by Dawn Brower
She pictured her mother again and used it to remind her of happier times, but that image wouldn’t hold. Others flashed through her mind, trying to distract her from her purpose. Elodie pushed them away and stared at the various shades of gray that enveloped her. How would she fight her way past them to the place she belonged? She thought her mother was the answer. Her memories of her had been clearer than anything, but she couldn’t hold it long enough to use it as a shield. If she could find something stronger to use…
Elodie stood still in the middle of the smoky mist and closed her eyes. She may have access to all her memories, but she didn’t truly recall them. If she focused hard enough maybe she would find the one that she needed. Lulu had told her to... What had the bird said exactly? “You care for them both, but which one truly holds your heart. That is the key to finding your way back. Remember.”
Then it clicked. She cared for two males deeply and irrevocably—Daire and Cale. They both meant a great deal to her; however, she couldn’t answer which one held her heart. Discovering that was the key to finding her way out of the Shadowlands. Unfortunately, she didn’t think that would be so easily done. She focused on both of them and prayed she’d find the answer she needed. Her mind was a whirlwind of images, and her heart overflowed with emotion. Still, she couldn’t decide. In the spinning of pictures flipping back and forth between Cale and Daire, the wheel stopped on one of them. But the image didn’t tell her what was in her heart. It gave her something profoundly more important.
It showed her true happiness and what life could be like if she found her way home, but above all of that, it filled her with hope. So much trust and faith poured into her that she nearly floated with sheer joy. Elodie sank into the feeling and absorbed all the energy and strength it provided her. Something about the sensation seemed incredibly familiar, as if she was connected to it. Slowly, the shadows faded and Elodie drifted somewhere else. She wasn’t sure where, but she believed it would lead to someplace inherently better than her current surroundings.
Elodie’s eyelids fluttered open, but her eyes remained unfocused. Daire caressed her cheek and restrained himself from jumping with happiness. They weren’t out of danger yet. She wasn’t responding to him or anything around them. Her eyelids were open, and that was a good sign; however, she hadn’t moved or spoken a word. What kind of torment had she gone through in the darkness?
“Princess,” he spoke softly. “Are you here with me?”
Still, she said nothing. His heart broke all over again. He refused to accept she was lost to them forever. Daire tried to pour more hope into her, but he didn’t know if he had any left to give. His energy was waning with each passing minute. He took a deep breath and kept his focus on her. She was all that mattered.
“Any luck?” Donia asked from behind him. Why did she keep sneaking up on him like that?
“She opened her eyes,” he replied, keeping his tone light. He didn’t want to sound anxious or give Elodie the wrong kind of energy. Daire did his best to remain calm for her. Donia brought out the worst in him.
Donia came around them and stared down at Elodie. He wanted to ask her if she could see something more than he did, but he was afraid to voice his concern. Elodie hadn’t said a word, and shouldn’t she have already?
“She’s not quite awake yet.”
He rolled his eyes. “Oh really? I couldn’t tell.” He couldn’t stop the sarcasm from slipping out.
Donia chuckled lightly. “You’re impatient. It’s completely understandable, but you need to give her time. These things don’t happen on a time schedule. Wait for her to adjust. Opening her eyes is a positive step.”
Oh, how he wanted to believe her. She hadn’t been wrong in her earlier advice, yet he couldn’t stop himself from having some doubts. He wanted to have faith. Daire loved Elodie, and he wanted to make sure she lived a long happy life. Taking care of the people he cared about was what he did, and he had no regrets.
“Two different paths, both desired, but one will bring you home—the other will be your downfall.” Elodie’s voice echoed through the cave as she spoke. Those words sounded like something she should recall… He couldn’t recall where he’d heard them before.
“Elodie,” Daire said. “Are you with us?”
“She isn’t,” Donia told him. “It’s another stage of her condition.”
At least she had started speaking… Even if the words didn’t make a lot of sense. No, that wasn’t true. Something about them was important, but he couldn’t remember why. In time, he’d recall why. For now, he wanted to sit by her side until she fully recovered. The rest of it could wait.
“Be careful what you wish for—some prophecies are self-fulfilling,” Elodie spoke again, but this time she sat up and grabbed his arm. She stared into his eyes and held his gaze steady as if she tried to force the words inside somehow.
“Easy,” he said to her. Her words seemed odd, as if he’d heard them before, and he’d figure out why later—after he had her calm. “Relax. There’s no reason to move around yet.”
“She isn’t going to understand you,” Donia said. She stared past them to the opening of the cave. “Should I let Cale know she’s starting to wake up?”
He nodded. “He’ll want to know.” He could have tried speaking to Cale’s mind, but he wanted a few moments alone with Elodie. Sending Donia gave him that precious time, and besides, he didn’t really wish to speak to Cale if he didn’t have to. Donia headed out of the cave, leaving Daire alone with Elodie. Daire always chose to do what was best for the princess. Elodie would want the knight by her side. She loved Cale—not Daire. He had to accept that and let her find happiness with him. When they returned to Zelnon, he’d inform his aunt he wanted to end his betrothal to her. He never should have allowed it to happen in the first place. He’d hoped Elodie would grow to love him, but he’d been a fool to think she would.
