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The Mistress of the Shadowland, Second Book, The next Chapter
It is another sunday and that means, it is time for a new chapter. Please enjoy and thank you so, so much for reading! ♥
“Anwyn?”
Eleris' voice snapped Anwyn out of her thoughts and she flinched slightly. When she saw the concerned look on her friend's face, she smiled weakly and gently stroked Elyan's back. However, her movements were erratic and nervous, which rubbed off on the toddler, who suddenly began to whine in her embrace.
Eleri took her son from Anwyn, placed her hand comfortingly on his back, and tilted her head slightly to one side, the green eyes full of concern as she looked thoughtfully at her friend. She held Elyan firmly, and as soon as he was in his mother's arms, he calmed down again, allowing Eleri to place her hand on Anwyn's forearm; a gentle, soothing touch.
“I'm worried about you,” she said hesitantly, and Anwyn rubbed her eyes as if to chase the tiredness away. But she did this not because of the deep exhaustion she felt, but to avoid Eleri's gaze.
“Worried? About me? You don't need to worry about me.” Anwyn shook her head, looked at the half-elf, and tried to smile, but failed miserably. She looked deeply unhappy, her skin had lost all color, her eyes were red and swollen. And she looked frightened.
“All right, let's have breakfast first, Anwyn,” said Eleri, leaving the subject alone for the moment. With an understanding look, she pointed to the house and then took Brin's hand, while Anwyn nodded silently, picked up the basket of harvested vegetables, and followed her friend. When she entered the house, she was surprised to see that Conall had already set the table and greeted her with a friendly smile. She returned it uncertainly and placed the basket on a chest of drawers, then took a seat. At that moment, Doran appeared in the doorway, greeted those present, and also sat down at the table”. Elyan squealed with delight and stretched his little arms toward the older fisherman, who looked questioningly at Conall who gave his consent with a quiet laugh. Anwyn's father took the youngest member of the half-elf family onto his lap while Eleri cut the bread. Normally, they always had enough time to enjoy breakfast together, but this morning Conall and Doran hurried through their meal so they could get out to sea as quickly as possible. Anwyn felt miserable as she watched her father and the half-elf wolf down their food, then finish their tea in a couple of gulps and say goodbye.
The guilty conscience she felt for putting her father and Conall in a hurry caused Anwyn stomach pains. She looked after them contritely as they opened the door and ran to the beach. Brin jumped up from her chair, closed the door behind the two men, and began clearing the table.
“Anwyn, you haven't eaten anything,” Eleri remarked quietly, and Anwyn looked up at her.
“Oh.”
“Brin, can you take your brother and play with him a little?” Eleri said in a gentle but firm voice, pointing to his younger brother, who was sitting somewhat unsteadily on Doran's chair and holding onto the edge of the table. Brin nodded, lifted his brother off the chair, and walked through the doorway into the next room.
Anwyn wanted to get up too, but Eleri put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.
“But...”
“The work won't run away if we have another cup of tea,” the half-elf interrupted her friend and poured her and herself another cup of chamomile tea, then sat down across from Anwyn at the table and looked at her silently.
Anwyn remained quiet, staring first at her intertwined fingers, then looking up and seeming to gaze into the distance as she looked out the window.
“Anwyn?”
Anwyn looked up and sighed heavily.
"You seem so unhappy and lost. Would you like to confide in me? If we carry your burden together, it might become easier for you," Eleri said quietly, wrapping her hands around the cup of tea in front of her.
“I don't really know how to answer that,” Anwyn murmured, shrugging her shoulders and looking apologetically at her friend. “I have so many thoughts, I wouldn't know where to start.”
“Do you miss Trálír that much?” asked Eleri.
“I miss him as soon as he sets foot in the direction of Blackwater Castle or the forest,” she confessed, taking a sip of tea. When she put the mug down again, she continued in a quiet voice. "Every moment he's not near me, every moment I can't hear his voice, his absence pains me. And yet I shouldn't complain, because now is nothing compared to the beginning of our relationship. Sometimes we couldn't see each other for several days, and often I had no idea why he hadn't shown up. I could only guess, and believe me, it was unbearable. I was always afraid that something might have happened, that he might be sick or worse. And the winter months, when we are all forced to retreat?"
Anwyn shook her head sadly as she remembered those times. “It was just hard to bear. But now we always have the opportunity to get in touch with each other, even if it's just a few short sentences we can exchange. And even in the quiet and cold months, we can get in touch with each other through Minerva.” She smiled at the thought of Trálir's carrier pigeon, which was probably in the dovecote at Blackwater Castle at that moment.
