I watched him leave, the door clicking softly behind him. Only then did I let out a sigh of relief. My chest heaved with the weight of everything, fear and confusion, and the sickening realisation that I was utterly alone.
The voices returned, faint but insistent.
“Don’t let his charm fool you. He doesn’t love you.”Came the enchanting whispers.
I gripped the edge of the bed, my nails digging into the fabric. The image of the bones flashed in my mind again, stark and chilling. That wasn’t a vision—it was a reality I was destined for unless I played this game perfectly.
Cillian was my shield for now, his obsession my lifeline. But how long would that last and how far was I willing to go to keep myself alive? The curse was a shadow in both our minds now, twisting us, binding us. Shit, I was running out of time to figure out how to break free.
“Pull yourself together”, I said aloud. I straightened my spine. My heart might be in chaos, but my mind had to be clear. If they thought I was a fool, they were wrong. I was going to do anything to survive this, no matter what it took.
TWENTY SEVEN
THE FOOLS JOURNEY
Imust have been more exhausted than I realised, as shimmering rays of sunlight drifted through my room as I awoke. I listened to the melodic serenade of birds and inhaled the intoxicating aroma of roses wafting through the partially open balcony doors.
Days had passed since the Elorium attack, and I had spent that time drifting in and out of uneasy sleep while maids slipped in and out through the Lower Servants’ Passage with trays of food that I barely touched. My body recovered faster than my mind. The voices still whispered at the edges of my thoughts, and every dream felt too real, as though the visions were waiting for me behind my eyelids.
Cillian hadn’t come. Not once. Not since that night. Not since I stopped him.
The memory of his warmth still lingered on my skin, a ghostly touch I couldn’t forget, no matter how hard I tried. I didn’t know if he stayed away because he was angry or fearful of how close we’dcome. Perhaps he knew I needed him now and was letting me feel his absence.
Not long ago, I had felt like a prisoner here, but I was slowly adjusting to life in this strange place. I spent my hours painting or sketching, wondering about the worlds I created. I never could have imagined that what I once believed were merely creations on paper or canvas existed in realms beyond human comprehension.
I realised that I had changed in many ways and was adapting to the endless voices and visions I was experiencing. The voices no longer frightened me, instead, I was intrigued and curious to learn more about the mysteries of the universe. My fear had transformed into a desire to survive and discover who I truly was.
But beneath that curiosity lay a rising paranoia and a constant question of what was real and what was an illusion born of curses. The dreams felt like warnings, and the voices felt like truths. Yet part of me wondered if they were slowly unravelling my sanity.
Each day brought new challenges and mysteries. I learned about other races, so powerful that they could curse an entire world. Life existed elsewhere in the universe, and it was both terrifying and fascinating.
More importantly, I was no longer merely a dust mote of existence in the universe. I could hear voices and see visions. Mythological creatures lived among the stars, magic and enchantment were realities, and in the brothers’ world, I was an essential part of it.
Important or doomed. Fionn’s voice echoed in my mind, cold and certain.
She will be offered to Vareth.
He wanted me dead. He had said as much. Now that I’d seen the bones, the prison, and the Blood Moon, I knew he wasn’t lying.
I rose and wandered toward the balcony. Opening the doors, I stepped outside and admired the gorgeous Rose Court view.The trees swayed in a balmy breeze, and the fountains danced to a delightful song. I basked in the warmth on my face and felt an uplifting sense of well-being, almost joy.
But joy was dangerous. It made you forget the threat. It made you forget that your only chance of survival was to choose—and choose well. Cillian was my only hope. I needed him to want me alive, even if that meant manipulating him, even if that meant letting him believe I felt more than I did.
What was happening to me? The frightened, homesick Tilly was transforming into the Tilly of another dimension, ready to play their game to survive. Maybe it was time to realize who I truly was, rather than hiding behind an identity that didn’t honour me.
The beauty of nature beckoned me, and suddenly, I felt a strong desire to take my sketchbook and go for a walk. I realised that once I resumed my art, I wouldn’t just be drawing; I would be opening doors to my future by acknowledging my presence in the universe.
With a surge of energy, I hurried to the bathroom to get ready, as if I were rushing to catch a flight. I could no longer bear to stay inside on such a glorious day; I needed to be out in the sunlight and fresh, fragrant air. I wanted and needed to draw, letting the energy flow through my fingers, into the pencil, and onto the sketchpad.
I quickly dressed in casual capris and a floral top, paired with matching flats, and tied my hair back with a colourful lace ribbon to keep it out of my face. As I gathered my supplies, I was so eager to get outside that I barely noticed the shifting patterns on the tapestries.
Sunlight flooded through every window, casting an ethereal golden light along my path as I descended the stairs to the lower grounds and stepped out the door.
***
Stepping outside felt like the warm embrace of a lover, comforting and freeing. It was the sense of peace and blissful silence that drew me into the woods, following the path of the gently gurgling stream. Enjoying the solitude, I walked beneath the sun-dappled canopy of trees as the stream meandered and gradually widened. As I explored in this direction, I realised I hadn’t ventured this far before; my past trips into the woods had been mere escapes. Interestingly, I was no longer obsessed with that escape, and a thought struck me: I wanted to test whether the barrier I had previously encountered was still there.
Recalling the beautiful overlook where I had thrown some stones to test the barrier, I returned to that spot and paused to gaze at the stunning view of the lake below the gentle slope of the hills. I took a hesitant step forward, and then another, until I found myself beyond the point, I had previously been unable to cross.
