.”

“Don’t blame yourself. This is not your fault,” Favian says.

“I wish I could have done something, but she just…“ Frederick lets his shoulder hang down.

“Can we see her?” I ask.

“Come inside. Please be careful. We don’t know how this sickness spreads. Ludwig is already infected.”

“But you are not,” Stefan muses. “Neither is Erin.”

“Yes, we don’t understand it either,” Frederick admits.

I don’t want to linger outside any longer. I feel like I owe it to Barbara, but also to me, to go and see her in her last moments. To say goodbye. She was my first friend here. I do feel weird for wearing gloves, but essentially, Stefan is right; it would be reckless not to.

Favian follows me into the room. Barbara has her eyes closed while Erin gently dabs her forehead with a wet towel. She looks surprisingly peaceful. Ludwig is next to her. He is asleep, his hands on her, and to my horror, the same blackness seems to spread through his veins.

I swallow thickly at the depressing sight and step forward. “Can she…” I sit down next to Erin, gently taking Barbara’s hand. “Can she hear us?”

“I want to believe she can,” Erin says, gently brushing over Barbara’s hair. It amazes me that she is not afraid of getting sick herself, and it gives me a whole new respect for her. “She was fevering the whole night, battling the worst nightmares, but for the last hour she has been so calm.”

“Thank you for being here with her, Erin,” Favian says.

Erin looks at him. “I am sure it means a lot to her that her king came to see her before she can leave,” she says. “I know not every leader would have done that.”

I keep brushing over Barbara’s hand. “Thank you for being my first friend here, Barbie,” I say sadly. “I only knew Favian and Elio when I came here, but you instantly welcomed me. I never felt self-conscious or anxious around you because you were so kind.”

I could swear that I feel a soft squeeze of my hand, spurring me on to continue, gently talking to Barbara while the others remain quiet but keep us company. I don’t know how long we are here like this, but Barbara’s hand grows colder after a while, and just like that, she slips away, as if she is just asleep.

Favia comes forward to take her dragon’s soul to their deity, and with that, the red snowfall ends, leaving us all somber and a little more broken.

Ludwig shifts slightly, the sleeve on his arm slipping up slightly. My eyes fall on a wound. “What’s that on Ludwig’s hand?” I ask.

“It’s a scratch,” Erin says. “It happened one night ago. Barbara had a nightmare again and accidentally hurt him.”

“She scratched him,” Favian says, furrowing his brows. “Didn’t Barbara have scratches too, before she got sick?”

Erin looks up, staring at him. “I don’t know. When I got here, any wounds she might have had were already healed by her dragon. But Ludwig’s scratch alerted me.”

Favian turns around promptly. “Frederick?”

“She had a lot of scratches,” he says. “From… from the birds.”

“The attack that happened before I arrived?” Erin asks.

“By Aengus,” Stefan heaves. “So many of us were involved in this.”

“Yes, but in your dragon form,” I exclaim. “Your scales are hard and difficult to hurt, especially by birds. Only Cassie and Barbara were in their human form, and Cassie didn’t get hurt.”

“The birds didn’t reach her,” Favian concludes. “Because the harbinger let out his war cry and killed the birds. But they already hurt Barbara.”

“That’s how she got sick,” I say.

“Wouldn’t it mean that she got cursed?” Stefan asks.

“I have taken a look at the birds,” Erin says. “I can’t say for certain, but from experience, I am not sure if it really looks like a curse.”

“If it’s not a curse and not a sickness, what is it then?” Favian wants to know.

“Dark magic,” Erin says. “I can’t believe it! It’s almost the same as a curse, but not quite.”

“What’s the difference?” Favian wants to know.

“It means they weren’t cursed directly, but somehow were in an area of dark and dangerous magic,” she says.

“So, a witch again?” Stefan mutters.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Erin says. “That’s certainly not a spell I have ever seen before, and I have seen most of them. I don’t even know where to start, and don’t forget I am specialized in healing and understanding potions and curses. But this here is unlike anything I have ever encountered. That’s why it’s so hard for me to break it.”