“But now it feels different,” Anwyn continued quietly, her forehead slightly furrowed. “I can't give you a reason for it, it's just a feeling. But these three days...” She broke off and shrugged uncertainly.
Eleri looked at her friend silently, sympathy in her eyes. “Something is going on and I can't put my finger on it. I don't understand myself or my feelings anymore, Eleri. But it feels so all-encompassing, so oppressive. And I wonder... is it a premonition? Or just my imagination? Am I worrying about something that doesn't really exist?”
“Is there a reason for this feeling?”
Anwyn shrugged uncertainly. “I don't know.”
The two women looked at each other silently until Eleri spoke to her friend. “Why do you think it's a premonition, Anwyn?”
“I haven't the faintest idea, Eleri, but...” She paused and looked downcastly at her friend. She took a deep breath, cleared her throat, and then leaned forward slightly, her voice reduced to a whisper: “You know about his brother?”
The flash in Eleri's green eyes confirmed Anwyn's question. “There are rumors about him,” she continued, her voice trembling. “And... and I met him once.”
Startled, Eleri let go of the cup in her hands and wrapped them around Anwyn's. “By the gods, did he hurt you?”
In response, Anwyn shook her head and began to confide in Eleri in a quiet voice. She told her again about Serah, about the suffering she had endured, about her decision to end her life, and about the guilty conscience Anwyn had because she had not been able to save the young maid. And then she described the dream she did have, about the stranger who had taken her life and the yellow eyes that had burned mercilessly into her soul. It was only when she met Tearlách in the forest that she was able to connect him with Serah. He had had the same yellow eyes as the unrecognizable monster in her dreams.
“So you think he could have sent you this dream?” Eleri asked, horrified.
“I've heard of wizards who are capable of that,” Anwyn replied. "They have the ability to create landscapes, objects, and images. And now I wonder if he was the reason for the terrible dream I had last night. It wasn't just a nightmare, Eleri. It was so much more than that, it felt so terribly real. As if... as if I were really walking through the fires of Avernus and at the end seeing him...". She broke off and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Still, Anwyn couldn't stop herself from sobbing quietly.
“Seeing him? Tearlách?”
“No... not him. It was Trálír who was tortured,” she whispered and began to cry. Eleri immediately sat up, walked around the table, and sank to her knees so she could put her arms around Anwyn comfortingly.
“It was just a nightmare, Anwyn.” The half-elf stroked her back with a slow, soothing motion and felt the sobs breaking through beneath her fingertips.
She felt Anwyn's tears wet the fabric of her dress and her heart grew heavy. She remembered Trálír's younger brother and the rumors surrounding him all too well. It had been no secret that he had often taken an interest in one maid or another. Eleri had feared that he had forced himself on Serah, but she had not known how bad the injuries and wounds the young maid had suffered were.
Conall had always warned her to keep as much distance as possible from his master's younger brother, and her gut feeling echoed those words. Whenever he had been near her, which fortunately had only been a few times, she had always found enough work to do to get away from him as quickly as possible.
She was shocked that he had been such a danger to Anwyn. Was it really possible for him to shape a dream and make it seem so real that her friend had to believe it was reality?
Eleri vaguely remembered that this spell, this power to do such a thing, was only possible for the strongest and wisest wizards.
Was Tearlách one of them? It was said that he was powerful in magic, but also that he was connected to the dark side of it.
She thought for a moment, but then she made a decision and gently placed her hands on Anwyn's shoulder.
“Please look at me, Anwyn,” she pleaded, smiling gently as she lifted her head and looked at Eleri hesitantly through tear-filled eyes.
“If Tearlách were really so skilled in such powerful magic, we would surely have heard about it. Using such magic does not go unnoticed, and the inhabitants of the castle and villages talk to each other,” she explained, wiping a tear from Anwyn's cheek with her index finger. “It was a nightmare, Anwyn.”
She looked at Eleri with wide eyes, unsure whether to believe her words.
“A terrible nightmare, but only a dream. It takes decades to master such magic, Anwyn.”
She reached out her hand to her friend and gently pulled her to her feet as she stood up herself. Sniffing awkwardly, Anwyn smoothed the wrinkles in her dress as her gaze fell on the doorframe and she spotted Brin, who quickly hid behind it again.
“That curiosity of his is going to get him into trouble again,” Eleri muttered, shaking her head, then called out, “Brin, let's go feed the pigs.”
With a beaming face, the boy emerged from behind the doorframe, his younger brother on his left and the surprisingly quiet Yarrow standing to his right.
“Let's just let Brin feed the animals while we enjoy the sun a little,” Eleri whispered conspiratorially to her friend, and the two women began to giggle.
