Page 34 of The Silent Mountain (Under the Werewolf Crown #2)

thirty-four

Drastic Decisions

*ALANA*

E lio has ripped a part of the sleeve off and presses it against my wound. “It’s spreading so fast,” he blurts out. “Why, why? You took the potion!”

“Because we are at the core of our enemy,” I mutter tiredly. “At the root of the spell. That’s why it’s spreading so fast. I doubt there is a potion that can prevent it.”

I can almost see how the wound and infection are expanding. Our enemy has to be powerful.

“What can I do? I need to do something!” Elio yells.

“Elio,” I whisper. “We can’t do anything. We can’t stop it.”

“But we have to. You can’t die here! You need to return to Favian.”

“I… I will,” I say, taking a couple of shaky breaths. Ros has retreated to keep her strength. The curse influences her in a different way than it does me, taking her strength away. Ros, I say. I am going to do something, something crazy and dangerous. The curse only influences you mentally. Once I do it… I need you to help me instantly.

Ros raises her head; her eyes are even more black than before.

Don’t say anything, don’t use your strength. Just nod if you understand.

She nods.

Do you agree, Ros?

Again, she nods.

“Alana,” Elio blurts out. “What do you mean? How will you return to Favian if we don’t heal you?”

“Give me the ax,” I say.

Elio stares at me. “No way,” he whispers. “No! Alana, we can’t do that. That’s insane. There has to be another way.”

I grab his arm. “Shut up, Elio,” I say, harsher than intended. “I am barely able to stay conscious, that’s how fast the fucking spell is affecting me. If I don’t do it now, it will spread from my hand to the rest of my body.”

Tears fill Elio’s eyes. “But… this is not okay.“

“You are a dragon prince,” I tell him. “And you are my brother-in-law. I want to return to Favian and to the clan. I have to. Don’t you agree?”

“Yes,” he says quietly.

“I… I need you now,” I admit, fear gripping my heart. “I need your support.”

Wordlessly, Elio hands me the ax.

“It’s just my left hand,” I mutter. “Who needs their left hand, right?”

“No one,” Elio says with a trembling voice. “You can wield a sword with one hand also.”

“Yes, and even climb. It’s just a tiny part of me missing. Just my hand,” I blab, trying to talk myself into courage. “I am going to survive this. I won’t let that curse eat me up.”

Elio looks at me. “It’s insane, but worth it,” he says. “You will return to the clan and become our queen like you deserve. With or without a hand, it doesn’t matter. Nothing takes away from how brave and strong you are. It’s just a handicap you will work out and learn to handle.”

“Look how you suddenly sound like a dragon prince.”

Elio looks at me, putting his hand on my shoulders to steady me. “I believe in you, Alana.”

Maybe it’s his sudden display of faith in me that pushes me. Maybe it’s my own desperation at suddenly feeling dizzy and realizing that the blackness will swallow me soon. With all the force and strength I can muster, I bring the ax down, cutting off my hand.

A piercing noise penetrates my ears, making them ring, until I realize it’s my own scream. The pain is so real and raw that I convulse, throwing up from it. Then I can feel darkness finally swallowing me.

Alana! By the goddess, Alana, you have to wake up. Are you still here?

I know that voice. It’s one with me.

Alana, please.

I force my eyes open, looking directly into Ros’, her eyes have returned to their usual color. We did it?

You did it, she says. This was the bravest thing you have ever done.

But it has hurt you too, and your abilities, I mutter. Maybe you would have preferred to die… But I couldn’t let it kill us, Ros, I just couldn’t.

I prefer to return to Favian, to our mate, she says. I am a royal wolf, and I am strong. This is nothing! We will learn to adapt to our handicap. We have always done it, haven't we?

Right, I say, trying to talk myself into having hope that this will work out. As a female warrior, we know how it is to be creative and learn how to use our strengths.

You did the right thing, Ros says quietly. It might be terrible for us for a while, but we will make it through this.

I close my eyes again, allowing my consciousness to be dragged away from the space in my mind that I share with Ros and back into reality. When I blink my eyes open, I look directly into Elio’s tear-struck face.

