"You two! Out," the Priestess broke the silence that had echoed. My hold on Redmond tightened. He let out a low snarl.

"No," Richmond said, and his body heat left mine. Immediately the coldness ten folded and my body started shaking again. I burrowed my head more into Redmond's chest as his hold on me tightened.

"No?" the Priestess repeated. There was poison in her voice.

"We're not leaving her. You already almost killed her. We're staying to make sure you don't."

The sound of a slap came, and I moved around a bit to look over my shoulder. Richmond's body blocked my view of the Priestess. His head was slightly bent, though he quickly straightened it again.

"How dare you speak to me in that way! Who do you think you are! The only use you have is following orders. If you can't do that, I'll just dispose of you," the Priestess said in a low voice.

"It's okay," I said. I tried to say it in a clear and loud voice, but it didn't come out as more than a whisper. I knew I anyway had everyone's attention. That all had heard me. "I'll be fine. I promise."

"We'll not leave you," Redmond told me, and his already tight hold became even tighter. To the point of starting to hurt.

"It really is alright," I went on because I knew perfectly well that the Priestess' threat wasn't a mere threat. She wouldn't have any qualms about killing both of them. "Go and get the cake. We didn't end up eating it. We'll eat it in the evening instead."

I felt myself being completely turned, and I came face to face with Richmond. His eyes looked right into mine. There was a glassiness to his. I had never seen him or Redmond cry, and briefly I wondered if today would be the day that would change.

"We're not leaving," he repeated.

"Yes, you are," I stated and my voice was still low, still weak. But it also carried a conviction and strength. I refused to have them die for my sake.

Richmond's eyes left mine, to look over my head, at Redmond. Then his eyes fogged over for a short instance before returning to normal. He leaned in and kissed my forehead. Then the hold Redmond had on me lessened so Richmond could hug me to him.

"Scream if you need us," he whispered so low I barely heard it, definitely so low that neither the Priestess nor Mom could hear.

Then they left and took all warmth with them. I was freezing, but I knew it wasn't due to a physical type of coldness.

I looked at the Priestess. Her lips were in a thin line, her head held high.

"I'll call for some more and we'll try to rid you of this curse," she said in a detached voice and hurried off.

"Are you alright, sweetie? You look so pale," Mom said and went over to me. She put her arms around me and I felt slightly warmer, though not as warm as I had felt in Redmond's and Richmond's embrace.

"I'm fine, Mom," I said, though I felt anything but. Even though I had told Redmond and Richmond I would be fine, I felt quite the opposite. I knew that whatever plan the Priestess had, it would likely end up harming me. The reaction I had when both Mom and the Priestess had used magic on the mark was enough evidence of that. But even if her plan wouldn't end up harming me, even if she managed to rid me of it, I would be harmed if it was indeed a curse that lessened my abilities. Her musings regarding it had been enough to tell me what would happen next if that were the case. If my sight suddenly improved.

A while later, I kneeled on the floor naked. My hair was in a bun, so the mark would be visible. Around me stood six of the coven's witches as well as the Priestess. Mom had been told to leave, and she had without putting up a fight. They had placed candles in a circle around me that one of them walked around to light. As soon as all candles were lit, they started to chant.

It didn't take long for me to start feeling odd, but it wasn't the same odd as before. Instead, my heart started to race as if I had walked thirty flights of stairs and my breathing became heavy to match it. My arms had been around my naked body to try to hide as much of it as possible. But I now placed my hands down on the floor to stop myself from collapsing. My eyes focused on the pillow in front of me. A blue pillow that slowly went out of focus before a number appeared on it.

Thirty, in green. Redmond had said it was snake-like, and I agreed. There was something in the wavy movement of it that made the numbers seem like snakes.

It changed to twenty-nine and then to twenty-eight and so on. The first few changes took a second or so, but as it progressed downwards, it went faster and faster.

When it ought to have become zero, it felt like my heart stopped. More than felt. My heart did stop and I couldn't breathe anymore. At the same time, what I saw changed. I looked out over a field. Green grass as far as the eye could see and nothing else, except the girl. Only I could now safely say that she wasn't actually a girl.

Since I had only been a girl myself when I had seen her for the first time, that was what she had become in my mind. But seeing her more clearly, it was obvious she wasn't a girl, but a woman.

She wore the same blue dress as in the dream I had about her and once again wind made the dress move around. This time though, the wind also moved her hair to the side and on her bare shoulder I could see a mark, like a tattoo, though I knew it wasn't one.

It was of a serpent coming out of a pomegranate.

Before I had time to properly take her in, she started to fade away and when she was completely gone, my eyes opened to the room I was in.

I had fallen, so I laid on the floor. My body shook from sobs and shallow breaths.

"The number is still there," someone said from somewhere above me. I didn't have the energy to look up to see who.

"Let's consult our books to find another suitable ritual to try," someone else, the Priestess most likely, said.

They all filled out of the room without addressing me. Without so much as checking to see how I was doing. If I had been in any other state, that would have infuriated me. But now it didn't. In fact, I was happy to be left alone to properly formulate the knowledge my first proper vision had brought with it.

The number was indeed a countdown and when it reached zero, I would die and so would the woman, unless I managed to find her first. 

COMING SOON!

In about three weeks to be exact. And this time the prologue and the first nine chapters will be published straight away!

Any initial guesses what the mark on the woman's shoulder my symbolise? The snake coming out of a pomegranate 👀

And quite a predicament Mirai is in, isn't it? Just thirty days to find a person she hasn't even seen the face of 🫣

Because of reasons, I will begin publish Mirai earlier than planned. In two weeks to be exact (the 12th of October). I will then publish the prologue and the first nine chapters. I will, however, already next week, publish the beginning author's note. This is because the book will contain certain potentially very triggering events, and I really want everyone to take their time to read the warnings before starting the book.

I will also be changing my posting schedule and go down from publishing a chapter a day to four chapters a week. So after the initial publishing, new chapters will be released on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. 

So keep an eye out for the author's note in a week and the first chapters in two weeks. Until then

Stay blessed

Elena

❤️