Anwyn followed the half-elf with a sense of relief. It was still hard for her to believe that it was just a simple nightmare, but talking about it took away the horror of the images in her head.
“Anwyn?”
Eleris' voice snapped Anwyn out of her thoughts and she flinched slightly. When she saw the concerned look on her friend's face, she smiled weakly and gently stroked Elyan's back. However, her movements were erratic and nervous, which rubbed off on the toddler, who suddenly began to whine in her embrace.
Eleri took her son from Anwyn, placed her hand comfortingly on his back, and tilted her head slightly to one side, the green eyes full of concern as she looked thoughtfully at her friend. She held Elyan firmly, and as soon as he was in his mother's arms, he calmed down again, allowing Eleri to place her hand on Anwyn's forearm; a gentle, soothing touch.
“I'm worried about you,” she said hesitantly, and Anwyn rubbed her eyes as if to chase the tiredness away. But she did this not because of the deep exhaustion she felt, but to avoid Eleri's gaze.
“Worried? About me? You don't need to worry about me.” Anwyn shook her head, looked at the half-elf, and tried to smile, but failed miserably. She looked deeply unhappy, her skin had lost all color, her eyes were red and swollen. And she looked frightened.
“All right, let's have breakfast first, Anwyn,” said Eleri, leaving the subject alone for the moment. With an understanding look, she pointed to the house and then took Brin's hand, while Anwyn nodded silently, picked up the basket of harvested vegetables, and followed her friend. When she entered the house, she was surprised to see that Conall had already set the table and greeted her with a friendly smile. She returned it uncertainly and placed the basket on a chest of drawers, then took a seat. At that moment, Doran appeared in the doorway, greeted those present, and also sat down at the table”. Elyan squealed with delight and stretched his little arms toward the older fisherman, who looked questioningly at Conall who gave his consent with a quiet laugh. Anwyn's father took the youngest member of the half-elf family onto his lap while Eleri cut the bread. Normally, they always had enough time to enjoy breakfast together, but this morning Conall and Doran hurried through their meal so they could get out to sea as quickly as possible. Anwyn felt miserable as she watched her father and the half-elf wolf down their food, then finish their tea in a couple of gulps and say goodbye.
The guilty conscience she felt for putting her father and Conall in a hurry caused Anwyn stomach pains. She looked after them contritely as they opened the door and ran to the beach. Brin jumped up from her chair, closed the door behind the two men, and began clearing the table.
“Anwyn, you haven't eaten anything,” Eleri remarked quietly, and Anwyn looked up at her.
“Oh.”
“Brin, can you take your brother and play with him a little?” Eleri said in a gentle but firm voice, pointing to his younger brother, who was sitting somewhat unsteadily on Doran's chair and holding onto the edge of the table. Brin nodded, lifted his brother off the chair, and walked through the doorway into the next room.
Anwyn wanted to get up too, but Eleri put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.
“But...”
“The work won't run away if we have another cup of tea,” the half-elf interrupted her friend and poured her and herself another cup of chamomile tea, then sat down across from Anwyn at the table and looked at her silently.
Anwyn remained quiet, staring first at her intertwined fingers, then looking up and seeming to gaze into the distance as she looked out the window.
“Anwyn?”
Anwyn looked up and sighed heavily.
"You seem so unhappy and lost. Would you like to confide in me? If we carry your burden together, it might become easier for you," Eleri said quietly, wrapping her hands around the cup of tea in front of her.
“I don't really know how to answer that,” Anwyn murmured, shrugging her shoulders and looking apologetically at her friend. “I have so many thoughts, I wouldn't know where to start.”
“Do you miss Trálír that much?” asked Eleri.
“I miss him as soon as he sets foot in the direction of Blackwater Castle or the forest,” she confessed, taking a sip of tea. When she put the mug down again, she continued in a quiet voice. "Every moment he's not near me, every moment I can't hear his voice, his absence pains me. And yet I shouldn't complain, because now is nothing compared to the beginning of our relationship. Sometimes we couldn't see each other for several days, and often I had no idea why he hadn't shown up. I could only guess, and believe me, it was unbearable. I was always afraid that something might have happened, that he might be sick or worse. And the winter months, when we are all forced to retreat?"
Anwyn shook her head sadly as she remembered those times. “It was just hard to bear. But now we always have the opportunity to get in touch with each other, even if it's just a few short sentences we can exchange. And even in the quiet and cold months, we can get in touch with each other through Minerva.” She smiled at the thought of Trálir's carrier pigeon, which was probably in the dovecote at Blackwater Castle at that moment.
“But now it feels different,” Anwyn continued quietly, her forehead slightly furrowed. “I can't give you a reason for it, it's just a feeling. But these three days...” She broke off and shrugged uncertainly.