He notices immediately that I am about to wake up. “Alana,” he blurts out. “By Aengus, you are awake.”

“Elio,” I whisper, my voice raspy. I expect to be in tremendous pain, but it looks like Ros has stuck to her promise and started the healing process immediately. There is a dull ache remaining and a phantom pain of there once having been a limb. I also notice my head is nestled on something soft, and I am covered with something that looks like Elio’s jacket. One glance at Elio shows me he is only wearing his shirt; he must have used everything he had to make me comfortable. “Help me sit up, please.”

Elio helps me in a sitting position, my back leaning against the wall now for balance. Then he hugs me. “I am so glad you are awake,” he confesses.

I hug him back with my right arm, not quite confident enough to move my left. “Thanks for being there for me,” I say.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” he says. “That was so brave. Is the dark magic gone?”

“Yes, it’s gone, and Ros is back to normal.” I take a moment to realize that I am indeed not feeling the side effects of the spell anymore. In a way, I was incredibly lucky that it was just my hand these Goddess-forsaken rats bit.

Taking a couple of shaky breaths, I finally find the courage to take a look at my arm. To my surprise, it’s neatly wrapped in some fabric and secured with some bands. “You did first aid?”

“I cleaned the wound,” Elio explains. “I wanted to make sure that there would be no infection, then I used parts of my sweater to dress the wound. It’s not the best work, but it should do.” Noticing my curious stare, he flushes slightly. “I learned a lot about these things when I was on the run with Maggie and Theo. For a while, we hid in a human town. It’s not the first severed limb I have seen, though it’s the first time I was there during the action.”

“Amazing!” I exclaim. “You never mentioned that. You need to tell that to Favian. That’s some amazing skills.”

“It’s not much,” he says, but I can see how happy he looks at my words.

“How did you clean it?” I ask. “There was no clean water here, was there?”

“I was carrying a bottle with me,” he says. “Theodor always makes sure I have one on me in case of an emergency. I just forgot about it.”

“You little dunce,” I say with a smile. “You amazing, gifted little dunce.”

Elio grins and sits down next to me. “Do you think that would make Favian proud?”

“He is always proud of you,” I point out.

“I am just so scared of not living up to my rank,” Elio admits. “I know I am lacking. While on the run, I couldn’t train or educate myself. Sure, Maggie and Theo did what they could, but we didn’t have a lot of options. There has never been a dragon prince as uneducated and untrained as I am.”

“There has never been a dragon prince as brave and with as much resilience as you. You survived in unspeakable conditions, your life constantly under threat. But you kept fighting every day, and you survived. That’s your strength, Elio. You survived what not many would have done. Fighting and education can still be learned, and you clearly have the tools for that, but no one can learn to be brave like you.”

“You really believe that?”

“Yes, and I know for a fact that Favian does too.” I smile at him. “He loves you so much. He constantly wonders how to support you and how to make sure you are happy. He wants you to live the best life possible with all the good things you deserve. He loves you and just wants to see you happy.”

“Do you think he would mind if I broadened my education about healing?” he asks. “I did study a bit with Cassie, and I just…”

“You have a talent for it,” I say, raising my mutilated arm that has been able to heal thanks to Ros, but also thanks to Elio, making sure it stays uninfected. “I am sure Favian will support you in whatever you decide to do.”

“And what now?” Elio asks.

I cast around, eyeing the room we are in. It’s the same as before, filled with the ashes of the rats and the cold of the night settling. It’s freezing. “We need to move,” I say.

“But…” Elio looks at my arm.

“We have no choice,” I say. “We can’t stay here.” I pause, checking our surroundings again. “Elio, do you see where that stream comes from?”

Elio squints his eyes and looks in the direction of the stream. “Yeah.”

“How about we follow it, instead of sticking to our original plan?”

“But wouldn’t that lead us nowhere?”

“Think about it, the curse is man-made. Someone has to be manipulating the water, and he has to do it from somewhere. I doubt it’s here. This is just the place they lure the animals to, so they drink from the stream.”

“You are right,” Elio says. “It’s worth a shot. If it leads us nowhere, we can still return and then climb up there and proceed with the original path.”