“But someone or something has to be doing this magic,” I say.

“Definitely. It could also be a place, mind you.”

Favian looks at her thoughtfully. “A place?”

“Yes, something that was locked away from our world and, for whatever reason, got in touch with people again. Certain places can hold a lot of magic if they meet the criteria.”

“Like the house of the dark witch that almost killed all of us?” Favian asks.

“No, her place was protected by powerful spells, but they were just that: spells. However, the secret halls she had, where she chained and manipulated the mysterious creatures… that place in itself held a certain power and magic.”

“So, we are looking for something like that again,” I conclude.

“Easier said than done,” Stefan says, while Erin nods at his words.

“Still, it’s a lead,” I point out. We really need to follow the birds. I don’t say that part out loud, however. There will be a time for plans later.

Before anyone can reply to my words, Ludwig stirs slightly. “We should let him rest,” Favian says, worry in his eyes when he looks at the warrior.

We all heed his words and step outside again. The discussion had lifted my mood for a moment, but now my thoughts return to Barbara again, filling my heart with sadness. Once outside, I notice that a group of dragon shifters has arrived to bid their goodbyes silently. It’s the third time in such a short period of time that they’ve had to do that. Many of them look sad, but also with composure. It’s weird at first glance, until I remember that they are used to it. They are used to losing those around them.

“Cassie and I managed to brew a potion,” Erin says after a long while of silence. “We don’t understand how this sickness works, but through Barbara’s blood, I could tell what it does to the body.”

“The potion you made, can it heal someone?” I ask. “Can it heal Ludwig?”

“No, I am hoping to find a cure still, but this one can’t,” she says sadly. “It’s not a cure, but a prevention.”

She pulls a few bottles out of her bag and shows them to me. I can see it clearly in the eyes of the dragons: the distrust, the skepticism, the fear. To them, Erin is still a witch. She might be helping them, but they don’t trust her.

To my surprise, Favian reaches out his hand. “I will give it a try.”

“Me too,” I say.

I expect Stefan to intervene, seeing his king endanger his life like that, but he remains silent.

He really is a weird man, Ros mutters.

Actually, I think he is quite predictable, I say. Favian is their king, and they look up to him; he is their hope. He knows that if Favian doesn’t take the potion, no one else will. And Goddess knows, we need it! The birds are constantly around us. They might attack any minute.

Favian drinks it without hesitation. “Favia just said it’s safe,” he says.

“And she couldn’t say that before you took it?” Stefan mutters.

“I believe she had her reasons,” Favian says.

Following his example, I empty one of the small vials too, with Stefan following after me. Once we are done, the other shifters around us come closer, and Erin hands them the remainder of the potions. “We are already preparing more,” she reassures them. “Until tonight, you will all have your prophylaxis. Then, this horrible sickness can’t do any harm to you.”

“Until then, be careful,” Favian warns. “Take no unnecessary risk.” He turns to Erin. “I want the first batch of potions to go to the warriors at the shore, and to those guarding the borders today.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” Erin says, looking relieved to be able to go to work and do something. She must have worked day and night to get to this result.

Favian takes a breath, as if to give himself a nudge. “Thank you, Erin. We appreciate your help and what you are doing for us. You must have worked without a break, attending to Barbara, trying to find a cure for her, and also coming up with a potion for us.”

“It was my kind who hurt this world,” she says with a careful smile. “And I see it as my duty to help get rid of the evil that was left behind.”

With everyone leaving to return to their business, only Stefan, Favian, and I stay behind. “I can barely believe that you didn’t stop me from drinking the potion,” Favian says to the other man. “Are you losing your edge?”

“I contemplated jumping in your way and slapping it out of your hand,” Stefan says. “But I thought it might not look too good to our fellow shifters.

Favian shakes his head.

“There is always light at the end of a tunnel,” Stefan says. “There has to be! If we don’t believe that, we can only give up.” He turns to look at us, his gaze briefly dancing over my neck. “A light,” he says with a careful smile. “We officially have a queen.”