Eleri looked at her friend silently, sympathy in her eyes. “Something is going on and I can't put my finger on it. I don't understand myself or my feelings anymore, Eleri. But it feels so all-encompassing, so oppressive. And I wonder... is it a premonition? Or just my imagination? Am I worrying about something that doesn't really exist?”
“Is there a reason for this feeling?”
Anwyn shrugged uncertainly. “I don't know.”
The two women looked at each other silently until Eleri spoke to her friend. “Why do you think it's a premonition, Anwyn?”
“I haven't the faintest idea, Eleri, but...” She paused and looked downcastly at her friend. She took a deep breath, cleared her throat, and then leaned forward slightly, her voice reduced to a whisper: “You know about his brother?”
The flash in Eleri's green eyes confirmed Anwyn's question. “There are rumors about him,” she continued, her voice trembling. “And... and I met him once.”
Startled, Eleri let go of the cup in her hands and wrapped them around Anwyn's. “By the gods, did he hurt you?”
In response, Anwyn shook her head and began to confide in Eleri in a quiet voice. She told her again about Serah, about the suffering she had endured, about her decision to end her life, and about the guilty conscience Anwyn had because she had not been able to save the young maid. And then she described the dream she did have, about the stranger who had taken her life and the yellow eyes that had burned mercilessly into her soul. It was only when she met Tearlách in the forest that she was able to connect him with Serah. He had had the same yellow eyes as the unrecognizable monster in her dreams.
“So you think he could have sent you this dream?” Eleri asked, horrified.
“I've heard of wizards who are capable of that,” Anwyn replied. "They have the ability to create landscapes, objects, and images. And now I wonder if he was the reason for the terrible dream I had last night. It wasn't just a nightmare, Eleri. It was so much more than that, it felt so terribly real. As if... as if I were really walking through the fires of Avernus and at the end seeing him...". She broke off and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Still, Anwyn couldn't stop herself from sobbing quietly.
“Seeing him? Tearlách?”
“No... not him. It was Trálír who was tortured,” she whispered and began to cry. Eleri immediately sat up, walked around the table, and sank to her knees so she could put her arms around Anwyn comfortingly.
“It was just a nightmare, Anwyn.” The half-elf stroked her back with a slow, soothing motion and felt the sobs breaking through beneath her fingertips.
She felt Anwyn's tears wet the fabric of her dress and her heart grew heavy. She remembered Trálír's younger brother and the rumors surrounding him all too well. It had been no secret that he had often taken an interest in one maid or another. Eleri had feared that he had forced himself on Serah, but she had not known how bad the injuries and wounds the young maid had suffered were.
Conall had always warned her to keep as much distance as possible from his master's younger brother, and her gut feeling echoed those words. Whenever he had been near her, which fortunately had only been a few times, she had always found enough work to do to get away from him as quickly as possible.
She was shocked that he had been such a danger to Anwyn. Was it really possible for him to shape a dream and make it seem so real that her friend had to believe it was reality?
Eleri vaguely remembered that this spell, this power to do such a thing, was only possible for the strongest and wisest wizards.
Was Tearlách one of them? It was said that he was powerful in magic, but also that he was connected to the dark side of it.
She thought for a moment, but then she made a decision and gently placed her hands on Anwyn's shoulder.
“Please look at me, Anwyn,” she pleaded, smiling gently as she lifted her head and looked at Eleri hesitantly through tear-filled eyes.
“If Tearlách were really so skilled in such powerful magic, we would surely have heard about it. Using such magic does not go unnoticed, and the inhabitants of the castle and villages talk to each other,” she explained, wiping a tear from Anwyn's cheek with her index finger. “It was a nightmare, Anwyn.”
She looked at Eleri with wide eyes, unsure whether to believe her words.
“A terrible nightmare, but only a dream. It takes decades to master such magic, Anwyn.”
She reached out her hand to her friend and gently pulled her to her feet as she stood up herself. Sniffing awkwardly, Anwyn smoothed the wrinkles in her dress as her gaze fell on the doorframe and she spotted Brin, who quickly hid behind it again.
“That curiosity of his is going to get him into trouble again,” Eleri muttered, shaking her head, then called out, “Brin, let's go feed the pigs.”
With a beaming face, the boy emerged from behind the doorframe, his younger brother on his left and the surprisingly quiet Yarrow standing to his right.
“Let's just let Brin feed the animals while we enjoy the sun a little,” Eleri whispered conspiratorially to her friend, and the two women began to giggle.
Anwyn followed the half-elf with a sense of relief. It was still hard for her to believe that it was just a simple nightmare, but talking about it took away the horror of the images in her head.
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