A SHARP STINGING sensation pierced her forehead. It pulled at her attention, making it harder for her to think about anything else. Grogginess flooded through her and she forced her eyes open. Her vision was clouded — unclear and hazed with an odd mixture of light and shadows. Odd shapes began to take form.

"What did you just do to me?" she heard herself say. Her voice was strained, filled with pain and anger. It was distant to her own ears.

Her eyes focused on the shadowed shape in front of her, and a face materialized. Caelan's face. Concern marred his features. His eyes were wide and zeroed in on her face. His lips were pressed together. He blinked and shook his head slightly. "I did nothing, Ravenna," he tried to assure her.

Tears brimmed at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill. Ravenna's thoughts were becoming clearer now. She realized that she was dreaming and disoriented — and reliving a nightmare. She knew what would happen next.

Her fingers twitched. His hands reached out, toward her. She tried to shake her head, to move her body, to do something. She heard her voice again — sharp and venomous. "You're lying!"

The pain in her voice was palpable. Caelan visibly flinched.

"You're lying. I can't. You're lying," her voice continued. The tears spilled freely now, burning the skin of her cheeks. A gasping sob clutched at her lungs. Her forehead exploded with agony, as if a thousand needles were scraping at her skin. It almost completely drowned out the glowing talisman that burned against her chest.

Her body felt weak. Her hands trembled. She found herself sinking downward, to the ground. Her skirts pooled around her. Caelan crouched down with her, his hands reaching out for her shoulders. His fingers dug into her. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Ravenna, please stop this," she heard him say. His voice was crystal clear within her mind. "This isn't your fault. This isn't you. Your mind is locked under a-"

And then the dream seemed to pause.

Ravenna's eyes opened, confusion flowing through her. Caelan was frozen in front of her. So many emotions swam within his eyes — anger, hurt, pain and something else. Something that seemed warm and tender. Something that Ravenna couldn't name.

The pain in her forehead and the pain at her chest had stopped as well. She could think more clearly. Her hand lifted, fingers curling around the brightly glowing pendant that hung around her neck.

"This isn't your fault. This isn't you. Your mind is locked under a-"

The words replayed over and over within her head. She thought that she remembered Caelan's death vividly. She had been haunted by the mental images and the overwhelming amount of pain that she felt. She had been unable to escape the memories of that day.

But she did not remember him saying this.

Her thoughts were suddenly a jumbled mess. The words repeated in an endless loop, over and over. Louder and louder. It was as if someone were shouting at her from within her own brain.

Another wave of grogginess washed through her. Nausea split through her stomach, climbing her esophagus. Arms wrapped around her, pulling her against a hard chest. She breathed in and heard a strangled screaming in the distance.

"No, no, no, no!"

She forced her eyes open. The searing pain appeared again, racing through her forehead and her chest like a wildfire. Her lips were stretched around an endless scream and her chest was tight. Her throat felt hoarse. She became keenly aware that her strangled "No" had shifted into a wordless, hysterical shriek.

"Enough, Ravenna!" she heard Vyses shout. Her entire body jolted as he shook her, hard. "Enough!"

The screaming halted. Ravenna gasped for air. Vyses's face filled her vision. His expression was stoic and careful. Yet she could see the annoyance that swam within his eyes. "Breathe, Ravenna," he told her.

One of his arms coiled around her waist. The other grabbed one of her arms, draping it over his shoulders. He held her upright and started to walk away, dragging her with him. She stumbled along, her knees wobbling and giving out beneath her. Her feet had a hard time matching his brisk pace.

As they made it to the other side of the road, she blinked. A pulling sensation appeared in her chest, in her thoughts. She found herself looking back, over his shoulder. Back to the carnage, the mess of bodies sprawled out across the road. Her eyes scanned over the faces. Over the various lumps of death and metal armor.

But Caelan's body wasn't there.

Her heart jumped inside of her chest. Ravenna bolted upright in her bed, her eyes snapping open. A mangled gasp escaped her. Her hands flew to her mouth, stifling her broken sobs. Searing hot tears burned her cheeks.

Caelan's body wasn't there.

She stared into the darkness of the royal chambers. The dream replayed over in her mind. The emotions coursed through her body. It took a moment for her to regain control. Her sobs slowly started to ebb away and the hysterical feeling began to fade. She forced herself to breathe, to suck in a few deep breaths and exhale.

Her fingers curled around the talisman — a reflex. For once, it wasn't glowing or burning her. Her free hand lifted to her forehead. Her fingertips brushed against the jagged edges of the ice crown.

She closed her eyes for a moment. Caelan's words echoed within her head. Her mind was locked under...something. Something that was possibly bad. Something that Caelan had desperately attempted to warn her of.

Something that had to do with the talisman.

She stared intently at the talisman. It sat atop the palm of her hand, cold metal kissing her skin. The moment that Caelan had seen her, he had questioned the pendant. He had asked her about it intently. She had avoided answering him, she remembered that much even without reliving the nightmare.

A shaky sigh escaped her. She lifted at the talisman, pulling at the slender chain that curled around her neck. The talisman instantly began to burn against her skin. It refused to move upward, to be taken off.

She allowed it to drop. It dangled around her neck almost tauntingly. Her gaze shifted to the massive window beside her bed. She frowned at the moon and tried to sift through her jumbled thoughts.

There was one thing that she was certain of. Caelan had been trying to tell her something before he died. Something that her memory had blocked out. She found it suspicious that her memory of his death was so vivid, but that some of his last words had been forgotten.

She couldn't help but wonder whether the talisman had something to do with that.

Through the dreams, she could feel it altering her emotions. The more that it burned, the angrier that she felt. The more hurt that she felt. Bad thoughts had entered her head — thoughts that she now did not believe to be her own.

She shifted around in the bed. An unceremonious thump pulled her attention downward. Peeking over the edge of the bed, she discovered the book that she'd taken from the library. It had fallen to the floor, its pages fanned out and facing upward. She squinted at it.

The open pages held an intricate drawing — a necromancy spell that she'd glanced over earlier in the night. At the time, she hadn't thought much of it and had simply skipped to the next page. But now that she stared at it, her mind started to plot.

Necromancy was a terrifying concept and not something that Ravenna entirely wanted to explore. However the more that she thought about it, the more she wondered whether or not Caelan was truly dead.

She reached down and picked up the spellbook. "There's only one way to find out," she whispered to herself. 

~

ehehehehe.

Some fun stuff is happening! I really appreciate you all taking the time to read and support this book! Genuinely, thank you so much!! 

I also really seriously appreciate your continued patience with me! I am going to try to start posting chapters every Wednesday from now on. I am literally setting an alarm so I hopefully won't forget! 

I hope that you have a fantastic weekend!! ❤❤

ash ❤