AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well,” Cari replied. “You sort of did. The monsters scattered and then...”
“Then I was the monster that needed to be stopped,” I finished her thought. Worry arose in me. “Did I hurt them?”
Cari hesitated. It scared me so much that I almost made the darkness come back. The light around us dimmed and Cari’s eyes widened.
“Don’t do that!” Cari warned. “They’ll be fine. But we need to hurry. That stupid boy is adamant about getting you all caught. They can’t stop him. Only you can.”
There was a momentary silence. The grass underneath me was slowly dissipating into a darkness that was my making. I no longer needed the illusion of being in the real world, and thus, the world I’d created around me was slowly disappearing.
I could hear the voices of my friends. Although the sound was muffled, it sounded like they were arguing.
“How do I do that?” I asked Cari.
“You’ll wake up and tell him that a little fever won’t kill you,” she said. “And you’ll tell your friends that you have no business in Terlyth. You should leave as soon as possible.”
“How do I wake up?” I asked.
“Open your eyes,” Cari shouted at me.
I did.
****
“GET OUT OF MY WAY,”Kieran’s voice reached me first. My eyes were still closed, but feeling came. The room was warm and smelled musty. I could pick up the scent of ale and coal.
We were no longer in the forest.
“You cannot go,” Fiona replied. I heard faint footsteps. “You heard what the girl said. Jasmine just needs rest while she searches for her.”
“We cannot trust the girl,” Kieran snapped. “She took over Jasmine’s body and spoke through her lips. What if she is taking control for good? What if...”
“A healer wouldn’t be able to help with that,” Dearen offered.
“Let me go,” Kieran said. “Or I will have to make you.”
My mouth felt too dry to speak, but I had to. Kieran was pushing the others.
“Kieran,” I whispered.
They did not hear it.
“I will have to stop you,” Dearen replied. “It is dangerous to search for a healer. They will ask you who is hurt... You saw all those soldiers and guards patrolling the streets. The queen is looking for us.”
“I do not care,” Kieran replied angrily. “Jasmine is hurt... She...”
“Kieran,” this time, I was louder.
They heard me. The argument ceased at once as I opened my eyes.
The room was lit only by a candle, but despite the darkness I was coming from, it took my eyes a while to adjust. My mouth was dry. The bed underneath me was wet with my sweat.
“Jasmine?” Kieran turned away from the others and came to his knees next to the bed. He watched my face with hesitation.
“It’s me,” I said. “I’m back.”
“How do we know it’s you and not that girl?” Kieran asked.
“Cari found me,” I told him. “I... I was lost, and she found me.”
