Page 6 of Vampire Solstice
The young woman doesn’t wait for us to follow. She turns quickly, leading us toward a larger house at the edge of the village. The building looks sturdier than the others, though no less weathered by time. The windows are fogged with frost, and smoke rises faintly from the chimney.
The inside of the house is dim and close, the faint warmth of a fire doing little to drive out the deep chill that clings to the air. A single candle flickers on a bedside table, its weak glow barely illuminating the room.
In the corner,an old woman lies in a low bed, her frail frame swaddled in threadbare blankets. Her skin is as pale and brittle as the frost outside, her sunken eyes sharp despite her fragile appearance. Her breath comes in shallow, uneven gasps, the sound rattling like dry leaves.
She is familiar.
“You,” I say, my word an exhale. “You’re the witch who cursed us.”
The old woman’s eyes flicker open, and her lips curl into a faint, satisfied smile. “At last,” she rasps, her voice barely more than a breath.
I take a cautious step forward, the weight of her gaze pressing down on me. “Why have you brought us here?”
Her smile fades, replaced by a look of profound weariness. “It was time,” she whispers, her voice carrying a note of finality.“The curse could wait no longer. We need the Midnight Star and the Moonlight Prince.”
Beside me, Fen stiffens, his eyes narrowing. His hand rests on the hilt of his blade, a subtle but unmistakable gesture of distrust. “What curse?” he demands.
The old woman’s eyes drift toward the frost-covered window, and her words, when they come, are barely a whisper. Her breathing is slow, so slow. And labored. She doesn’t have long.
“The curse that binds this place. Break it and free us.”
“What happens if we don’t?” Fen asks.
The old woman’s hand lashes out, grabbing my wrist with brittle fingers. “Then you will join in the fate of all who live here. You will be trapped forever.”
Chapter 3
The Curse
Iexchange a worried glance with Fen. “Tell me about the beast,” I say.
“Every time someone tries to leave the village, the blizzard drives them back,” the young woman says, her voice trembling. “The beast… it won’t let us go.”
I turn back to the old woman. “What do we need to know about this creature? How do we stop it?”
Her eyes close briefly, her chest rising and falling with effort. “My–” she begins coughing violently, her slight frame shaking. “My jou–” She can’t speak. Each time she tries, the coughing gets worse.
“Stop! She’s dying. Leave her be.” Myra runs to her grandmother, holding her hand as she kneels by her side. “Don’t try to talk.”
“The Mythos called you,” Myra says, still keeping her gaze locked on her grandmother. “If you do not break the curse, you will never be free.”
My breath catches, and my thoughts race to our daughter, safe (I hope) back at the castle. We can’t stay here.
“I’ll do it,” I say, my voice steady despite the knot in my throat.
“Ari,” Fen snaps, his tone sharp with frustration.
I turn to him, meeting his glare with one of my own. “We have no choice, Fen. You heard her. If we don’t do this, we’ll never see our child again.”
His jaw tightens, and for a moment, I think he’ll argue. But then he exhales sharply, muttering under his breath. “Damn it, Ari.”
The old woman’s faint smile returns, even as her eyes flutter closed and her breathing becomes impossibly shallow.
She doesn’t speak another word as the last wisp of a breath slips from her lips, and then she is gone.
There is a long silence in the room, then the young woman lets out a low cry from deep within her core. She holds her grandmother’s hand, her tears flowing freely.
Fen and I stand silently, holding space for this moment.