He helps me up, eyeing me in worry. I feel shaky due to the shock and the exhaustion, but other than that, I am okay. As okay as I can be, at least. “I am fine,” I say. “Let’s go.”

We set a slow pace not to overstrain me. However, I am not the only one who feels exhausted. Elio has shifted twice today, and he had to nurse me. Furthermore, he is barely clothed, and it’s freezing now. I hope that the underground corridor will give us some much-needed protection and warmth.

It’s when I start walking through the narrow corridor that I realize how much I am used to having two healthy arms. It’s in the intuitive movements and reactions, particularly the way I grab the walls for balance or just reach out to something. It gives me a stitch in my chest to realize what it means for me now that I am without a limb, and how much I need to learn anew.

“This isn’t working,” I say to Elio. “Can you help me attach my arm to my chest?”

Elio swiftly helps me, using parts of the fabric to wrap it around my neck and then safely secure my left arm to my chest, so that I don’t accidentally use it. Having it out of my way now makes it much easier to progress.

“What will Favian say?” I ask into the silence, finally voicing out what I didn’t dare to ask before. I couldn’t ask Ros about it and couldn’t even admit this fear to myself. It’s easier to ask Elio. I am mutilated now. No magic will be able to recover my hand. What if he finds me ugly now? “I am damaged now, aren’t I? I did it because I wanted to return to the clan, but what if they don’t want me this way?”

Elio stops in his tracks, turning around to stare at me. “Now you are the one being stupid,” he says bluntly.

“That was very direct, coming from you,” I say.

“Because it’s the truth!” he exclaims. “Favian will be mad that you got hurt, and then burn this god-forsaken place down, but he won’t love or respect you any less. I know my brother! And I know the clan. The sacrifice you made, just to return to them and to make sure that Favian and the clan survive, will make you a hero in their eyes. Had you died, Favian would not have survived it. I know that, and the clan knows it. Everyone does. And to Favian, you are the person who put the light back in his soul. He loves you.”

I take a shaky breath. “I will try to believe you,” I say quietly.

“Please have faith in Favian,” Elio begs.

I don’t have it in me to give him an answer, as my anxiety is too high, so I just nod. Elio seems to be content with my reaction and continues to lead the way. I let him go ahead to be able to regain my composure; besides, he has proven himself more than capable so far.

To my relief, our new path broadens and keeps leading us along the creepy stream. Looking at it now, it looks so calm and innocent, and like it’s the perfect drinkable water, but we know better than that.

Elio and I walk in silence until we come to a crossroad, one path leading straight forward, towards a room, and one leading upwards. “Let’s take the one leading up,” I whisper. “I am not comfortable marching into that room.”

“Yes,” Elio whispers back. “The last one was traumatizing enough.”

The closer we get, the more sounds we can hear. It’s not the weird scratching and murmuring we heard before, but rather… “Is someone singing?” I ask quietly.

“Sounds like it.”

Elio and I exchange another glance and then fall into complete silence. We carefully scoot away from the path that leads straight ahead and climb the one that leads up. Ahead of us, I can see a couple of openings like windows that open the view to the hall. The noises can be heard much clearer now. It’s not singing, it’s someone chanting something and others replying.

Elio and I go down on our knees to crawl towards the windows and peek through them. I am not sure what I expected, but certainly not the sight greeting us. There are a bunch of people clad in black cloaks, their faces covered. Some of them wear shorter sleeves, revealing a tattoo I remember too well.

Cultists! Like the ones my brother and Azadeh fought! Seeing how we killed their leader and most of the cultists in their other base, I assume this must be another group.

The stream leads directly into the room and to the middle of it, where a huge well is placed, and on top of it, I spot a man sitting on it cross-legged and chanting something. I have never seen anyone like him before. Darkness seems to surround him, and a sense of doom fills me. He is wearing a scary wooden mask, not carved but with two slits for his eyes, making him look creepy and terrifying. It covers his whole face, while his body is covered by a coat of black feathers. It seems like the tips of them are still bloody as if he ripped them out of living birds. While he is facing the water, blood is running down his arms and into it.

That’s when it dawns on me. This is how and where the curse is starting. He is the one responsible for it!