The room is bright. Too bright. Ugh, everything aches. And the light is blinding my eyes.
Breathing heavily through my nose, I wait for the dizzy sensation to fade from my head and the uncomfortable rolling feeling in my stomach to cease.
Fluttering my eyes open, my vision adjusts to the room. The grittiness of tongue tastes disgusting, and I gag. What have I been eating?
Struggling, I grip the thin bed rails on either side, pulling up in a sitting position. Wincing, I bring my hand down to my stomach, and I jolt when I feel the thick material of gauze.
All the memories came back to me, and I scream. I shout as loud as I can, my body shaking in terror. Oh God, what happened? I blacked out, and I do not know how I got here.
The door swings open, Fallon engulfs the doorway. He's here. I stretch out my arms, panic seizing my breath.
He pulls me in for a hug, and I press my nose to the space where his shoulder meets his neck.
My breathing starts to become labored, and he smooths down my hair. His warm scent curls around me, and I press into him harder.
"Where am I?"
He continues to brush hair out of my face. "You are in the healing ward of the infirmary."
I let out a shuddering breath. "Is Daniel dead?"
"Yes."
There is no hesitation in his voice. Fallon was likely the one who ended Daniel's life. Hopefully, he got information out of him. I have no doubt that Fallon questioned Daniel before his death.
And after all of that, I still do not how to feel. I actually really liked Daniel's company... but now I will never find out what was a façade or not.
"Do you think you can walk?" Fallon asks, as he tips my face back to meet my gaze.
"I am not quite sure..."
"Come on," he lifts me out of the bed.
Like a toddler, I teeter until I find my balance. Clutching his arm in mine, I slowly regain strength in my legs.
"This feels strange."
My legs feel like a gelatinous dessert, the feeling odd and irritating. It feels as though I am learning to walk. I take a few steps synchronized with his.
He shrugs. "Sometimes strange is good. Let's go."
We walk along the side gardens and he catches me up on things that I have missed. I was in a strange place of unconsciousness and consciousness for about a three weeks.
Some days I was coherent enough to carry a conversation, while others I was a complete nutcase. I sigh at some details that Fallon nonchalantly glazes over. The kingdom is in worse shape than I thought.
The roses are a pop of color in contrast to the dull gardens. Everything seems duller now. Fallon picks a white rose and places it in my hair.
The wind sweeps some dead flowers to our feet, and I stare at them. The red petals are decaying at the edges, the fresh scent turning a bit sour.
My mouth tightens and I look up, glancing over the land of Arcana. So much death.
"Nikolai was taken by a magical being and replaced by a shapeshifter during that time."
Snapping out of my thoughts, I meet his gaze and nod.
"That makes sense. Everything had fit so perfectly, which was abnormal. I do remember Daniel talking to a man I had never seen in the castle before we went to drink."
"Drink?"
My mouth twists in a sad smile. "Yes."
"This man, do you recall his features?"
I shake my head. "It would not matter much if he is a shapeshifter."
"True. But still, what do you remember about him?"
"He was in the form of a human with black hair and brown eyes. I could not detect any magic from him, which was strange now that I think about it. I should have been able to detect mana presence."
Fallon's features darken. "You should have been able to in normal circumstances. Sadly, it's not. King Maximus of Clairemont has a powerful witch as his left hand."
My mouth drops open in shock. "A shapeshifter and a witch together?"
"Yes."
"No wonder he was able to get a shapeshifter under him. Those creatures do not take orders from no one and tend to be solitary. However, sometimes they can answer under someone as debt. And in this case, the shape shifter must owe the witch greatly."
"Indeed. The shapeshifter goes by the name K," Fallon pauses, and I can see the confusion swirling in his aura.
"Have you heard of the name Eaverslaina?"
My whole body stills.
"What did you say?"
Eaverslaina. I have not heard that name in so long. The name is banned from being used from both Northern and Southern lands. If used, it has brought superstition over families. And for good reason.
Many do not know why the superstition behind the name, as the story has been passed down differently through many generations. But coming from her line of decent, I know exactly why she is so feared.
"Eaverslaina," Fallon slowly drags the name out. I shudder unintentionally.
"Oh no, no, no. Fallon. She is not someone to be messed with. This is bad. This is so bad."
Fallon stops my freak-out train, shaking my shoulders.
"Stop. Start from the beginning. Who is she?"
My brows come together, and I frown. Do I even want to tell Fallon all of this? We are fighting a losing war.
She is the solution and the problem all at once. It would be suicide war. But yet, I open my mouth and slowly start.
"She... had the world at her fingertips once. She was an extremely powerful witch, exceeding all tiers, before there were any. She can cause havoc to the world with one quick snap of her fingers. She commanded both lands, cultivating unity and valor with greed and cruelty. She was thought to have died and buried a millennia ago."
"How did she die?"
"By... poison."
His eyes meet mine, and his grey eyes burn with anger. He is connecting the dots as I thought he would.
"She died by Loeniklien."
"Yes. She was half vampire."
Fallon rubs his eyes in agitation. "Do you know for sure it is her?"
"It has to be. A shapeshifter named Kenai was indebted to her. She found him born into the world alone, and was being taken advantage of by young, unexperienced human scientists at the time.
She stumbled upon him accidently and found him in cage spread out nude. Seeing him used in such inhumane ways, she slaughtered the group. And ever since then, the shape shifter has been indebted to her."
"How do you know so much about her?"
Panicking, I clench my jaw. I start to walk away, my steps as fast as my pounding heart. Fallon is going to hate me for this.
The whole world is going to hate me for this. They already do. I am an abomination for goodness sake.
"I..."
The aura around us darkens, and I can feel some moisture spring up into my eyes when I meet Fallon's furious gaze.
He has already assessed the situation... and his assumption the correct one.