They’d met as children and he adored her even then. What he’d felt so many years ago hadn’t been romantic love. He’d always cared for her though. The visits he’d had at her home had been some of the best times of his life. Every now and then he thought that was the reason he’d agreed to marry Elodie. The castle and its people had been kind to him when he hadn’t experienced a lot of that particular feeling in his life. He desperately needed that connection.
As he became reacquainted with Elodie, his feelings grew into something more solid and unchanging. He admired her, and he’d fallen completely and irrevocably in love. For that reason alone, he’d ensure she found what she wanted most in life. He didn’t need to be at her side to guarantee it.
Not long after Donia left, Cale strode into the cavern. He moved purposefully as he headed toward Elodie. She sat immobile in the middle of the cave. Her eyes were still open and blinking periodically. She hadn’t spoken in a while. The words had been directed at Daire the two times she had. Now her focus seemed to be on Cale. “How am I to navigate the treacherous path I’m on if I have no one I can depend on?” Her words seemed to stab him in his heart. He jerked, taking a step back.
“I’m so sorry,” Cale uttered. “I shouldn’t have…”
“The princess seems to know how to hit a guy where it hurts,” Donia said scathingly as she approached.
“I don’t think she understands the words.” Daire studied Elodie. “She’s not quite there yet. She sounds normal, but it could be gibberish or…” It hit him then why her earlier words had seemed so familiar. “Prophecies.”
She had mentioned that word in one of her statements. That should have been his first clue. The white witch had said both things to them in her cottage. The first prophecy had come true. They had to make sure to pay attention to this one. Was Elodie recalling it, and therefore, in her semi-unconscious state, regurgitating that information?
“What prophecies?” Cale asked.
“Paige had a vision—well, probably more than one. She spoke to us before we were trapped here. Elodie muttered some of what the white wi
tch told us before you came in the cave.”
Cale nodded. “Those words…” He swallowed hard. “They were what she said to me that night too. She was asking me to stay…”
Guilt etched his features like lines on a map depicting an upcoming battlefield. He was at war with himself, and it could be read by anyone who dared to look. Cale would never be able to forgive himself for betraying Elodie. He’d protected her for so long, and he’d failed in his duty.
“A prince is a prince is a prince,” she said strangely. Elodie’s voice and expression were bizarre. Her eyes were unfocused as she stared at Cale, then turned to Daire. “Which prince she chooses hasn’t been foretold. The images are murky.”
Cale frowned. “What does that mean?”
Daire sighed. “Something else Paige said. She’s repeating it, and I don’t know why. It didn’t make sense then, and it definitely doesn’t now.”
There were two male contenders that could potentially win Elodie’s heart. Daire had hoped he’d be the one she chose. Cale wasn’t a prince though. He was a knight in her kingdom and should never have been an option. But that didn’t take account the wishes of a person’s heart—Elodie had never cared that Cale wasn’t a prince. He had her love, and to her, that was all that mattered. If she married the knight, he’d be royalty by default, and maybe that had been what Paige meant in her divination.
“Is it another prophecy?” Donia asked.
“It’s an incomplete one.” Daire glanced in her direction. “She has to choose, and it is unclear who the princess truly wants. I’m not sure she even knows.” That was the side of him that still wanted her to pick him.
Elodie reached out and grasped Daire’s hand. He hadn’t bothered to stand because he needed to remain close to her. She tightly squeezed his wrist between her fingers and said, “Don’t lose hope.” Then fell backward on the ground. Her eyes closed shut once again, and Daire’s heart nearly stopped. Please don’t let her have gone back to the darkness…
4
Endless Curse
Daire didn’t know how much more he could take. He’d given Elodie all the hope he had inside of him, and it hadn’t been enough. She’d woken up and sat upright in front of them. That had to be a good sign, yet she’d fallen back into unconsciousness. He stood and started to pace the cave, then stopped to look down at her. She seemed so peaceful… Elodie had always been beautiful, but he wasn’t used to seeing her so still and serene. When she was moving, she resembled a ball of energy flitting through the space around them. This version of her—he didn’t like it one bit. He wanted his Elodie back, even though she’d never been his to begin with.
“She will wake,” Donia said.
“Seems as if you stated that once already.” He glared at Donia over his shoulder. “And here we are back where we started.” What good was hope anyway? Hadn’t he given more of it than anyone else? Where had that gotten him in all of this nonsense?
“What did you expect?” She shook her head. “That she’d jump to her feet, throw her arms around you, and then shower you with affection?” Donia sighed. “She’s had a traumatic experience. You can’t imagine what she’s going through. She’s not going to snap out of it because you want it bad enough. Healing takes time, and I’m sorry, but you need to find a little patience and give it to her.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Daire wanted to be the man Elodie needed. Even if she didn’t really want him to be… “Hope comes easy when you’re not invested.”
“This isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, prince,” she scoffed. “Nothing is easy in Malediction—hope least of all.” Donia knelt beside Elodie and placed her hand on her forehead. “These are dark days. Probably the darkest we’ll ever go through. Even though you feel completely alone, I promise, you’re not. Hope is needed the most right now, and you can’t give up.”
