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Snow blanketed the ground beneath me, muffling each step as I trudged forward. My boots were stained with dirt, crushed leaves, and other remnants of the forest. Around me, the woods loomed dark, foreboding, icy mist seeping into my bones. I knew these woods—the Northern Forest.
Why was I here again? I didn’t want to come back.
A rustling sound came from the left. I whirled around, flashlight darting to where the noise had come from. Someone was beside me, whispering something that I couldn’t make out. My heart thundered, the beat pounding in my ears.
I peered upward. The Capital’s weather lived up to its reputation. Branches entangled above, obscuring the dimly lit path ahead. The flashlight in my hand felt useless against the dense darkness, but I kept searching, scanning for...something.
“There. There’s something there,” said the voice beside me.
I didn’t turn to see who it was, just followed their line of sight. A faint glow flickered in the distance, a pinprick of light hanging in the blackness. It moved slowly, a swirling orb, and...was that a melody? A faint hum drifted toward us, hauntingly sweet. Could it be a sign?
No. Not a sign. Run.
A strange calm settled over me as I whispered, “We should follow it.”
The light pulsed and dimmed, drawing us forward as my eyes adjusted to the darkness.
Run. Why wasn’t I running? I could feel the familiar tug, the compulsion to follow. The Strzyga had me in its thrall again, the same hypnotic pull as before. Again, my body moved as though it had no choice, drifting after the light.
“I still can’t see you.” I laughed, glancing at the figure beside me, but there was only silence.
A dark limb extended, its skeletal fingers reaching for me. My breath caught.I didn’t want to relive this again. Her blood-smeared mouth twisted into a snarl, and in an instant, the creature yanked me to the ground.
Pain flared up my spine as I felt my body hit the frozen earth, blonde curls scattered over the icy dirt. My chest tightened. I gasped for air as pain stabbed through me. She was over my body, her fingers tangling in my hair, pulling my head back as her fangs pierced my neck. I screamed.
Blonde? No. That wasn’t...That couldn’t be right.My heartbeat thundered in my chest, wild and relentless.
“Joy, you have to run. Run.”
But I couldn’t move. I could only watch, horror-stricken, as my sister lay pinned under the creature’s weight, its pale form hunched over her as it drank from her neck. Her suffering was my suffering. Her pain was my pain.
“Jane!” she cried out, her voice twisting with terror. “Jane, wake up!”
I gasped, shooting upright with a sharp intake of breath, arms flailing to shove the creature away.
“Jane. You’re safe,” a voice said.
The space around me took form, my eyes adjusting to the familiar outlines of my chambers in Erisea Hall.
The night was still thick outside. A warm, solid shadow sat beside me, holding my arms.
Reagan. He was on the edge of my bed, watching me as I heaved.
Relief flooded me. I wasn’t in the forest.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his brows drawn together.
“Yes. It was just a nightmare,” I murmured, wiping cold sweat from my forehead. I paused, glancing at him. “Was I screaming?”
“Yes,” he said, dropping his arms near my blanket-covered legs. “I came in because I thought someone else was here. Does this happen often?”
I could only see one side of his face, illuminated by the moonlight.
“Unfortunately, yes. I have vivid dreams.” I rubbed my eyes. “Sorry if I woke you.”
As I glanced at the bottle beside my ring on the bedside table, Reagan followed my gaze.