“I don’t know if I have any left inside of me.”
“No matter how hard it gets or how lost you feel deep inside,” Donia began. “You can’t let go. If not for yourself, then do it for her.”
“I…” He swallowed hard. “I’d do anything for her.” Maybe if he dug deep enough he’d find something at the bottom of the well. Daire wanted to hope. It had managed to get him this far. What was a little more?
“Keep hope alive,” Donia glanced up at him. “And it will keep her breathing in return. It’s the secret to surviving in Malediction. We have to be greater than what we suffer—to become hope, and in turn, rise above the endless curse.”
“What if I fail?”
“You won’t.” She rose to her feet. “And even if you do—isn’t it better to live in the light than to give in to the darkness? Our struggles are what makes us who we are. Those little pieces make up the whole. Don’t give up; keep your faith strong. In the end, the curse will be broken, and you will find your way home—all of you.”
That all made sense… He still didn’t know why Donia wanted to help him. Cale had bailed as soon as Elodie had fallen back asleep. He was better standing guard than hovering beside the princess’s slack form. The knight’s grief made him impossible. Daire couldn’t handle Cale’s broody nature for any length of time. Secretly, he was glad when he stomped out of the cave. It gave him more time alone with Elodie, and maybe she’d wake up and see him as the hero for once.
“At this point I don’t care if I never make it home. If Elodie wakes up that is all that matters.” They’d been cursed to Malediction a while ago. They’d gone through everything imaginable and unimaginable during their time in the nightmare realm. In the beginning, they’d all been desperate to escape. Now though… He’d be glad if they could keep breathing. It was rather amazing how priorities changed in the face of death.
“Do you know how you ended up here?”
He shook his head. “Not exactly…” Daire kept his attention on Elodie. Surely she couldn’t stay asleep forever. “Someone cursed the princess. Cale and I followed because we wanted to protect her.” Some job they’d done of that…
“She doesn’t need that from you.”
“So you mentioned earlier.” He looked at Donia. “What does she need from me then? Since you seem to understand her better than I do.” He knelt and sat down beside her. Pacing wasn’t helping him, and it most certainly wouldn’t aid Elodie.
“She needs a partner, not someone to guard her.” She smiled. “Sometimes it’s nice to have someone who’ll be willing to fight by your side instead of acting as a shield. Be that for her and she might choose you over the knight. He’ll never be able to do that. It’s not in his blood to leave her unprotected.”
Cale had been trained a long time ago to be her guardian. He’d been one of the head knights in Zelnon. Protecting the royal family was his duty and he’d accepted it as an honor. That wasn’t something he’d be able to easily step away from. Daire still didn’t understand why Cale had agreed to leave Zelnon to begin with. He’d been close with Elodie ever since her father died. Didn’t one’s protector need to be near them in order to actually shield them? Maybe he should ask Cale what had prompted him to resign.
“You may be right,” Daire replied. “But that’s not going to make her love him any less.”
“No,” she agreed. “But it’s not the love she needs. She’ll see that in time.”
“Are you a seer?” She seemed full of prophetic information. Daire wasn’t sure if he should be listening to her advice or not. He’d done it in the beginning because he’d been desperate. Now though, he couldn’t help but question why she’d been so helpful to begin with. “How are you able to ascertain the inner workings of Elodie’s mind?”
“I can’t.” Donia chewed on her lip and stared at Elodie. “But I am a good judge of people—especially those similar to me. I see a lot of myself in her. We could almost be the same person.”
Daire didn’t see it. They had similar features, but that was it. “Don’t be ridiculous. You two are nothing alike.”
“You’re seeing her
through the haze of love.”
That may be true, but he didn’t put her up on a pedestal. He saw her flaws and adored her anyway. It was part of what made Elodie the woman he loved. He’d not change one thing about her. “You’re not wrong. I do care a great deal about the princess; however, I also see you for the conniving witch you are. You’d have killed us all if we didn’t serve a purpose. Elodie never would have done that.”
“Don’t be so sure.” She shrugged. “Under the right circumstances, your princess could be quite bloodthirsty. Wait and see how she reacts if someone she truly loves is in danger.”
“Didn’t we just go through that with the hunters and them trying to kill Cale?”
“Not the same thing,” Donia said. “She doesn’t love him the way you believe she does.”
He rolled his eyes. “Whatever. You’re messing with my head, and I’m not going to allow it.”
“Daire…” Elodie’s voice was hoarse as she spoke.
His gaze flew to hers. Elodie’s eyes were clear, and she seemed lucid, unlike the last time… Daire kneeled before her then pulled Elodie into his arms and held her close. “Thank God.”
Elodie glanced around the cave, but she had trouble focusing. She blinked several times trying to brush away the blurriness but failed. Daire had been talking, but she couldn’t actually see him.
“Daire,” she called out to him as she waved her hands. “Where are you?”
Her stomach clenched, and her entire body shook as she tried to reach for him. He’d been there, she was sure of it. Where was he now and why couldn’t she see? Panic seized her mind as she stumbled to find her way. Why didn’t he answer?
“Elodie.” His voice cracked as he said her name.
